Oonagh Smyth, CEO, Skills for Care
As the new year begins, it’s time to think about what we need from social care not just this year, but in the years to come.
Data from Skills for Care’s ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report show that vacancy rates across adult social care are the highest on record, having risen 52% between 2020/21 to 2021/22. At the same time the number of filled posts, meaning roles with a person working in them, has fallen. This shows a need to think about filling social care roles now, but data also highlights what we need to consider for the future.
28% of the adult social care workforce is currently aged 55 and over. This means a high percentage of the workforce may consider retiring in the next 10 to 20 years. So, we need to think now about attracting the next generation of care workers who will fill these roles.
Specifically, we need to think about how we attract younger people to build a career in care and grow the workforce of the future. To sustain the level of care and support required to allow everyone to live the lives they want in the future, we need to attract younger people into care roles now and keep them for the long-term.
We know that many of the people working in social care find it a very rewarding career, allowing them to make a difference in people’s lives. The person-centred nature of working in care is often what attracts people to start and stay working in social care roles.
This is what we need to highlight to the younger generation.
Conversations we’ve had with people who work closely with young people and educators tell us that young people are looking for a career where they can make a difference.
They want work/life balance, flexibility about where and when they work, and the chance to do the things they are passionate about. Social care roles offer all of this, and this is what we must highlight to attract the next generation of carers.
Younger people are also keen to progress in their careers and to be seen as professionals, this is why we must work at all levels to create awareness of the skilled social care workforce and the vital work that they do for our communities.
We must consider what the next generation of carers need to learn and understand to effectively build a career in care. This will include utilising their existing digital skills. Taking a values-based approach to recruitment will ensure that we are recruiting people with the right values and behaviours to provide care and support. Training that focuses on different areas of person-centred care and which provides specialist knowledge around areas such as dementia will be key in preparing the workforce of the future.
For 2023 and beyond I hope we can keep having conversations – louder and more often – that showcase the value of working in care and positions the social care sector as a profession which is held in esteem by everyone.
The ‘People at the heart of care’ white paper had commitments to investing in knowledge, skills, health and wellbeing, and recruitment policies to improve social care as a long-term career choice. The implementation of the commitments in that white paper have never been more important so that we can start to build the foundations to ensure that we have the workforce that we need now and in the future.
