Hundreds of thousands of training opportunities will be available
for social care staff to develop their careers over the next
three years as part of the government’s £500million support
package.
This comes as the Workforce Development Fund is confirmed for an
additional year (2022/23) offering stability ahead of new and
improved training opportunities.
In 2020/21 the Workforce Development Fund, financed by the
Department of Health and Social Care and disseminated by Skills
for Care, helped more than 14,000 care workers from more than
2,300 establishments to progress their careers despite the
pressures of the pandemic.
The government is working in partnership with the social care
sector on plans for staff training and support including creating
a new knowledge and skills framework to ensure clear paths to
progress.
As part of this the government will be speaking to training
suppliers and the social care sector about potential contracts to
develop the best possible learning and development opportunities
from April 2023, using some of the £500 million announced in the
Spending Review.
These learning and development opportunities will include:
- New financial support to help adult social care employers
with the costs of continued professional development (CPD) for
registered nurses and other allied health professionals
- A brand new Care Certificate qualification, ending the need
for care workers to repeat this training when they move roles.
The government will fund more than 100,000 training places for
new care workers to complete this new qualification
- Developing a digital hub and skills passport for the
workforce. This will help provide a voluntary register of staff
and verified records of skills and qualifications when moving
between providers
By better supporting careers and staff wellbeing potential care
workers are more likely to apply and current workers are more
likely to want to remain in the profession.
Minister for Care and Mental Health said:
Dedicating your life to caring for others is not just a job, it
is a calling but it also needs to be a career.
We know how hardworking social care staff are and they deserve
our support in developing their skills through training.
Better training ultimately means better care for residents and a
better future for staff.
The new framework will set out the knowledge, skills, values, and
behaviours people need to work in adult social care.
It will also set out career structures and clear pathways for
development within roles, as well as creating more routes for
progression.
For level 5 managers there will be additional funding to assist
with further qualifications.
All registered managers who do not hold a level 5 or equivalent
qualification will be able to access a funded Diploma in
Leadership and Management in Adult Care.
The government will also invest in level 2, 3 and 4
qualifications to ensure individuals working across social care
have the option of taking up qualifications.
Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Deborah Sturdy said:
A key priority when I took on this role was to improve training
and career opportunities for our hard working staff.
Providing care is a skill which requires nurturing and if we want
to retain the best of the profession we need to care for them
too.
The skills framework will offer progression and improved
opportunities which all our staff deserve.
For those who wish to remain in their existing roles but develop
new skills there will be professional development opportunities.
Additional training will include developing skills to help with
diabetes, stroke awareness, mental health and care for people
with a learning disability and autistic people.
Leadership training will be available to build a culture of
continued professional development across all sizes of care
providers.
The Workforce Development Fund will continue this year to provide
funded training to adult social care employers in England to
support the development of their staff at all levels, offering
funding for a wide range of qualifications, learning programmes
and digital learning modules.
