Our eligible social care categories

The quickest and easiest way to confirm your eligibility is adding and verifying your work email address during the application. If this doesn't work, we'll need to see one of the below matching the name on your Blue Light Card account:

Your employer must fall under one of the following organisations to be eligible:

• Homeless Connect (Northern Ireland)
• Cymorth Cymru
• Homeless Network Scotland
• Homeless Link (England)

To find out if your employer is eligible, please register under the 'Social Care- Homelessness' service, and take a look at the organisations listed on the drop down menu under 'Your Employer'.

Note- You can start typing to search the drop down menu and if you are employed within a Local Authority/ Council, please select 'Council (Direct affiliation to Homelessness)'

Accepted forms of ID: 

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• Eligible employer affiliation*

Payslip showing:

• Name
• Eligible employer affiliation*
• Dated within the last 3 months

*Please note, for some organisations who's work is multifaceted, we may need to see further information such as your job role and department to verify your work within Homelessness. You can show us this by uploading a copy of your ID card or Payslip alongside your Contract of Employment. 

Currently, Volunteers are not eligible within the Homelessness sector, but this will remain under review.

Reasons why your ID might be declined: 

• The name on your ID card/payslip doesn't match your account
• Your payslip did not show a date from within the last 3 months
• The team were unable to verify your work within Homelessness from your ID card/payslip

To be eligible under this category, you need to be able to provide a form of the ID listed below matching the name on your Blue Light Card account.

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• Social Worker job role

Payslip showing:

• Name
• Social Worker job role
• Dated within the last 3 months

Your valid Social Worker registration number:

• Social Work England
• Social Care Wales
• Scottish Social Services Council
• Northern Ireland Social Care Council

Common reasons for ID decline under this category

• The name on your ID card/payslip/registration number doesn't match your account
• Your payslip did not show a date from within the last 3 months
• The team were unable to find affiliation to a social worker job role from your ID card/payslip

To be eligible under this category, you need to be able to provide a form of the ID listed below that matches the name on your Blue Light Card account.

Your employer must be registered with one of the below regulators and have been inspected by them within the last 12 months to be eligible employers.

• Care Quality Commission (CQC) England
• Care Inspectorate Wales 
• Care Inspectorate Scotland 
• Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

Our team may use information on your company's website along with your work ID to review your application.

Accepted forms of ID:

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• Eligible Care Company employer

Payslip showing:

• Name
• Eligible Care Company employer
• Dated within the last 3 months

Reasons why your ID might be declined: 

• The name on your ID card/payslip doesn't match your account
• Your payslip did not show a date from within the last 3 months
• The team were unable to find record of your employer on one of the above regulatory authorities.  

CQC employees

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• CQC employer

Payslip showing:

• Name
• CQC employer
• Dated within the last 3 months

Shared Lives Carers

Please contact Shared Lives Plus for information on work ID.

To be eligible under this category, you need to be able to provide a form of the ID listed below matching the name on your Blue Light Card account.

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• Care Home employer

Payslip showing:

• Name
• Care Home employer
• Dated within the last 3 months

Common reasons for ID decline under this category

• The name on your ID card/payslip doesn't match your account
• Your payslip did not show a date from within the last 3 months
• The team were unable to find affiliation to a care home from your ID card/payslip

To be eligible under this category, you need to be able to provide a form of the ID listed below matching the name on your Blue Light Card account.

Our team may use information on your company's website along with your work ID to review your application.

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• Residential Care job role/employer affiliation

Payslip showing:

• Name
• Residential Care job role/employer affiliation
• Dated within 3 months

Common reasons for ID decline under this category

• The name on your ID card/payslip doesn't match your account
• Your payslip did not show a date from within the last 3 months
• The team were unable to find affiliation to a residential care facility from your ID card/payslip

To be eligible under this category, you need to be able to provide a form of the ID listed below matching the name on your Blue Light Card account.

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• A health and social care department OR Children's Trust 

Payslip showing:

• Name
• A health and social care department OR Children's Trust 
• Dated within 3 months

ID card or payslip doesn't show a social care job role/department?

You'll also need to provide us with a council contract/statement of particulars showing your health and social care department alongside the ID card or payslip

Common reasons for ID decline under this category

• The name on your ID card/payslip doesn't match your account
• Your payslip did not show a date from within the last 3 months
• Your council ID card/payslip did not show a health and social care department

To be eligible under this category, you need to be able to provide a form of the ID listed below matching the name on your Blue Light Card account.

Work ID card showing:

• Name
• Foster Carer or Foster Parent job role

Payslip showing:

• Name
• Foster Carer or Foster Parent job role
• Dated within 3 months

Common reasons for ID decline under this category

• The name on your ID card/payslip card doesn't match your account
• Your payslip did not show a date from within the last 3 months
• Your ID card/payslip did not show your role

To be eligible under this category, you need to be able to provide a form of the ID listed below matching the name on your Blue Light Card account. 

Independent Living Group (ILG) ID card showing:

• Name
• Personal Assistant job role

Want to find out how to sign up for an Independent Living Group ID Card? Find out here.

Common reasons for ID decline under this category

• The name on your ID card doesn't match your account
• You've not provided us with an ILG ID card