What is the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS)?

The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is the leading source of workforce intelligence for adult social care in England. Managed by Skills for Care, it provides a current and detailed picture of the people who work in adult social care and how services are delivered. This tool gives employers, policymakers, commissioners, researchers and others access to up-to-date information on the paid workforce in this sector. For anyone working within or interested in social care, understanding what the ASC-WDS is and how it works is essential for informed decision-making.

Background and Purpose

The UK’s adult social care sector supports millions of people with diverse needs. This care ranges from supporting older adults and younger people with disabilities to helping those with sensory impairments, mental health needs, and many more.

Given its size and complexity, policymakers and service providers require reliable information about the workforce. Knowing who the workforce are, where they work, their qualifications, and how the sector is changing helps to improve standards and plan services. The ASC-WDS addresses this need, bringing together workforce data in a secure system that supports planning, funding decisions, training, and recruitment.

Who Uses the ASC-WDS?

A wide range of people rely on this data set:

• Care providers use it to benchmark their service, understand staff turnover, and develop training plans.
• Local authorities rely on it for commissioning and funding planning.
• Central government departments monitor workforce trends and policy impact.
• Researchers and policymakers draw on the data to shape future developments in social care.
• Training providers assess workforce skill gaps.
• Those seeking jobs or developing careers can use the data to understand employment patterns.

What Data Does the ASC-WDS Collect?

The platform collects information from social care employers—public, private, and voluntary organisations—and is updated by them. The types of data held include:

• Staff numbers and roles
• Demographic information such as age, gender, and nationality
• Recruitment and retention statistics
• Pay rates, hours and contract types
• Qualifications and training
• Details on movements between health and social care

Most of this data is anonymised and aggregated, meaning no individual person’s personal data is published or shared outside permitted channels.

Consistent Data

Reliable workforce data allows for accurate analysis. Regular and thorough updates from employers make the ASC-WDS more useful. This consistency supports evidence-based decisions, such as:

• Planning for enough care workers in the future
• Responding to recruitment challenges
• Tracking progress on workforce strategies
• Ensuring training meets real needs

How Does the ASC-WDS Work?

The ASC-WDS is a secure, online data service. Care providers register and update their workforce information regularly. Skills for Care, the sector’s leading workforce development body, manages it. Organisations log in and fill in up-to-date details about their staff, jobs, services, and training.

Employers receive benefits for their participation, like access to Workforce Development Funding, detailed workforce reports, and practical tools for managing teams and services.

Structure of the Data Set

The data set is organised to allow quick access to both broad and detailed information:

• Establishment-level data: Details about each care provider, such as size, type (residential, community, supported living), and service user groups supported.
• Staff-level data: Anonymous records include job titles, experience, qualifications, and training history.
• Vacancy and turnover rates: How often staff leave, and how quickly replacements are found.

Aggregated reports help users spot trends and patterns without revealing private information about individuals.

Protecting Data Security

Handling personal and organisational information brings strong legal responsibilities. ASC-WDS must meet strict UK data security and privacy standards. All information is:

• Stored securely
• Accessed only by authorised people
• Shared in ways that maintain anonymity

Skills for Care does not sell or misuse this data. Sharing and access are governed by clear rules and agreements, compliant with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Supporting Recruitment and Retention

Recruitment and retention are ongoing challenges in social care. High turnover and vacancy rates put pressure on providers and can affect the quality of care.

Using ASC-WDS data, employers and sector leaders can:

• Identify where recruitment issues are most severe
• See which job roles are hardest to fill
• Develop targeted recruitment campaigns
• Share learning across the sector

For instance, if one region has lower staff turnover than others, providers can learn from their approaches and build those into their own practice. Analysis can also highlight patterns linked to pay, training provision, or working conditions.

Improving Training and Skills

ASC-WDS provides information about staff qualifications, current training and gaps. Providers can compare their training coverage to national benchmarks, helping develop more effective staff training plans.

Some benefits include:

• Pinpointing where further training would improve care quality
• Assessing how many staff have completed mandatory training
• Tracking take-up of new qualifications or apprenticeships
• Supporting applications for Workforce Development Funding

Better skills and professional development lead to improved care for people who use services.

