Skills for Care launches a step-by-step guide to commissioning for adult social care

News release 3 November 2010

Skills for Care, in partnership with ADASS, has launched a step-by-step guide to support commissioning in adult social care, aimed at local authorities and their partners.

The easy to use guide aims to help local authority commissioners break down the key steps and processes needed to commission the right workforce in the right places to implement national priorities using Integrated Local Area Workforce Strategies (InLAWS).

The easy to use guide is based on Skills for Care's work developing InLAWS in partnership with the Association of Directors of Adults Social Services (ADASS) and other key partners across the sector.

InLAWS is designed to help commissioners scan and understand changing priorities in adult social care including the government's agenda on the 'Big Society' and neighbourhood working.

In the guide commissioners will find a template to help prepare an InLAWS position statement and workforce commissioning strategy, but it is designed to be flexible enough to make sure local factors can be taken into account when commissioning the adult social care workforce.

The launch of the commissioning guide is supported by two new case studies where the InLAWS approach is already beginning to drive workforce planning.

The London Borough of Lambeth were the first local authority to start the InLAWS process and the case study looks at the innovative work of their Workforce Commissioning Board working with key partners across this diverse authority.

Birmingham City Council is one of the biggest authorities to engage with InLAWS and their case study looks at how they have used the model to develop their Personal Assistant Network.

"In what is clearly a very tough financial environment for local authorities Skills for Care believes this easy to use guide is a very important tool to help commissioners put in place the trained and versatile workforce they need to deliver the best outcomes for people who use services," says Skills for Care CEO Sharon Allen.

"Our partnership with ADASS has driven the creation of InLAWS as a practical commissioning tool and we value their support in creating a guide that is designed to make the most of the resources available to local authorities.

"We are delighted the pioneering work of the London Borough of Lambeth and Birmingham City Council is now available to share with colleagues and we hope that other local authorities can use the learning from these councils to influence their commissioning strategies." There is also a range of existing case studies available to demonstrate how InLAWS is working in a variety of settings and geographical areas.

The guide and case studies are available from www.skillsforcare.org.uk/inlaws.

Media enquiries:

Paul Clarke: 0113 2411297/ 07977519287. paul.clarke@skillsforcare.org.uk

Notes to editors:

1. Skills for Care is the employment-led strategic body for workforce development in adult social care in England, which is licensed jointly with its UK allies by UKCES to be the 'Skills for Care and Development' Sector Skills Council (SSC). Both organisations are chaired by Professor David Croisdale-Appleby. The other members of the SSC are the Children's Workforce Development Council (also for England), the General Social Care Council, the Scottish Social Services Council, the Care Council for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.
2. Skills for Care forms a strategic overview of workforce needs in adult social care, which accounts for more than1.6 million workers spread over 40,600 establishments employing care staff. Skills for Care board members are drawn from groups representing public, private and voluntary sector care employers, along with representatives of staff, trainers, service users and informal carers. Social care includes residential care, domiciliary care and social work with all its specialisms.
3. Skills for Care and its SSC allies promote and develop the social care sector's National Occupational Standards which are statements of competence that describe 'best practice'.
4. Skills for Care regional committees are major brokers of funding for social care workforce development.