The Rayne Foundation is pleased to announce significant progress in its innovative “Better Careers for Better Care” funding program following an enthusiastic response to last year’s open call for Expressions of Interest (EOIs). This initiative is part of the Foundation’s strategic approach to enhance the adult social care sector through workforce development and career progression.
Key Highlights from the Open Call
- Robust Participation: The call attracted 48 EOIs from diverse organisations across England, including partnerships led by statutory bodies like Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, and Integrated Care Boards. This response underscores a strong commitment to advancing the social care workforce.
- High-Quality Submissions: The EOIs demonstrated a high calibre of proposed projects aiming to innovate career progression and training within the sector. Themes such as recruitment, training through Health and Care Academies, values-based recruitment, and improved commissioning models were prominent.
- Selection Process: With the aid of an Assessment Panel, including external advisors, the Foundation completed a rigorous long-listing and short-listing process. Seven outstanding bids are now being developed into full applications.
Emerging Themes and Best Practices
Several key themes have emerged from the submitted EOIs, pointing towards current best practices and innovation trends within the sector:
- Recruitment and development through specialised academies.
- Strengthening the workforce by creating local opportunities.
- Emphasising values-based recruitment strategies.
- Developing collaborative infrastructure to address provider fragmentation.
- Focusing on outcome-based commissioning models.
Learning and Future Directions
The open call has provided the Foundation with invaluable insights, leading to several internal developments:
- Strategic Funding: The Foundation has refined its funding approach, ensuring clarity in its priorities and criteria which has enhanced the relevance and quality of applications.
- Assessment Improvements: Modifications are being considered for the EOI process to simplify scoring and enhance consistency across assessments.
- Inclusive Approach: By removing exclusions typically present in grant programs, a wider array of organisations, including those facing financial constraints, have been able to participate.
Next Steps
The Foundation is committed to fully allocate the designated funds by the end of 2024 and will continue sharing updates and learnings. Plans are underway to foster a community of practice and encourage collaboration within the sector. Updates to the Foundation’s grant application processes are expected by Summer 2024, incorporating learnings from this initiative.
For further details or to engage with future funding opportunities, please contact Holly Baine, Programme Development Lead, at [email protected].