Funding and Policy

Government departments use ASC-WDS information to:

• Decide where funding is needed most
• Shape policy on recruitment, pay, and career development
• Monitor the impact of new policies or funding streams

This evidence informs National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC) analysis, a previous version of the data set, supporting long-term planning at a national level.

Benchmarking and Quality Assurance

ASC-WDS allows employers to see how they compare to others across the sector. Benchmarking includes:

• Workforce ratios (such as the number of staff to service users)
• Staff turnover rates
• Pay and contract comparisons
• Qualifications and training

Being able to compare performance supports better decision-making. Providers can spot improvement areas, build on strengths, and set goals.

Supporting Technology, Digital Skills, and Innovation

The move to digital services in care is accelerating. Social care staff increasingly require digital skills—everything from using electronic care records to secure online communication. ASC-WDS data helps track which staff have received digital training and identifies gaps.

The system itself is an example of technology supporting better care, with secure online tools making data collection and analysis simpler for providers.

Who Participates in Providing Data?

Almost all types of adult social care providers are eligible to participate:

• Local authorities (councils)
• Private care providers
• Voluntary and charitable organisations
• Direct employers (for example, individuals who employ personal assistants with direct payments)

Participation is voluntary but strongly encouraged. Providers benefit directly through better access to funding, workforce benchmarking tools, and training resources.

Incentives for Completing and Updating ASC-WDS

Accurate data makes the resource more valuable for everyone. To reward providers for updating their workforce data, Skills for Care offers:

• Access to the Workforce Development Fund, which helps pay for staff training
• Tailored reports and benchmarking
• Updates on policy, training opportunities, and best practice
• Contributions to national workforce data that strengthen the whole sector

These incentives encourage more widespread and accurate use of the data set.

How Is the Data Used Nationally?

The information supports:

• National workforce planning: Anticipating future needs and managing gaps.
• Skills and training development: Identifying trends in the uptake of qualifications or the need for new skills.
• Equalities monitoring: Analysing demographic data to spot gaps or issues.
• Policy-making: Shaping fair pay, safety, quality, and employment standards.

Government agencies, sector bodies, and researchers use reports from the ASC-WDS to inform their decisions and shape the future of care delivery.

How ASC-WDS Benefits Individuals

People who receive care and their families rarely interact with the data set directly, but they benefit from the improved workforce planning and service quality that follow from accurate workforce data.

Care workers and managers use the data to see training opportunities, look for career development options, and ensure they work within teams that meet sector standards.

Regular Reporting and Sector Reports

Skills for Care publishes annual and quarterly reports based on ASC-WDS data. These reports include:

• State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England
• Regional reports to help local authorities and providers
• Reports on workforce diversity, pay, training and more
• Thematic studies on recruitment campaigns or new policies

The findings often shape local, regional, and national planning.

Support for New Providers and Smaller Organisations

Smaller care homes, supported living services, or new providers may not have dedicated HR departments. The ASC-WDS provides free support and guidance to help these organisations participate. The system is designed to be user-friendly and accessible even for those with less technical experience.

Guidance and support include:

• Step-by-step instructions
• Helplines and online help
• Training videos and webinars

This support means even small providers can contribute data and benefit from the system.

Linking to Other Systems

The ASC-WDS is not used in isolation. It can often link to or inform:

• Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration and inspection processes
• NHS Digital workforce data
• Local authority performance monitoring

This linkage avoids duplication of effort and supports a joined-up approach to care.

Future Developments for ASC-WDS

Skills for Care keeps developing the system so it will keep pace with changes in care and employment. Planned improvements aim to make the data set easier to use and more powerful, offering:

• Simpler data input and improved guidance
• Better integration with other digital care management systems
• Expanded reporting tools
• Support for emerging job roles and skills areas, such as digital capabilities

Feedback from users helps shape these improvements.

Final Thoughts

The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is a national system for collecting, analysing, and reporting information on the adult social care workforce in England. Managed by Skills for Care, it brings together workforce data from thousands of providers. It improves workforce planning, supports training, informs funding, and helps shape policy. By encouraging participation, safeguarding privacy, and providing incentives, ASC-WDS plays a vital part in raising standards and quality in adult social care.

The ASC-WDS is the main workforce evidence source in the country’s adult social care sector, supporting everyone from frontline workers to policymakers in improving the quality and sustainability of care.