The care workforce pathway will set out clearly what a career in social care means and the level of knowledge, experience and skills required to deliver high-quality, personalised, care and support.
It will empower people working in social care to develop themselves and their career by setting out how they can gain skills, access learning and development, and progress in their careers in a way that meets their aspirations.
What has been developed
We’ve been working in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to develop the first part of the pathway, which focuses on staff working in direct care roles and outlines an initial four role categories:
- New to Care
- Care or Support Worker
- Supervisory/Leadership
- Practice Leader (developed in partnership with BILD)
Contained within each role category is a defined set of behaviours, knowledge and skills expected of someone to work at that level. The care workforce pathway also demonstrates how someone can develop within each category, building on their knowledge and skills to provide the best possible care to the people who receive their support.
The pathway will take time to embed, and we will continue to engage with the sector to identify what further assets and tools may be needed to make sure the pathway supports employers with recruitment, induction and training.
Find further information on the pathway and how it has been developed .
You can also hear more about our response to the Government's reform package.
Next steps for the pathway
Following release of part 1 of the care workforce pathway, we will continue to work in partnership with DHSC on phase 2. This will include developing further role categories for Deputy Manager, Registered Manager, Enhanced/Complex care and Personal Assistant roles and we will be engaging further with the sector for insight and feedback on what knowledge, skills and behaviours each of these require.
We will also work with DHSC to scope further parts of the pathway, and plan for implementation and adoption.