Skills for Care

Skills for Care is the Sector Skills Council responsible for creating a skilled and competent social care workforce, able to meet the challenges the sector faces.

We offer a wide range of support to around 40,600 establishments providing adult social care across England and help employers develop the skills and knowledge of over 1.6 million care staff.

We help employers and employees with a good induction and with information on career pathways and starting out and changing roles in social care (see entry to social care).

Skills for Care believes it is vital that care workers can access continued professional development using their experience to deliver a high quality service(see developing skills). You can find out about the range of qualifications available for people working in social care in a range of roles. From September 2010 this will include new, more flexible qualifications where managers and staff can pick qualification routes that fit their job roles(see qualifications and training).

We develop strategic initiatives with key stakeholders including the Department of Health, employer and staff representatives, training providers, carers and people who use services to ensure that the social care workforce has the right skills, in the right place, at the right time to deliver social care now and in the future (see workforce strategy).

Skills for Care gathers data on the social care workforce through the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC). The NMDS-SC and our research projects develop evidence based practice to influence and support workforce remodelling that challenges and supports the workforce into working in different ways. (see research).

Skills for Care is committed to ensuring that the views of social care employers and stakeholders; and the needs, wants and aspirations people who use services and carers are represented in all areas of work (see participation).

The social work section includes resources for newly qualified social workers and those involved in practice learning and continuing professional development for social workers, including post qualifying training.

We also help individual employers who employ their own personal assistants (PAs). From recruiting to training your staff, we have a number of support materials available which aim to guide you through the process and help you build a successful working relationship with your PA.

Please click on the key coloured sections on the left hand side for details on other ways we can help you.

Opening a care home or setting up a domiciliary care agency?
Click here for details of what you should do.