How our data is used to drive positive change in adult social care

We look at how our ASC-WDS data is creating positive change through policy, benchmarking and supporting the sector.

Earlier this month, we published our latest ‘The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report, providing a comprehensive insight into the current state of the social care sector, looking at issues such as vacancy rates, staff turnover, qualifications, and CQC ratings.

The report is used by the Government, local authorities and other key decision makers across adult social care to help and inform and plan decisions for the sector. And it's thanks to the 20,000+ adult social care establishments sharing their data through the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) that this is possible.

We look at some of the ways the data from this report and our other workforce insights are helping to drive change for social care.

Informing policy and planning

There are many ways Skills for Care is helping the Government to understand social care and using data to drive change. It’s done through:

• response to formal inquiries and government reviews
• ministerial briefings
• direct requests for information from our analysis team.

Skills for Care provided evidence around pay distribution and pay scales within the sector that fed into the initial FPA discussions. We are also now supporting the ASC negotiating body with further data as required so its an evidence-led discussion when they start the formal negotiations.

Measuring the impact of reform

We also get asked if our data can help measure the impact of specific reforms. 

In 2023, we worked with the NHS Transformation Directorate to add digital jobs roles and training into our data set so they’ll be able to monitor the impact of their work to improve digital use in the sector.

Recently, ASC-WDS has allowed us to track and report on uptake of the Care Workforce Pathway. 

We've also been supporting the Department of Health and Social Care as an active member of the Fair Pay Agreement working group. Our role is to provide evidence and advice, and to advocate for the sector. 

Advocating for change

Trade associations and other bodies use the data in their role as advocates for change. For example, the Sector Pulse Check by Care England and Hft used our data combined with a survey of their members to highlight some of the issues providers are facing. It then recommends practical actions that the Government, commissioners, and other stakeholders can take to relieve some of the issues.

These include:

• reforming VAT
• establishing national commissioning standards
• increasing representation of adult social care on integrated care boards.

Increasing public awareness

Increasing public support for social care is an important step in ensuring the sector remains at the forefront for the Government. Our data gets a high amount of media attention which helps to raise wider public understanding of the importance of social care and everything it includes.

Supporting providers locally

We know that local authorities, integrated care boards and care associations use our local level data to inform commissioning and support providers in their areas. The Northwest Surrey Alliance have told us:

“As a place-based provider collaborative, adult social care is one of the areas that it is hardest for us to gain unified insights. The insights that come from ASC-WDS are a vital window for us to understand the actions that we can take to support the development of this workforce and sector.”

Read more about how our data is being used for local decision making and how integrated care systems are using our data.

Improvements for care providers

Care providers also use our data to benchmark quality improvements in their services. 

The Benchmarking page in ASC-WDS allows you to compare your workforce data with similar providers locally.

You can compare benchmark key measures such as vacancy, turnover and retention rates, as well as pay data by job role. This allows you to identify trends and see how your organisation compares with local sector averages against organisations who supply the same service or are CQC-rated as good and outstanding. These insights can help inform workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and quality improvement activities, using data from across the adult social care sector.

ASC-WDS now also includes a Training Courses feature, making it easier to record and manage your workforce's learning and development in one place. You can create courses once and maintain your organisation's training, assign courses to staff and keep training records up to date.

Alongside this, the refreshed Training Report download provides clearer, more detailed information on staff training completion and renewal dates. This makes it easier to monitor compliance, identify upcoming training needs and support workforce development planning across your organisation.

Want to be a part of shaping the future?

Our data and insights come from over 20,000 care providers who use the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set. It’s an opportunity to make your voice heard and there are also some great opportunities for your workplace. You can claim funding towards training your staff, manage information about your workers and their training, benchmark against other local providers and access special discounts and offers.

You can also commission us to produce bespoke reports and analysis for your organisation or area. Our team of expert analysts can provide the data and insights you need for effective evidence-based decision making.  Find out more.

This article was written in October 2024 and updated in October 2026.

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