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Social care workforce review - Options for Excellence

  • Last modified date:
    8 November 2007

The social care and social work workforce is the backbone of this country's care system

If we are to ensure that children and adults are looked after in a way that preserves their dignity and peace of mind, it is vital that we have a world class workforce that is skilled, dedicated and valued and supported to do its best.

The Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills, announced in the summer of 2005 a joint workforce review, entitled Options for Excellence.

Both departments recognise that a strong, committed social care workforce is needed to deliver the ambitions set out in the DfES Green Paper Every Child Matters: Change for Children and the DH Green Paper Independence, Well Being and Choice, and recent White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say.

A wide range of stakeholders have been invited to join the Review Board including employers, UNISON, the General Social Care Council, Skills for Care, British Association of Social Workers, and others.  The purpose is to identify creative but practical actions that will further increase the supply and improve the quality of people who work in social care.

Following the first Board meeting in November, Task Groups have met to begin work in four areas:

  • improve the quality of social care practice;
  • increase the supply of qualified social workers and social care workers, including foster carers;
  • define the role(s) of qualified social workers and ensure the fit between the role(s) and training and qualifications requirements, and
  • develop the wider social care workforce and links with related child and adult services to improve career opportunities and service standards.

The review board will report to DfES and DH ministers. It also includes officials from the DH, DfES, Office of Deputy Prime Minister, Department of Work and Pensions and Home Office.

The group will help Government focus on new roles in social care, improving career opportunities and most importantly, driving up service standards. Crucially, it will consider the part that leadership and management, supervision, regulation and career long training plays in improving the quality of the workforce.

The review is in three linked phases:

  • Firstly, contributing to the DH White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say and the DfES Children's Workforce Strategy.
  • Secondly, in Spring 2006, it will provide interim findings and analysis to inform the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
  • Thirdly, it will model the social care workforce of the future and draft proposals to help employers change over the next 15 years.  This work will be completed in Autumn 2006.

Options for Excellence report and leaflet published 20 October 2006

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