National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Health and Social Care and Children’s Care, Learning and Development
The NOS are UK-wide standards that describe the knowledge, skills and understanding required to work in the social care and early years and childcare sectors to a nationally recognised level of practice.
There are 151 NOS. This series of NOS was updated in January 2026 following a UK-wide review.
Why are the NOS important?
Each NOS contains performance criteria and knowledge required for good practice.
NOS can be used as a basis for a wide range of activities, including qualifications, quality standards and benchmarking, learning and development, recruitment, and performance management.
The NOS are hosted by Skills for Care and Development. Visit the website to browse and download the NOS, view the NOS glossary and access resources to support the NOS.
Browse the NOS
Visit the Skills for Care and Development website
View the NOS by category
Select the categories below to view relevant NOS.