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Employer webinar: Charting a path forward for social care and social work in England

Dates
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - 10:00 to 11:00
Location
Online Webinar
Contact
Register for the webinar

Covid-19 has posed many challenges for social care and social work employers in England. The toll of the virus on care homes brought a renewed focus onto overstretched workers in social care settings and the skills needed both now and in the future. Social workers have also come under increasing pressures from the impacts of the pandemic on families and individuals.

However, new research from The Open University’s latest report on social care and social work in England reveals the sector remains resilient in its ability to recruit new employees. Across the social care sector, 76% of respondents said they are sufficiently staffed. This was despite Covid-19 having increased workloads and depleted staff through sickness and self-isolation. Many respondents from key sub-sectors agree that their supply of potential recruits has improved. 

Yet, fundamental challenges facing the sector remain. There are challenges at a structural level due to a lack of progression pathways, constraints on training and flat pay structures post-national living wage. In the report’s survey, 54% of employers across the entire sector are worried about skills gaps continuing to affect their workforce, whilst One in three local authority social work teams said they only had the bare minimum of skills required to operate effectively. 

In this webinar, Charting a path forward for social care and social work in England, an expert panel including The Open University’s Professor Samantha Baron, Head of School - Health, Wellbeing and Social Care and Simon Blackburn, CEO Registered Care Providers Association, discuss the report’s findings and offer some recommendations for a successful future for the sector.

Register for the webinar.