A learning disability workforce for the 21st Century

1
A learning disability workforce for the 21st
Century

• ARC Annual Conference, 20 November 2007
• Andrea Rowe
• Chief Executive, Skills for Care

2
Current drivers for adult social care workforce
development

• Our Health Our Care Our Say, O4E, Ministerial
  priorities, the forthcoming Green Paper..
• Registration
• EU Directives and labour market globalisation
• New Legislation e.g. Mental Capacity Act
• New Employers
• Better Commissioning
• Leitch Review of Skills

3
NMDS-SC returns

• 15,100 organisational returns up to 30 October
  2007
• On-line launched on 27 November at The Gherkin
• Skills for Care website on-line reports national
  and regional data

4
NMDS-SC returns(2)

• Qualification levels data on 87,744 workers
• LEVEL 4 and above 4.2
• LEVEL 3 10.7
• LEVEL 2 13.6
• Level 1 0.2
• Other qualifications 12.2
• None 64.2

5
ONS Labour Force Survey 2006

• Based on 6115 care Assistants
• Level 4 and above 11.2
• Level 3 16.1
• Level 2 32.2
• Level1 13.0
• Other qualifications 11.0

6
Workforce Research

• Self defined paid care workers
• The employer/employee relationship between Direct
  payment participants and their Personal
  Assistants
• New Ways of Working and new roles
• Roles and Tasks of social workers

7
Knowledge Sets

• Infection prevention and control
• Dementia
• Nutrition and well being
• Safeguarding of vulnerable adults
• Workers not involved in direct care roles
• Medication

8
Overarching Workforce Development Frameworks

• Sector Skills Agreement
• Sector Qualifications Strategy
• Replacing Modernising the social care workforce
  with the second national workforce development
  strategy

9
Sector Skills Agreement

• Agreements (compacts) between employers,
  training providers, other partners and the
  government on how to implement and fund changes
• We have been identifying the skills / knowledge
  the workforce will need and how these will be
  developed and funded
• Over 40 consultations so that employers, workers,
  people who use services, and carers shape the
  development of the workforce of the future

10
Employer Engagement

• Consulting employers
• Employer participation in Skills for Cares
  activities
• Providing information on skills and good practice
• Raising employer understanding and improve
  investment in skills development
• Employer use of sector skills and qualifications
  frameworks/standards

11
Learning Disability Qualifications - Context

• A new approach to learning and qualifications for
  workers supporting people with learning
  disabilities
• Responsibility for the Learning Disability Awards
  Framework (LDAF) transferred from the Department
  of Health (DH) to Skills for Care (SfC) in April
  2006
• SfC has been working in partnership with others
  to develop a new approach to learning and
  qualifications for workers supporting people with
  learning disabilities

12
The Challenge

• To revise LDAF and create a programme
• Based on the additional knowledge needed to meet
  the different needs of people with learning
  disabilities
• That fits with other learning and qualifications
• That is clear, accessible and flexible
• That can be used by the wider workforce

13
Changes

• The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)
  will implement the new Qualifications and Credit
  Framework (QCF) next year
• People with learning disabilities are beginning
  to take control of their own support through
  direct payments and individualised budgets
• The workforce will need to respond to these
  changes and develop new skills and knowledge
• New approaches to training and learning need to
  be developed in line with new ways of working

14
Common Core Principles

• Self Care
• Integrated Childcare

15
Induction

• Induction to Supporting People with Learning
  Disabilities
• Closely matches the Common Induction Standards
  (CIS)
• Covers much of the knowledge required for core
  NVQ units
• Contains four units at levels 2 and 3
• Available through four Awarding Bodies
• Joint guidance and FAQs available from SfC

16
Learning Disability Knowledge Sets

• The next step is the development of Learning
  Disability Knowledge Sets
• The Knowledge Sets will cover topics fundamental
  to workers supporting people with learning
  disabilities
• SfC have completed two rounds of consultations
  and will be publishing the agreed key learning
  outcomes by the end of the year

17
Further Awards and Qualifications

• SfC are working closely with a number of Awarding
  Bodies and QCA on the development of accredited
  units using the learning outcomes from the
  Knowledge Sets
• The Knowledge Set approach will also allow for
  partnerships, organisations and, potentially,
  individuals to develop their own learning
  materials and training programmes based on the
  learning outcomes
• SfC will commission work on the revision of the
  Level 4 Awards later this year

18

• Andrea Rowe
• Chief Executive
• Skills for Care
• Albion Court
• 5 Albion Place
• LEEDS LS1 6JL

Tel [phone] Fax [phone]
6417 www.skillsforcare.org.uk info_at_skillsforcare.o
rg.uk