A high-quality, compassionate and skilled workforce is the beating heart of adult social care. As DASS, your role is to champion this workforce at every level—strategically, operationally and politically.
Recruitment and retention challenges are well known. High turnover, low pay, limited career progression, and external competition are real and persistent. But these challenges are not insurmountable—and your leadership can make a difference.
Workforce is everyone’s business. As DASS, you should:
- Align your local workforce strategy with national standards and regional plans.
- Support fair pay, job security, and ethical commissioning.
- Promote wellbeing, supervision, learning, and professional development.
- Value lived experience and co-production in workforce roles.
- Invest in career pathways, apprenticeships, and new roles like care navigators.
The workforce includes registered professionals, unregulated care workers, volunteers, personal assistants, and peer support workers. Each brings something vital to the system. Your leadership should value, listen to and invest in all.
Collaboration is key. Work closely with Skills for Care, your ICS, local employers, training providers, and unions. Use workforce data and insight to shape commissioning, inform integration, and plan for the future.
Diversity matters. Ensure your workforce reflects the communities it serves. Address inequality in recruitment, progression, and experience. Tackle racism and discrimination actively—and measure the impact of your efforts.
Social care needs to be a place where people want to stay and grow. Model this in your own team. Celebrate success, share stories, and make adult social care a career of choice.
This isn’t just a workforce crisis—it’s a leadership opportunity. Build a culture that people want to be part of.