Ensuring your workforce has the right skills and knowledge to deliver quality care is integral to adult social care services. Where staff aren’t properly trained, services are put at risk and those people accessing care and support services won’t receive the quality of care they’re entitled to.
Adult social care is an ever-changing landscape and it’s important for workers to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date. This can be supported through funding, on-the-job training and qualifications and learning programmes delivered by quality training providers.
Funding to support workforce development
The Workforce Development Fund (WDF) supports the provision of high-quality care and the continuing professional development (CPD) of staff across our sector, by providing a contribution towards the cost of vocational learning. It’s funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and distributed through Skills for Care. Employers can claim back money towards the cost of staff completing a broad range of adult social care qualifications and learning programmes.
It’s available for developing staff across different levels but, for the first time, £3 million of the WDF has been allocated to support the development of aspiring, new and existing managers in the sector. With as many as 10,000 registered managers due to retire in the next 15 years, employers and the sector must commit to supporting CPD for aspiring, new and existing managers. You can find out more about the fund at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/wdf.
Leadership programmes for leaders
To support this audience, Skills for Care is currently growing its suite of leadership and management learning programmes. Employers can now apply for funding from the WDF towards the cost of these programmes which include the popular ‘Lead to succeed’ and ‘Well-led’ programmes.
‘Lead to succeed’ is designed to help aspiring leaders and managers to develop their leadership and management potential. You can search for endorsed providers delivering this training in the endorsed provider search directory at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/findaprovider
‘Well-led’ is aimed at registered managers and other operational managers currently working in adult social care settings. The practical programme focuses on what well-led looks like and what is needed to achieve and sustain high standards to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.
Registered Manager, Sharon Smith completed the Well-led programme in July 2018. She said: “The programme has had such a positive effect on our home and the quality of care that we provide.”
This programme, along with three new CPD modules focusing on Performance management, Managing-self and Culture have been developed by Skills for Care and will be available through our endorsed providers from October. Employers and learners can therefore be assured of the quality of learning these leadership and management courses will provide.
Finding reputable training providers is key
So, who are Skills for Care endorsed providers? Employers need help in identifying training providers who deliver high quality training in the sea of current providers. Skills for Care Endorsement is a bespoke mark of quality given to the best learning and development providers within the adult social care sector. To achieve this mark of quality, training providers must go through a comprehensive application process. It’s unique because to become endorsed, training providers must be able to clearly evidence that the training delivered makes a significant difference, not only to the learner but also to the person who accesses care and support.
Our endorsed providers are extremely proud of their endorsed provider status. Hazel Lessiter, Associate Director, Acacia Training and Development, Centre of Excellence said: “We believe endorsement ensures our customers, stakeholders and staff will have full confidence in the quality of our training… We are also proud to hear that the knowledge and understanding gained by learners from our courses can have a positive impact on the lives of their clients.”
About the author
Lori Barber-Field is a Project Manager at Skills for Care and leads on endorsement, supporting adult social care employers to find high quality training providers.
Find out more
Find out more about leadership and management programmes, WDF and endorsed providers at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/QualityTraining
