Welcome to the 26 March edition of our fortnightly e-news. You will find news from Skills for Care and information you may find useful from across the sector. In addition each of our regions have developed a local e-news - you will find the link to these at the bottom of this update.

We look forward to receiving your feedback and hope that this proves to be a useful source of news on social care workforce development and on our work.

Skills for Care work 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.

news headlines

parliamentary questions - national dementia strategy progress and workforce development for staffing caring for people with dementia

Minister of State for Care Services Phil Hope responded to questions in parliament this week about progress on the National Dementia Strategy and workforce development for staffing caring for people with dementia . The minister identified a need to ensure that people, have the right skills, knowledge and understanding of the needs of people with dementia and their carers.

Skills for Care has a Dementia knowledge set that provides guidance and learning outcomes for social care employers to develop or commission training and learning for staff
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/developing_skills/knowledge_sets/dementia.aspx?

qualifications and credit framework will drive up standards for dementia training

Skills for Care says the development of a specific dementia qualification for social care workers as part of the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) will help deliver the right skills and knowledge for frontline staff.

Skills for Care was responding to a report by Laing and Buisson which suggested training for workers caring for people with dementia was 'fragmented and ad-hoc'.

Consultations have already been held with key stakeholders and Skills for Care has made it clear that it regards the development of QCF qualifications to be one of the most important reforms for the sector as it creates an opportunity to construct practical qualifications with both specialist and generic components.

Every one of these new qualifications will be funded by the Learning and Skills Council which Skills for Care believe will make it easier for employers to access funding to train staff working with people with dementia. http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/news/latest_news/qualificationsandcreditframeworkwilldriveupstandardsfordementiatraining.aspx

care services minister launches new Accolades category

Care Services Minister Phil Hope has launched a new category in the national Accolades awards to reward social care employers who take on apprentices in their business.

The Minister decided to add the Most Effective Employer Investing in Apprenticeships category after seeing the outstanding work of the next generation of social care workers during the successful National Apprentices week.

'I was hugely impressed by the work being done by social care apprentices in their local communities so I immediately asked Skills for Care to create a new Accolades category to reward those employers who take apprentices on,' says Phil Hope.

'When you consider we will need at least two million social care workers by 2025 then it is vital we attract more young people into long term social care careers and this category will celebrate the achievements of employers who take on the very best apprentices who are our future.'

There are 11 Accolades categories covering the work of all 38,000 social care employers and 1.5 million workers so anyone who wants to enter can download their entry form at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/accolades, email accolades@skillsforcare.org.uk or call 0113 2411295.

The number of young people taking up apprenticeships can be linked to inadequate careers advice, according to a report, Progression through Apprenticeships.

The six-month inquiry by the Skills Commission gathered evidence from educationalists, employers and apprentices. Children & Young People bulletin

Skills for Care have received additional funds from the Department of Health to support the further development and implementation of apprenticeships in social care. This work will include developing a portfolio of resources and other support that will enable stakeholders to meet the challenges of moving the apprenticeship framework forward in order that it better fit's the changing social care sector footprint as well as meeting the ambitious increase in apprenticeship targets.
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/qualifications_and_training/apprenticeships/apprenticeships_introduction.aspx?

Care services minister, Phil Hope, has said that harnessing users' expertise in the delivery of services is at the heart of the government's agenda for transforming adult social care.

The minister made the claim at a conference on personalisation organised by Community Care, in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Examples quoted include the Commission for Social Care Inspection's experts by experience programme, which involves service users in the inspection of services.

Community Care
Practitioners back personalisation but call for more support
BASW official: Social workers 'too expensive' for personalisation

The new Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) will support the implementation of Putting People First. The QCF will ensure that there are flexible qualifications to support the current workforce and the wider social care workforce referred to within Putting People First. Skills for Care are excited about the forthcoming qualification reform and see this as a real opportunity to make sure that the sector is supported by a range of awards, certificates and diplomas that reflect the diversity of the sector and the workforce.
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/qualifications_and_training/qualificationcreditframeworkQCF/qualificationcreditframeworkQCF.aspx

financial support for social work recruits

The Government has announced that each newly qualified adult social worker will be entitled to £1000 of extra support. Local councils will be eligible for £1,000 for each newly qualified social worker they employ in their first year, plus £1,000 for their supervisor for that year. Funding will also be available for toolkits to help social workers and their employers manage and evaluate their professional development, as well as for induction programmes for new staff and post-registration training. Adult social work departments are invited to apply to Skills for Care by completing a statement of intent by 31 March 2009.

Funding forms are available by emailing NQSWproject@skillsforcare.org.uk, or on the Skills for Care website at www.skillsforcare.org.uk

As part of the Sector Skills Council for Social Care Skills for Care are key to the development and support of the workforce. We will be working closely with employers, newly qualified social workers and their supervisors to ensure that newly qualified social workers receive the support they need at the start of their career. We will also be offering action learning sets across England for all newly qualified social workers, their supervisors and their employers to enhance opportunities for learning and development. http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/socialwork/introductionsw.aspx

Don't forget Skills for Care has compiled the guide to resources and funding to signpost employers and learners in the adult social care sector to a diverse range of resources and funding freely available to support individual, organisational and workforce development.
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/funding/other_funding_sources/other_funding_sources.aspx

A group of eleven bodies which work across adult social care have formed The Care Providers Alliance. The new grouping has pledged to 'provide leadership to the care sector at a time of considerable change'
Community Care

Skills for Care works closely with trade organisations who represent the different social care providers and look forward to working with the new Care Providers Alliance. We are delighted that many of these organisations are now highlighting the Sector Skills Agreement priorities and working with us to increase membership completion of the NMDS SC. Currently there are over 22,000 care providing operations, covering nearly 675,000 workers, in the NMDS-SC(National Minimum Data Set for Social Care).

Find out more about completing the NMDS-SC http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/research/N_M_D_S_-_S_C/NMDS-SC.aspx

New Ways of Working conference June 2009 - Integrated working in health and social care
This conference will showcase examples of innovative new ways or new types of working and look at where health and social care are making a difference to service users by working in partnership. There will also be opportunities to look at developments in the health or social care sector which have benefited service users from one sector and may provide useful learning for those working in the other sector.