Government sets out wide ranging plans to improve career prospects for domestic care workforce

SOCIAL care staff will have better training, clearer career paths and improved job prospects thanks to Government plans to develop the domestic care workforce, has recently been set out.

The Department of Health and Social Care has unveiled a package of measures that will reaffirm care work as a career, helping to recruit and retain talent by providing new, accredited qualifications, digital training and funded apprenticeships.

The reforms are underpinned by a new career pathway for care workers; the 1st time this has been brought together in a single place for care staff to use, to build and develop their careers. It will support people to gain the right knowledge, skills and expertise needed to deliver excellent care, giving clear differentiation between roles based on the level of expertise people should have and expect to develop.

Backed by £75 million in funding, the announcement comes in the week the Government also started the second phase of the Made with Care recruitment campaign, aimed at getting more people in the UK to consider a rewarding career in care.

Minister for Social Care, Helen Whately, said:- "The workforce is the heartbeat of the social care sector and staff should be given the recognition and opportunities they deserve. These changes will give brilliant care workers the chance to develop rewarding careers in social care. There are also many talented people across the country who would thrive in care work but haven't seen it as a career choice. We're changing that; our new career path and qualifications recognise social care as the skilled profession it is."

Turnover of staff is lower where there is access to learning opportunities to gain skills and qualifications according to social care workforce development body, Skills for Care. Investing in better training and supporting staff to develop their careers will act as an incentive for people to join or stay in the workforce.

The plans being rolled out include:-

• The launch of the Care Workforce Pathway: For the 1st time, there will be a national career structure for the Adult Social Care workforce, covering the breadth and complexity of care.
  

• Over £50 million of funding for a new qualification: This will support up to 37,000 individuals in direct Adult Social Care roles to enrol on the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification between June 2024 and March 2025.
  

• An investment of over £20 million for apprenticeships: Local authorities and Adult Social Care providers will be able to use the money towards training and supervising hundreds of new social work and nurse apprentices.
  

• Subsidised training places: An uplift to the Workforce Development Fund will expand access to learning and development, creating opportunities for the workforce to become experts in their field or progress into new roles.
  

• A new digital leadership qualification: This will help equip social care leaders and managers with the confidence and capability to lead the implementation and use of technology in the delivery of care.
  

• The Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate Qualification will be delivered in conjunction with Skills for Care and launch in June, backed by an investment of £53.9 million. The qualification will be accredited to ensure its quality and will be recognised by employers when care workers move roles, reducing the costs and burden of repeat training.

Department of Health and Social Care says that it will also be introducing a new digital leadership qualification which will help ensure that digital skills are embedded in core training and further support career development.

Skills for Care CEO, Oonagh Smyth, said:- "The announcement from DHSC about their plans for a workforce reform package is welcome as it includes the 1st version of the Care Workforce Pathway and the introduction of the Care Certificate Qualification, which are both projects which Skills for Care has consulted and supported on with the sector. Building on, and following on from, the Call for Evidence last year, the 1st phase of development is now complete. The DHSC and Skills for Care partnership benefited from invaluable support and collaboration with TLAP who developed the underpinning values, BILD who developed the Practice Leadership role, the Expert Consultation Group who informed the development throughout and of course, members of the Adult Social Care sector, including the workforce and people who draw on care and support, who generously gave their time and insight. Both initiatives will encourage learning and development opportunities for people working in different care services as well as supporting with the recruitment and retention challenges which we know employers are continuing to face. I look forward to seeing the impact this package can have for people working in care this year and beyond."

The launch of the Care Workforce Pathway in partnership with Skills for Care, is intended to ensure the Adult Social Care workforce is recognised as the professional workforce it is, to improve people's perception and experience of a career in care.

Meanwhile, the workforce development element will fund around 116,000 training courses and qualifications, 34,000 Care Certificate qualifications from:- June 2024 to the end March 2025 and continuous professional development for around 35,000 eligible professionals.

Creating career paths and qualifications in the care system aims, in the long term, to support the domestic workforce so we can strike the right balance between ethical international recruitment and filling vacancies with staff based in the UK, following the Prime Minister and Home Secretary's recently announced plan to curb abuse of the visa system.

Department of Health and Social Care says that it will be supporting local authorities to expand the workforce with almost £2 billion over 2 years as part of the Market Sustainability Improvement Fund and in addition, Councils will benefit from a new investment to help recruitment of social work and nurse apprentices into Adult Social Care. This will allow local authorities and care providers to apply for a contribution towards the costs of training and supervising new social work and nurse apprentices.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, said:- "This package of measures, including the Care Workforce Pathway, is an opportunity to be an asset to the sector and has the potential to make it a more attractive sector to work in. The value of enhancing our domestic workforce can't be understated, particularly as we lost over 50,000 domestic workers last year which were replaced by 70,000 international recruits. This value has only become greater in light of the changes made by the Home Office to the international recruitment route late last year. We know career structures and pathways play a key role in attracting and keeping people in Adult Social Care roles. But these are not the only factors. This package of support must be the precedent the Government sets for the year. The promise from this Government to fix social care feels like a distant memory but this is a welcome reminder that this promise has not been forgotten. The impetus is now on the Government to turn the tide and make good on their promise."

Merseyrail network to benefit from toilet investment

CUSTOMERS on the Merseyrail network will soon be benefitting from an investment of more than £300,000 on fully refurbished toilet facilities, thanks to the roll out of a Stations' improvement plan.

Toilets at Liverpool Central will be completely renovated, while Moorfields, Bank Hall and Hightown will all get fully accessible new facilities. The existing toilets at Moorfields Station will also be refurbished.

Refurbishment of the toilets at Southport Station were also recently completed.

Liverpool Central had previously been refurbished back in 2012, but after 11 years of use customer feedback suggested that they needed a refresh.

The works at the network's flagship Station will see the facilities completely renovated with new sinks and hand driers, as well as new toilets. New wall and floor tiles together with enhanced ventilation will also be installed.

Suzanne Grant, Commercial Director at Merseyrail, said:- "We always aim to provide the best customer experience possible, and we know how important facilities such as these are for people travelling on Merseyrail. The toilets at Liverpool Central are well used and we are delighted to be able to get this work underway. The improvements at Moorfields, Bank Hall and Hightown will particularly benefit disabled customers. I'm sure those using them will be delighted with the newly refurbished facilities. We know that there will be a period of disruption for customers while this work takes place, but the positives will be clear when everything is completed."

The refurbishment work of the toilets will start at Liverpool Central in mid-January and will take about 12 weeks to complete. The male and female toilet refurbishment will be completed in 6 weeks, and then the work on the disabled and baby change facilities will commence.

Customers requiring toilet facilities during the refurbishment works should use those at Lime Street or James Street Stations. Disabled passengers will still be able to access their dedicated toilets at Liverpool Central during the works. The work at Moorfields Station will start by the end of January and be completed within 5 weeks.

Bank Hall and Hightown Stations will see their works begin on:- Monday, 15 January 2024, with work being completed shortly afterwards.

The investment at Moorfields, Bank Hall and Hightown Stations is being funded by Network Rail and the Department for Transport under the Access For All Mid-Tier Scheme.