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Engagement is key to success
As I mentioned in my previous entry, a lot of work is underway across the sector aimed at improving services for the wide range of the people who use social and health care.
The most recent development was the publication of the Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, which is designed to support the workforce to improve the quality of care and support in England.
Social care and health is a people-intensive sector. Whilst technology and science will always make significant contributions to how we provide care, the essential tasks are carried out by people, for people.
The workforce is key to the delivery of these strategies. How we develop, support and enable those who work in the sector will be a crucial element in the success of delivering our strategies to improve the care and support people receive.
We know from the literature on management and leadership that successful organisations need to be well lead. Critically, they also need to engage positively and constructively with front line workers.
This open approach ensures that policies are relevant and authentic. After all, policies are a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
The workforce strategy for social care lays out the framework within which we would like to see the development of people who work in the social care sector.
Among the most eye-catching initiatives within the strategy is CareFirst, a scheme which will give 50,000 long term unemployed the opportunity to develop the skills necessary for a career care services.
The number of apprenticeships in social care will be increased by around 1,300, with recruitment targeted at groups which have not traditionally taken up careers in social care.
We want to support, and raise the status of, people already working in the sector, so there will more Social Care Awards to recognise the hard work the 1.5 million people working in social care. In addition, £4m will be made available to support for newly qualified social workers in their first year.
To improve quality, a National Management Trainee Scheme will be set up to encourage graduates and top quality executives to move into the social care sector, and a new voluntary registration scheme for home care workers will launch in 2010.
The new strategies were developed with key stakeholders, people who use services and carers working alongside civil servants. The aim is to ensure that people receive high quality care and support that maintains their independence.
I believe that, implemented well, and through engaging front line staff, users and carers alike, the work on dementia, carers, autism, mental health and learning disabilities will lead to real improvements in the way people can be supported to live independently, and be afforded choice and control over their lives.
I agree with David Behan's views on the importance of an effective workforce strategy, those who deliver social care at all levels are integral to delivering the individualised services that people desire and deserve. Dignity in Care cannot be achieved without a workforce that is versed in the principles of dignity and the knowledge to back up those principles.
However I do have concerns over how we fund this. Whilst the DH is doing great work in promoting Workforce Development this is being undermined by other areas of Government.
This week I was informed by the Learning & Skills Council that the Train to Gain initiative has been suspended temporarily. Whilst all current workers will finish their courses no new starters are being allowed for at least the next three months.
Given the turnover of staff in the care sector this can create problems.
It has been well established that providing training is one element of retaining staff and if care providers are now unable to afford NVQ training it could cause retention problems.
Additionally given the current economic climate many providers will be hard pushed to pay for the full amount of an NVQ and if they do the money will, inevitably, impact on other aspects of care delivery.
This is why I feel that the funding Green Paper is so important and that it does need to take into account workforce development.
Hopefully the initiatives in the Workforce Strategy, such as CareFirst will help mitigate many of the recruitment and retention problems and raise the profile of working in social care.
it seems some care organisations will be rubbing there hands at the thought of all the extra money ,it seem that the sick and disable are having to suffer to make care homes profitable so they can train the staff they have without dipping into profits ,not all the sick and disabled want to be placed at the mercy of strangers ,to hand over their lives to them .this labour goverment has messed up big time why make the sick and disabled suffer to protect care homes profits
I am thinking that the only way forward where I live in a remote rural are is to set up a social enterprise cooperative to provide reliable quality care recruiting local staff who are well trained, paid and supported, where staff have a can do flexible approach, and are willing and able to perform a variety of tasks personal care cleaning gardening shopping home maintenance because I wouldnt like to rely on SSD to do this
This proposal looks a bit top heavy with organisation of resources within the system, how is it going to motivate community spirit?
If we are going to get voluntary workers doing the care then surely this opens us up to more abuse.
Helath care workers have abused in the past and relatives have had to set up cameras to monitor the abuse because no one listened to them immediately. How many more people do you want to die ?
Yes the government is leaning towards self help for people to look after themselves in the community. There are people that cannot set up flowery self help in the community because their mental health or disability impairment is restrictive.
We needed to stabilise the economy but the guilt has been put back onto the public to repay this debt. The public was not consulted in who needed to be helped in the recession. The government chose. The NHS, pensioners, child care and disabilty are all going to be cut to minimal and we are all going to have to pay dearly.
To clear the deficit of the loan the government borrowed will be at least £20,000 per person in the UK. So who is going to write the first cheque?