North East Adult Social Care Workforce Forum
Working in Partnership, ADASS and the North East RIEP (Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership) commissioned the development of a regional Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy for the North East. Key to this strategy was the establishment of a Workforce Forum with broad, multi agency representation from across the region.
A report is produced following each of the quarterly meetings of the Workforce Forum and these are available below.
The Workforce Forum will be responsible for the overall implementation of the strategy and its 29 recommendations, providing leadership, multi-agency collaboration and collective resources. However, the project scoping work and assurance will be carried out by the six themed sub groups below which are each responsible for a number of recommendations from the strategy. Organisations from the Workforce Forum have nominated themselves onto the sub groups ensuring each has multi agency representation. Membership of each sub-group is detailed below. Each of the sub groups reports progress back to the Workforce Forum.
The themed sub groups are:
- Workforce Development
- Workforce Remodelling
- Leadership Management Commissioning
- Joint and Integrated Working
- Recruitment Retention and Career Pathways
- Regulation Quality and Improvement
Terms of Reference for the Workforce Forum
Find out more about Forum and Sub-group meetings here
The work of the Forum and associated Sub-groups is underpinned by the Regional Workforce Strategy. Find out more about the strategy here.
Workforce Forum Projects
The Forum has approved a number of projects that will deliver and further develop the priorities and objectives identified in the strategy. These are listed below.
Addressing recruitment and retention of young people
The project aims to support Local Authorities, private providers and the Voluntary and Community Sector to recruit and retain young people between 16 -25 into the Adult Social Care workforce across the region. Working alongside Job Centre Plus this will be achieved through specific regional and local events which will be aimed at adult social care employers. These events will highlight and promote the various pathways into employment for young people (Care First Careers, Future Jobs Fund, Work Trials, Taster Sessions and Apprenticeships) and how adult social care employers can maximise these to meet their recruitment and workforce development needs.
Engaging the Housing Sector in Putting People First
This project will develop an engagement, training and development programme which ensures the housing sector is aware of the implications of Putting People First and are in a position to build PPF into its training programmes, working practices and addresses it in their strategies and plans
Mapping of Relevant Workforce Strategies
This project will map the ASC Workforce Strategy and recommendations against relevant workforce strategies in the region e.g. Local Authorities, Children's Services, Health, Social Work task force findings report, Housing and Leisure (and business strategies with workforce element).
The ASC Workforce Strategy is based upon developing a workforce which can achieve the principles as set out in 'Putting People First'. The mapping of relevant strategies will therefore focus upon these principles, assessing how inclusive and aware of 'Putting People First' these strategies are and how they can contribute to the principle of universal services for all.
This work will identify gaps and make recommendations to improve synergy between strategies and working practices, based upon the principles of Putting People First and the inclusion agenda. Identify common gaps / potential efficiencies and service improvements
Marketing Regional Social Care Opportunities
This project will market Adult Social Care across the region to raise the profile and understanding of career possibilities. This will involve the promotion of initiatives from across the region in relation to pre employment opportunities and training which are currently happening. The project will also link to national marketing campaigns and will link to regional employment opportunities, involving the RIEP jobs portal. This project will ensure a gender balance and a focus upon any specific areas of shortage in the workforce (young people, men, people from BME communities)
Raising NMDS standards
In phase 1 the project will provide support to the Adult Social Care sector to achieve Gold Standard NMDS data submissions. Phase 2 will then support Adult Social Care providers to use NMDS intelligence in order to develop and commission future workforce plans.
Phase 1 will be achieved in the following ways:
- Verifying agreement from North East Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) for LA to provide full NMDS data returns
- Workshops and one to one sessions for LA staff responsible for NMDS
- Regional work with commissioners to establish NMDS data submissions to be included in contracts
- Partnership work with Care Quality Commission (CQC) to include NMDS completion as part of Annual Quality Assessments
Phase 2 will be achieved through:
- Training for LA and alliance members to use NMDS data effectively to draw off relevant reports and information
- Action learning sets for 12 LA's on InLaws
Implementing regional standards for Supporting NQSWs
The detail of this activity will be confirmed once the regional delivery plan has been agreed, which is expected to be during April 2010.
Mapping of Adult Social Care training in Region
This project will be split into two phases in order to map and understand the range of adult social care training (mandatory, desirable short courses and qualifications) which is offered and provided across the region.
In the first stage this project will map the mandatory and desirable short course training currently provided by the four Care Alliances, Skills for Care and the Local Authorities in the region.
The second stage of the project will follow the current rewriting of Adult Social Care training qualifications which is taking place nationally. National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ's) are being replaced by QCF (expected to be implemented from June 2010) and following the implementation of this a second mapping process will take place to establish a comprehensive guide to what training is again being provided by the four Care Alliances, Skills for Care and the Local Authorities in the region.
Following the completion of the first and second stage research elements of the project a series of recommendations will be made where joint training / commissioning and common training standards can be developed. Included in this will be a review of the impact that changing from NVQ to QCF has had of levels of provision in the region.
Developing joint and integrated training and development
This project will look to analyse existing multi disciplinary teams responsible for integrated working to understand how they work, how joint training and development is carried out and what can be learnt from these successful teams. As part of this, an analysis will also be completed of the efficiencies which have been generated as a result of the joint training and development.
Regional Framework for ASC Training and Funding Providers
This project will produce a regional framework which will map and clarify roles and responsibilities of each organisation and sources of funding for regional workforce development with clear guidelines of how to access them.
Training Leaders, Commissioners, Members
The initial stage of the project will be an assessment of the training opportunities available in the region in leadership and commissioning for adult social care lead members, commissioners and leaders. Alongside this will be research to assess what training needs of leaders, commissioners and members.
Based on the research, training programme/s will be developed which meet the specific required criteria for leaders, commissioners and members working in the adult social care sector. This training will offer a flexible, modular based approach to ensure individual needs are met.
To ensure members fully understand their political leadership role specifically in ASC, their training will be themed against the seven outcomes of Our Health, Our Care, Our Say
Supporting PA's in the North East
The project will be divided into two distinct phases, though there may be overlap between them.
Phase 1 is a research project with a focus of Adult Social Care Personal Assistants. The research will include a base line survey of the current numbers of Personal Assistants, their job roles, the skills and qualifications they have and require and the support service users and carers need to employ Personal Assistants.
Phase 2 will develop the business case focussing on User Led Organisations and their ability to provide a support service to Personal Assistants and the service users and carer who employ them
Funding to support delivery of Social Work Taskforce regional delivery plan
The detail of this activity will be confirmed once the regional delivery plan has been agreed, which is expected to be during April 2010.
In December 2009, the Government accepted the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force for a programme of comprehensive reform for social work in England. In its report, 'Building a safe, confident future' the Task Force described social work as a profession which is essential to the nation, but which has been trapped in a 'vicious circle' of problems which undermine efforts to improve.
As a result of this, the Government has produced an Implementation Plan that explains how the Government is now working, with employers, social work educators, the social work profession, and with people who use social work services, to develop that reform programme and put it in place.
Download a copy of Building a Safe and Confident Future here.
To find out more about the Workforce Forum and Sub-groups, contact:
North East ADASS Policy and Project Manager : Ian Hall
E-mail: Ian.Hall@northeastcouncils.gov.uk
Telephone: 07901 008 522