Skills for Care have launched a new campaign to improve digital confidence among social care workers.
The workforce development charity is running its new campaign throughout November and December to support people working in the social care sector to feel more confident with using digital technology.
Skills for Care hope that the ‘Improving digital confidence’ campaign will give everyone working in the sector a better understanding of what being more digital in social care could look like.
Digital confidence must grow in next 2 years
They revealed that currently only around 54% of the sector is using digital ways of working.
This is despite the fact that the government has spoken of its ambitions for all health and social care settings to be working digitally by 2025.
The government wants there to be established digital, data and technology talent pipelines, and improved digital literacy among leaders and the workforce within the next two years.
Digital can be a daunting prospect for many people and ‘Improving digital confidence’ aims to change this, highlighting the benefits which digital technology can have for people working in social care as well as the people receiving care and support services.
Resources to boost digital confidence
Skills for Care are running the campaign across their website, social media and other communication channels and will be covering topics such as:
- What digital technology in social care can look like
- The benefits of using digital technology in care
- The support available to help social care workers increase their digital confidence
The campaign will feature blogs and real-life insights from experts in digital technology as well as social care organisations who have successfully introduced new digital ways of working.
Skills for Care are also providing resources and sharing projects from partners they’re working closely with to help employers and workers in care to increase their digital confidence.
Support available includes the Digital Skills Framework, a free resource, and the Digital Leadership Programme.
Providers can also visit the new CARE-branded Digitising Social Care website and Registered Managers can access webinars exploring the digitisation of care, such as ‘How can technology support the delivery of care?’ which was produced in partnership with the NHS Transformation Directorate.
Digital confidence is vital
Skills for Care’s Head of Digital Skills, Claire Smout explains that digital confidence among social care workers is vital because “Digitisation is high on the agenda,” for the sector.
She adds:
“Digital ways of working are here to stay and will increase over time. As a society people are used to having access to technology to monitor their health, using smart home technology to manage lights, heating, locking doors at night, and making calls or accessing social media channels to keep in touch with relatives and friends.
“We need to ensure our services are introducing digital infrastructure and technology to enable people who are drawing on care and support to have continued access to this technology.”
Arguing that “Digital doesn’t need to be daunting,” she points out that the majority of us are already using technology, such as smartphones, tablets and digital assistants like ‘Alexa’, in our personal and work lives and explains that Skills for Care want to “help everyone in the sector embrace technology and plan their digital journey, one step at time.”
She concluded:
“We’re excited to launch this campaign to create a wider understanding of what digital social care can look like and to support social care workers in feeling confident with their digital leadership and digital skills.”
Skills for Care’s spotlight page offers more information on the Improving Digital Confidence campaign for social care providers and workers.
To follow the campaign and participate in discussions, use the hashtag #DigitalConfidence.
Digitising learning and development in care
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.
They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.
Their diverse portfolio includes training awards designed for care workers, such as Infection Control and Prevention, Safeguarding Adults, Duty of Care, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Person Centred Care and Support and many others.
Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and higher level training for supervisors and managers.
They also offer digital training solutions, including an expansive and ever-developing portfolio of high quality, interactive eLearning courses and live online webinars, led by highly experienced trainers. They can support social care organisations to adopt and embrace flexible digital learning solutions that will benefit their workers and the people they support.
A Trainer at FRT, says:
“Improving digital confidence is a much-needed campaign that will hopefully support all those working in the social care sector to feel happy, confident and competent when using digital technology and excited to introduce new digital ways of working into their organisations to help improve services and outcomes for the people they support.”
For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.