Applications for Workforce Development Dementia Fund now open

News release 26 July

The Department of Health has commissioned Skills for Care to support the delivery of a national learning and development programme for the adult social care workforce supporting people with dementia.

Skills for Care will make £2.4 million available to employers through the Workforce Development Dementia Fund to support the completion of relevant accredited qualifications by those members of the workforce who support people with dementia.

This new funding is open to all adult social care employers who support people with dementia, whether this is in the early stages of the illness following diagnosis, or at a later stage.

"Achieving high quality care for people with dementia is central to the ambitions we have set out in the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia," says Care Services Minister, Paul Burstow

"Ensuring staff have a thorough understanding of the disease is key to making this happen. Through this fund staff will be able to develop skills which will make a real difference to the care and support they give to people with dementia and their carers."

A series of Common Core Principles workshops for social care staff are being planned to support employers who qualify for funding.

"The Prime Minister has set out a very clear challenge to our sector to improve care for people with dementia and the adult social care workforce will clearly play a central role in meeting those challenges," says Skills for Care CEO Sharon Allen.

"This new funding targeted at frontline employers and their workers who support people with dementia, so I would urge all employers who think they might qualify to make an application."

This funding is offered as part of the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) and the usual qualification criteria apply:

• The fund can only be accessed by adult social care employers in England.
• Employers accessing this funding must meet the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC) requirements for WDF.
• Employers accessing the funding must complete and submit a membership/organisation declaration form to Skills for Care, via the contract holder. For existing WDF contract holders, please note that you/your members accessing this fund must complete an additional membership/organisation declaration form which is specific to the Workforce Development Dementia Fund.
• This funding will support completion of dementia qualifications. It will also support completion of qualifications in activity provision and end of life care for services and members of the workforce that provide support to people with dementia.

The closing date for applications is 14 August 2012 and more details can be found at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/dementiafund.

Media enquiries:

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

Notes to editors:

1. The UK Statistics Authority is an independent body established in 2008. It has a statutory role to assess all official statistics to ensure they are meeting the requirements of the Code. Those statistics that were designated as National Statistics before the introduction of the UK Statistics Authority will continue to carry the logo until formally assessed by the Authority. Should any of those statistics be judged as not compliant with the Code, the Authority is required to remove the National Statistics designation. More information about the UK Statistics Authority, the Code of Practice for Official Statistics and assessment can be found on the Authority's website.
2. Skills for Care is the employer-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 Scottish Social Services Council, the Care Council for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.
3. Skills for Care forms a strategic overview of workforce needs in adult social care, which accounts for nearly 1.56 million workers, spread over 48,300 establishments employing care staff. Skills for Care 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.
4. 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'.
5. Skills for Care area networks are major brokers of funding for social care workforce development.