Working with the voluntary sector

Skills for Care works with social care employers to establish the standards and qualifications that will equip workers with the skills needed to deliver high quality care to people who use services.

Skills for Care provides funding and resources to support all employers, including voluntary sector employers, to develop their workforce.

Did you know that there is financial support available from Skills for Care in the form of the Workforce Development Fund? The Workforce Development Fund supports the ongoing professional development of staff across the Adult Social Care Sector through vocational qualifications.

Skills for Care has continued to make the completion or refresh of the NMDS-SC as a requirement in order for you to claim through the Workforce Development Fund for 2011/12, please see NMDS-SC eligibility criteria.

If from last years funding cycle you have completed your NMDS-SC return you will be eligible to claim funding from the Workforce Development Fund until 30 September 2011 before having to refresh your data.

In addition to accessing funding one of the many benefits of the NMDS-SC is that you can use the qualifications and training record to keep an accurate record of your workers achievements. You can download the training and qualifications report and worker list to help you identify the training and development needs of your workforce.

Employers registered with the NMDS-SC also have access to free e-learning resources, e-End of Life Care for All (e-ELCA) for adult social care employees.

Our latest NMDS-SC Briefing 16 identifies that voluntary sector employers have lower turnover and vacancy rates than the private sector as well as higher pay rates. As the government continues to promote the Big Society this briefing also explores the characteristics of unpaid volunteer workers in the adult social care sector, where they work, their roles and their demographics.

The information from the NMDS-SC will not only support and guide you though some of the challenging business decisions you and your members will be facing over the coming months, but it is being used by government departments to identify and develop solutions to challenges that we face, not only in social care, but across the voluntary sector as a whole.