The diploma is one of 14 introduced as part of the Government's drive to encourage young people to stay in education.
By 2013, it will be statutory for all schools to offer specialist diplomas.
Other subject areas being introduced in 2008 include engineering, information and communication technology.
There will be 6,800 places available for the Society, Health and Development diploma, which was developed by Skills for Health in partnership with the Children's Workforce Network, led by SkillsActive, Skills for Justice and Skills for Care.
Students gaining the diploma can progress to a range of degree courses and a variety of apprenticeships and jobs.
Funding worth 90m has been committed to help regional consortia, including employers and training providers, to work up the detail of the new qualifications in each professional area.
Esther McLaughlin, deputy chief executive of CACHE, said, 'The new diploma should provide candidates with better knowledge and understanding of what it would be like to work in their chosen area and motivate them to remain in education to achieve the full qualification.
'As we develop the diploma, we will ensure we amend and update our other qualifications, so there will be pathways and progression routes both across and within the children's sector for anyone who chooses to study with us.'
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