The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England has made a significant announcement regarding the development of the adult social care workforce. This initiative is set to improve both the quality and efficiency of adult social care through enhanced training and professional development for frontline workers. It’s part of wider reforms aimed at uplifting the sector.
A key feature of this new plan is an immediate increase in funding for the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) for 2023-24. This boost aims to support government objectives around adult social care workforce reform, focusing on providing essential training opportunities across various qualifications and learning programs.
Building upon commitments outlined in the “People at the Heart of Care” white paper from December 2021, this initiative outlines a ten-year vision for adult social care. The follow-up document, “Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care,” released in April 2023, elaborates on these plans. It includes introducing a level 2 qualification for adult social care, targeted training courses covering healthcare interventions and dementia care among others, continuous professional development options for nurses and other professionals, digital skills enhancement based on an updated framework, and a new leadership qualification.
Looking ahead to 2024-25, there will be a shift from WDF to a new Adult Social Care Training and Development Fund designed to reimburse eligible employers for staff training costs. Unlike its predecessor, which focused more broadly on supporting ongoing learning initiatives already underway within organisations; this fund sets specific eligibility criteria along with guidelines about how claims can be made – all detailed information is available on GOV.UK website.
This ambitious move signifies major progress towards professionalising England’s adult social care workforce by investing directly into their skills development. For those interested in taking advantage of this opportunity or seeking more information about making claims through the new fund should reach out via [email protected].
