‘Workforce strategy for adult social care’ – reflections on our recent roundtable events

We recently held a series of collaborative roundtable events to gather input on the upcoming ‘Workforce strategy for adult social care’. The events involved people and organisations from across the adult social care sector and resulted in some great insights.

Throughout April, we conducted 15 roundtable discussions to gather insight for the upcoming ‘Workforce strategy for adult social care’, which is expected to launch in July 2024.

These sessions brought together a diverse group of participants, including CEOs, registered managers, nominated individuals, frontline care workers, regulated professionals, those who draw on care and support, their families and carers, personal assistants, and learning providers.

We also partnered with Learning Disability England, Alzheimer's Society, and Care Rights UK for three of these events, which provided a broader and more inclusive range of perspectives and enhanced the overall quality of the feedback received.

Our goal in hosting these events was to hear what positive change people want to see in the sector and ask the question, “What does good care look like?” The feedback we received has shaped our understanding of the priorities for the workforce strategy and has been instrumental in refining our approach to ensure it aligns with the real needs and expectations of those involved in social care. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed their time and insights.

We identified several key themes from the discussions which we will be addressing within the strategy:

• Attracting young people to social care
• Making social care a rewarding and desirable sector to work in
• Access to relevant qualifications and career progress
• Ensuring those who work in social care have appropriate values and life skills.

Overall, the sessions highlighted the importance of developing a motivated workforce who are committed to a career in social care and share the primary values of the sector.

We want to thank everyone who participated and supported these important conversations. Your contributions have been vital in shaping a strategy that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of the social care workforce and those who draw on care and support.

The events captured some hugely positive feedback on the potential of the ‘Workforce strategy for adult social care’ to support the growth of the sector and make positive change.

A member of Care Rights UK said:

When discussing the opportunity to participate in the event, one registered manager said:

You can find out more about this project by visiting our ‘Workforce strategy for adult social care’ hub: A workforce strategy for adult social care (skillsforcare.org.uk)

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