Optimal diabetes outcomes depend on a lifetime of appropriate care, including self-care, education and management. Health professionals require a body of knowledge and skills in order to provide effective diabetes care, education and management. In 2002, a step towards assisting healthcare professionals to gain that knowledge was taken by the International Diabetes Federation’s Consultative Section on Diabetes Education (DECS), when it published the International Curriculum for Diabetes Health Professional Education. This article reports on the next stage – building content and a programme based on the Curriculum for the education of multidisciplinary diabetes care teams.