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Expert adult social care insight

Workforce intelligence > Publications

Data and publications

Skills for Care is the leading source of workforce intelligence for the adult social care workforce in England.

We use the information collected in the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) to create robust estimates for the size of the whole adult social care sector and characteristics of the workforce. We add insight and interpretation via our workforce intelligence publications below.

This intelligence is only possible thanks to the care providers using ASC-WDS. You can contribute to the voice of social care by registering for an account. There are lots of other benefits for care providers including access to funding, free management of training records, and access to the ASC-WDS Benefits Bundle. Find out more.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, or would like to commission our services, then please contact us.

National

Reports covering information at the national (England) level. These include: ‘The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’, ‘Size and structure’, and ‘National analysis of mental health and learning disabilities and/or autism workforce information’.                                    

 

National reports and information

Regional

Reports looking at the adult social care sector and workforce within each region. There are nine summary reports alongside two data visualisations; one shows each region in turn and one compares key metrics across all nine regions. 

 

Regional reports and information 

LI

Reports displaying workforce information in your chosen local area. Geographies are split based on local authority area and Integrated Care Board (ICB) area. There are also written summary reports for each local authority area.

 

 

Local reports and information

 

 

Monthly tracking

In addition to our annual reports of the adult social care workforce, we have been tracking monthly changes to staff, vacancy rates, and days lost due to sickness using data from the ASC-WDS.                                                     

Monthly tracking

Topics

View reports on key topic areas created using information from the ASC-WDS. Topics include registered managers, social work, and personal assistants.

 

Topics

Workforce estimates

Read about how we analyse and interpret the data we collect in the ASC-WDS. We create weighted workforce estimates to provide insight and workforce intelligence.

 

Workforce estimates

 

Release schedule of upcoming workforce intelligence publications

Trackers

  • Recruitment and retention: Monthly - by 15th of the month 

  • Filled posts: Monthly - by 15th of the month 

  • ICB recruitment and retention: Quarterly (Q1 April, Q2 June, Q3 October, Q4 January). 

  • International recruitment: Quarterly (Q1 April, Q2 June, Q3 October, Q4 January). This tracker is published after quarterly Home Office figures are released. If these are delayed, this tracker will be delayed accordingly. 

Annual reports

February 2025 

  • Apprenticeships 

12 February 2025 

  • The workforce employed by adult social services departments in England 

    • Reference tables for report 

    • Social worker headline report and visualisation 

    • Occupational therapists visualisation 

March 2025 

  • Pay briefing 

  • Individual employers and personal assistants 

  • Social work education 

  • Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) 

June 2025 

  • The size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 

    • Trended data download – key variables from 2016/17 to current year 

October 2025 

  • The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England: 

    • Data downloads (current year) and Workforce estimates 2024/25        

    • National summary reports for domiciliary care, care homes with nursing and care homes without nursing          

    • Regional information including visualisations, summary reports and data downloads 

    • Local information including visualisations, summary reports and data downloads     

    • Registered managers visualisation          

    • Registered nurses visualisation    

    • Workforce nationality and international recruitment visualisation 

  • Analysis of mental health and learning disabilities and/or autism workforce information: 

    • National 

    • by ICB area 

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