Building a bigger and better workforce

Moves are under way to increase the number of apprenticeships in adult social care and to employ thousands more people in the sector, as part of an England wide strategy to develop a high quality workforce to deliver personalised care and build a national care service.

The Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy aims to boost the status of social care so the sector can attract and retain the brightest and best workers.

Initiatives include:

• increasing the number of apprenticeships by around 1,300
• CareFirst, a scheme to get 50,000 long term unemployed people working in social care. Employers will receive a subsidy of £1,500 to take on trainees aged between 18 and 24
• targeting groups that have not traditionally taken up careers in social care
• establishing a new national management trainee scheme to encourage graduates and top quality executives to move into the sector
• a new voluntary registration scheme for home care workers from April 2010 to help safeguard people who use services and improve quality
• developing more social care awards to raise the status of working in the sector, and to recognise the contributions made by individuals already working in social care
• more support for newly qualified social workers in their first year.

The strategy provides a framework for local authorities with responsibility for transforming services to develop the workforce to the scale and standards needed to meet the requirements of transforming adult social care.

Six themes underpin the strategy, they are:

• leadership
• recruitment, retention and career pathways
• workforce remodelling and commissioning
• workforce development
• joint and integrated working
• regulation

Approximately 1.5 million people work in adult social care in a variety of roles, with over two thirds in the private and third sectors.
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JIP e-bulletin No 12 May 2010

Dear Colleague,

Since confirmation of plans earlier this year to set up a national care service, the focus on building a workforce fit to deliver transformation of adult social care has intensified.

Our growing ageing population has led to an increase in demand for support and care services; this in turn has led to extensive examination of how we meet the demand and deal with the consequences.

The response – transforming social care – brings together a number of issues and expectations, specifically: finding ways to provide more, better and innovative services; making available resources stretch further; and personalising care, giving service users greater choice and control.

None of this can be achieved if we, the care service practitioners and providers, don’t change the way we do things.

As the lead director for developing the social care workforce in the West Midlands, I am delighted to see a number of schemes set up to help reshape the social care workforce, and help staff in the region adapt to change.

The training and social care standards organisation, Skills for Care, has commissioned detailed analysis of the National Minimum Dataset for Social Care – an important document that will help councils plan their workforces for the future. We feature this and other Skills for Care activities in this month’s bulletin, along with other initiatives in the region.



Brian Walsh,
JIP Steering Group
DASS Workforce Lead
Director of Community Services in Coventry

Focus on carers in Stoke-on-Trent

Plans are in place to develop a carers’ centre of excellence in Stoke-on-Trent.

The council aims to provide support and services to carers under one roof, including short breaks, bed space, day relief and home based help.

The development includes potential for working with the health sector, voluntary and other statutory organisations.

In separate initiatives, the authority has trained over 40 carers in managing challenging behaviour. The courses, funded by the Carers Grant, are available to individuals caring for older people with dementia related illnesses.

Training gives carers greater understanding of the disease. It includes recognising early signs of dementia and the potential effects on family and friends.

The council also provides short term cover for carers who are facing an emergency and are unable to look after the person they care for.

Temporary cover is provided by a response team who will maintain telephone contact with the person cared for or supply a temporary sitter.

Emergency care is provided for a maximum of 48 hours on weekdays, and up to 72 hours at weekends. Currently 150 carers are registered to use the service.

Walking in carers' shoes

Coventry City Council recently held a training event for representatives from a number of organisations, to raise awareness of carers' needs.

Under the heading 'Walk a Mile in My Shoes', the event organised jointly with the Department of Health, informed delegates of the extent to which carers contribute to the health and social care of people in need, and of their own need for practical and emotional support.

Brian Walsh (Director of Community Services) said: " Carers play a vital role in supporting people to live as independently as possible, and this event highlighted the value and contribution they play throughout Coventry. It provided an opportunity for a wide range of staff from agencies across the city to be aware of carers and the most effective ways of supporting them in their role."

Delegates from the NHS, PCT, JobCentre Plus and voluntary organisations attended.

Safeguarding and older people - the role of housing and support, 20 April 2010

A national conference to look at the key role housing and support providers for older people have in promoting the safeguarding agenda, and engaging with tenants and service users to promote best practice and achieve improved outcomes.

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Sustainable Social Care Conference, 20 April 2010

Findings, strategic, and practical recommendations from the Sustainable Social Care Programme will be revealed. The programme explores how sustainable development approaches can help realise the aims of Putting People First, and support the improvement and efficiency agenda.



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Dignity and choice in end of life care: the role of social workers, 28 April 2010

Supported by SCIE, the British Association of Social Workers and Shaping Our Lives, the conference will focus on the role social workers have in enabling chice and ensuring dignity in end of life care.



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