The latest report from Skills for Care highlights ongoing social care recruitment and retention challenges, with any workforce improvements driven by international recruitment. The State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report reveals that the adult social care workforce grew, and vacancies fell, for the second successive year during 2023-24....
Skills for Care is driving change with their new workforce strategy campaign
Skills for Care’s latest campaign focuses on encouraging the care sector to implement its new workforce strategy. The new ‘Driving change in social care’ campaign is running throughout September to promote the ‘Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care’, which was launched in July 2024 to improve working conditions in care and help create a...
Care workforce supply and demand remains ‘key issue’
Skills for Care published their latest data on The size and structure of the adult social care workforce in England in July. The annual report forms a key chapter in ‘The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report, which is published in October each year, and demonstrates workforce supply...
Statutory and Mandatory Training: Skills for Care’s new guide
Skills for Care have published a new guide on statutory and mandatory training, which are both key aspects of any care worker induction. Statutory training is training that is required by law or by a statutory body, such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) or Ofsted, in order to ensure care providers and their...
New Workforce Strategy for adult social care a ‘call to action’
The new national Workforce Strategy for adult social care in England has been described as a “call to action” which provides a “long-term vision” for the sector. The sector-led Workforce Strategy has been developed by Skills for Care in collaboration with other social care bodies and stakeholders, including the Care Quality Commission (CQC), care...
Skills for Care campaigns for integrated care
Skills for Care’s latest campaign focuses on making integrated care happen. The workforce development charity says that integration between our health and social care systems is vital if people are to receive seamless services that offer higher-quality, person-centred care. That’s why their ‘Making integration happen’ campaign aims to support social care providers to understand,...
Registrations open for ‘powerful tool’ for race equality in care
The 2024 registration process for the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) Improvement Programme has officially opened. Heralded as a “powerful tool” for helping to achieve race equality in care, the SC-WRES Improvement Programme supports local authorities to address race inequalities in the care workforce by requiring them to record and submit annual...
Staff retention in care focus of Skills for Care campaign
Skills for Care’s latest campaign is focused on supporting staff retention in care. Throughout May and June, the workforce development charity is helping social care providers to keep the right people working in their services, providing them with information and resources all about retaining staff, as well as practical tips, insights and stories from...
CQC publishes first local authority care assessments
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published the first of its formal local authority care assessments. Britain’s care watchdog is now required to formally assess how all local authorities in England are meeting their adult social care duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This covers the general duties of local authorities,...
Skills for Care renews endorsement of First Response Training
National training provider First Response Training (FRT) has once again been named as an Endorsed Learning Provider by Skills for Care. FRT, which has been delivering health and social care training across the UK for over 25 years, has been recognised as an Endorsed Learning Provider by Skills for Care since 2020. The endorsed...
The new Care Workforce Pathway for adult social care
Developed by the UK government in partnership with Skills for Care, the new Care Workforce Pathway is a framework which outlines the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours required of people working in adult social care services. Co-developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Skills for Care, representatives from the adult social...
Skills for Care are celebrating social care in April
Throughout April, Skills for Care will be Celebrating Social Care as part of an annual campaign. Since 2022, the workforce development charity has used the month of April to celebrate the adult social care workforce “a little bit louder” and highlight the “vital impact” they have on people using care services. Skills for Care...
Skills for Care campaign celebrates registered managers
Throughout March, Skills for Care’s latest campaign will be putting the spotlight on registered managers in care. The workforce development charity will focus on championing and celebrating registered managers, which they describe as “the heart of their organisations.” The Championing Registered Managers campaign will run across their website, social media and other communication channels...
Skills for Care offer guide to new Social Care Certificate qualification
Skills for Care have published a new webpage, specification and FAQ guide to the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification. The new Social Care Certificate qualification, which is due to launch in June of this year, is based on the existing Care Certificate standards. The specification for it has been developed by...
Skills for Care’s learning campaign returns for 2024
Skills for Care’s successful learning campaign is returning for 2024 to inspire social care workers to ‘Keep learning for success.’ The campaign first ran in January – March 2023 to highlight how ongoing learning and development is “absolutely vital” for social care staff at all levels, and is being repeated this January and February....