New strategy for a 21st century social care workforce
Fifty thousand long-term unemployed young people will be helped into social care traineeships thanks to new plans published by the Government today (28 April 09).
Backed by £75 million from the Department for Work and Pensions, employers will receive a £1,500 subsidy to take on social care trainees aged between 18 and 24.
The new Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, will also aim to lure experienced graduates, managers and leaders from the private sector into the social care sector.
The strategy will boost the status of social care so that the sector can attract and retain the best and brightest candidates. Working in social care, helping others get more out of life can be very rewarding. The aim is to make sure that the sector has a high quality workforce in place to deliver personalised services for years to come.
Initiatives in the strategy include:
- CareFirst, a scheme which will get 50,000 long term unemployed working in social care, giving them the skills and experience they need for a permanent career in this sector
- increasing the number of apprenticeships in social care by around 1,300 targeting groups which have not traditionally taken up careers in social care
- establishing a new National Management Trainee Scheme to encourage graduates and top quality executives to move into the social care sector
- a new voluntary registration scheme for home care workers from 2010 to help safeguard people who use services and improve quality
- developing more Social Care Awards to raise the status of working in the sector and recognise the hard work the 1.5 million people working in social care are already doing
- more support for newly qualified social workers in their first year, backed by £4 million.