Our purpose is to build a stable, skilled, values-driven workforce able to deliver safe, high-quality care now and in the future.
Across the region, councils, providers and partners face common challenges when it comes to workforce including recruitment and retention, agency dependency, increasing demand for care and support, market sustainability and workforce reform.
Working together
We believe many workforce challenges are best addressed collectively, sharing intelligence, learning and best practice, we can develop more effective regional solutions whilst maintaining local flexibility and ownership.
The West Midlands Social Care Workforce Partnership brings together key workforce programmes, intelligence, networks and partnerships into a single framework, enabling the region to act as one connected workforce system. The partnership focuses on shared leadership, shared insight and shared solutions to drive workforce improvement across the West Midlands.
The Workforce Partnership aligns activity across six delivery workstreams:
- Workforce Network
- Policy and reform
- Agency Workforce Reform (Memorandum of Commitment)
- Market risk and market management
- Skills for Care Impact Fund
- International recruitment
Together, these programmes support a shift from reactive workforce management towards proactive workforce planning, helping the region anticipate future workforce and market challenges.
Core priorities
The partnership is underpinned by three core priorities:
Data and Evidence: developing a shared regional evidence base to improve workforce planning, benchmarking, forecasting and insight.
Practice: supporting workforce capability, leadership and professional practice across adult social care.
Collaboration: working with practitioners, providers, partners and people who draw on care and support to ensure workforce solutions are practical, informed by experience and focused on improving outcomes.
Programmes
Workforce Network
The Workforce Network supports collaboration of 14 local authorities cross a range of areas including social work, occupational therapy, safeguarding, commissioning and wider workforce development. Key outcomes to include stronger collaboration and shared learning across 14 local authorities, coordinated regional workforce planning, improved workforce intelligence, and greater regional influence on national policy and reform.
Policy and reform
Supporting the implementation of national adult social care policy by translating reform into practical regional action. Key outcomes to include workforce intelligence that supports Care Quality Commission (CQC) assurance and commissioning.
Memorandum of Commitment (MoC)
The West Midlands Memorandum of Commitment supports greater transparency and more effective management of agency workforce use across adult social care. Key outcomes to include improved skills, digital capability and regulatory compliance.
Market risk and market management
Supports councils and partners to strengthen provider sustainability, improve market oversight and develop resilient workforce supply across the region. Key outcomes to include stronger recruitment pipelines (local and international).
Skills for Care Impact Fund: workforce and market Intelligence
Through funding from Skills for Care's Impact Fund, the WM-ADASS programme aims to move from retrospective reporting towards predictive intelligence by combining workforce, market, demographic and population data. Key outcomes to include better retention through culture, wellbeing and career pathways,
International Recruitment
The West Midlands International Recruitment Programme has supported councils, providers and international care workers through a comprehensive programme of regional activity. Key outcomes to include improved skills, more ethical recruitment and reduced vacancy and turnover.