Insights on training and qualifications in adult social care

This briefing note looks at training and qualifications in adult social care, incorporating information about the new workforce strategy taken from the Skills for Care “The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2024”

The new Workforce Strategy for adult social care in England aims to improve the quality of roles in the sector and ensure that it can attract and retain individuals with the necessary skills and values to provide high-quality care. The strategy is expected to complement the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

Care Certificate Standards

The sources highlight the importance of the Care Certificate Standards, with over half of filled positions having achieved or working towards achieving them. This aligns with the workforce strategy’s emphasis on ensuring staff possess the right skills and knowledge. More specifically:

• High Engagement in Domiciliary Care: Domiciliary care services demonstrate a particularly high engagement level (70%).
• Focus on Direct Care Staff: 61% of direct care staff have engaged with these standards.
• New Level 2 Certificate: The launch of the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate based on these standards in June 2024 further strengthens this focus.

Qualifications held

Persistent Gap in Qualifications: While almost half of the workforce holds relevant qualifications, a similar proportion lacks them. This suggests the need for more robust efforts to encourage and support qualification attainment, which is a key aspect of the workforce strategy.

Variation Across Roles and Sectors:

• • • Direct care staff are concentrated at Levels 2 and 3.
    • Managers are more likely to hold Level 5 or above qualifications.
    • Local authority providers have higher qualification levels than independent providers.
    • Care homes without nursing and domiciliary care providers have higher levels than care homes with nursing services.
    • A significant number of managers lack relevant qualifications. However, registered managers have a much higher qualification rate (91%).

Impact on Retention: The positive correlation between holding a qualification and lower turnover further underscores the need to prioritise qualification attainment as part of the workforce strategy.

Training

The emphasis on key training areas like Moving and Handling, Safeguarding Adults, and Infection Control is essential for ensuring staff can provide safe and effective care. This aligns with the workforce strategy’s focus on quality and safety.

The introduction of mandatory training on learning disability and autism under the Health and Care Act 2022 is an important step towards ensuring the workforce has the knowledge and skills to support individuals with these needs. This reflects the strategy’s focus on providing personalised care.

Apprenticeships

The decline in apprenticeship starts and achievements is a concerning trend. This indicates a potential challenge in using apprenticeships to develop the workforce, a pathway that the workforce strategy should aim to strengthen.

Career progression

The sources highlight the importance of supporting career progression within adult social care, particularly given the aging workforce in roles like registered manager. Developing clear career pathways, as outlined in the workforce strategy, is crucial for attracting and retaining talented individuals and ensuring long-term workforce stability. The development of the care workforce pathway, which outlines different role categories and progression opportunities, is a positive step in this direction.

Skills, training and experience

The data reveals a considerable proportion of direct care workers lack formal qualifications but have engaged with the Care Certificate Standards or possess relevant experience. This suggests a need to recognise and value various forms of skills and experience, potentially through initiatives like Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as part of the workforce strategy.

Overall, the information in the sources emphasises the importance of investing in training and qualifications to enhance the quality of care, improve staff retention, and support the long-term sustainability of the adult social care workforce. The new Workforce Strategy provides a framework for addressing these challenges by focusing on developing clear career pathways, promoting qualification attainment, and ensuring that staff have access to the necessary training and support to excel in their roles.

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