welcome to Skills for Care's enews
Welcome to the latest edition of our fortnightly enews. In here you will find news from Skills for Care and information you may find useful from across the sector.
At the bottom of the bulletin you will find a link to each of our regional enews containing local updates.
news headlines
concern over public attitude to care
New research has warned of a 'ticking timebomb' in relation to the current state of social care, with many families currently reluctant to look after relatives. The report from the Institute for Public Policy Research and PricewaterhouseCoopers was published ahead of a government green paper on social care. The report revealed major misconceptions about social care funding, with under 50 per cent of people aware that care provision is means tested. And of those, only 19 per cent back the idea, preferring free services based on need instead.
Public Service
Community Care
charity calls for improved health and social care commissioning
Macmillan Cancer Support has called for better use of pooled health and social care budgets and joint commissioning of services to improve care for the 1.6 million people with cancer in England. Community Care
Skills for Care, in partnership with ADASS have just reported on the first phase of the Integrated Local Area Workforce Strategy (InLAWS) project. This is a ground breaking initiative which will support Directors of Adult Social Services to develop clear and accurate commissioning strategies, whilst taking into account financial and workforce constraints.
We are also working closely with the Department of Health to provide information in relation to the workforce development implications of the new Green Paper concerning care and support. We will continue to work closely to ensure that we are able to make best use of the skills of the workforce to provide care and support in the way that will be required in the future.
CQC registration consultation
The health and social care watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, has launched a consultation on the registration standards it plans to enforce. Local Government Plus
Skills for Care are discussing the proposed registration standards with CQC and have highlighted concerns raised by employers in relation to the way in which qualifications may or may not be linked to the registration standards.
At a recent summit hosted by the Department of Health (DH) and the Department of Innovation, University and Skills (DIUS) the Chair of Skills for Care raised concerns on behalf of employers that moving away from qualifications as part of the inspection process may set the sector back, at a time when we need a regulatory framework that takes the best from previous systems and moves the sector forward. We need clear direction and guidelines which are not open to interpretation.
National Skills Academy launches adult social care graduate management trainee scheme
The National Skills Academy for Social Care has launched the Adult Social Care Graduate Management Trainee Scheme, the first programme of its kind aimed entirely at adult social care.
The scheme, which is being supported by the Department of Health, provides a year of management and leadership experience for 20 recent graduates, hosted by one of 20 employers from the private, voluntary and statutory sectors across England. Participants will learn through a variety of roles, developing the management and leadership skills necessary to achieve excellence in their careers. To find out more, see the webpage.
Skills for Care are delighted to support the National Skills Academy in this important area of work to develop the next generation of managers in social care.
This is a valuable contribution to the wider work Skills for Care is doing on leadership and management. The manager's induction standards are for all 'new' managers of adult social care - that's those new to management and those new in post, who have previously managed other care services. Skills for Care has also published a guide to leadership and management development specifically for SMEs. More information on Skills for Care's leadership and management strategy for social care and related products can be found in the leadership & management section of the Skills for Care website.
safety advice for disabled people
New research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) confirms that disabled people are at greater risk than others of being victims of violence and hostility. And it is people with a learning disability who face the greatest risk. In response to this, the EHRC has published 'Promoting the safety and security of disabled people'.
Mencap
Skills for Care recognise this as a really important area of work in terms of learning and development. How to recognise and respond to abuse and neglect is a key component of the Common Induction Standards and we have developed a knowledge set on safeguarding of vulnerable adults to support workers to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse.
learning disability week
This year's Learning Disability Week is from 22-28 June, but you can get involved and support the Changing Places campaign now. Mencap
Skills for Care is working in partnership with the Valuing People Team and Skills for Health to produce some additional knowledge sets relating to supporting people who have a learning disability and/or an autistic spectrum condition.
These four new sets will add to the five existing learning disability knowledge sets on: history and context of learning disability services, communication, relationships, accessing and using information, and independence and wellbeing. In the future these will be used to inform the development of new qualifications about supporting people who have a learning disability. They will be written to suit the new Qualification Credit Framework.
first aid at work web revamp
The Health and Safety Executive has re-launched its First Aid at Work web site, with easier navigation, covering employer duties, a range of resources and the 'ask an expert' facility. http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/index.htm.
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events
Local Government Chronicle event
Building your Adult Social Care Workforce Adapting your workforce to the Personalisation agenda
Thursday 24th September 2009, Central London
The Chair of Skills for Care, Prof David Croisdale-Appleby OBE, will be speaking at the event about developing an effective workforce through integrated workforce planning. For more information visit www.lgc-adultworkforce.com
To view our regional updates please click on the links below:
To amend your contact details, be added to our distribution list or to provide us with your feedback please email marketing@skillsforcare.org.uk.
Skills for Care works to ensure the adult social care sector has a modern, flexible and highly skilled workforce to deliver quality care. We are committed to working with employers and other key stakeholders to ensure we are supporting their needs and those of people who use services and carers.
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