Care and health career academy toolkit

Pipeline activity is about bringing people into the sector to increase the size of the social care workforce and meet growing demand. It is also about enhancing the quality of support delivered to people.



The role of an academy will be to understand the locality in which it works, including the labour market, employment levels, academic and skills levels, community infrastructure, transport networks and corporate priorities of all partners.



It’s important to focus on the pipeline because it:

• raises awareness of local job opportunities in social care to mitigate the current workforce crisis
• meets the requirements of the different local employment contexts
• gets local people into local jobs
• improves the local economy
• increases the skills level in the community
• improves the resilience of individuals and the community
• aligns with statutory organisation's corporate strategies.

Talent management centres on attracting, developing, engaging, retaining, and deploying valuable individuals. This builds a high-performing workplace, encourages a learning organisation, adds value to the brand, and contributes to diversity management. It starts with recruiting the right people.



An academy's role will include supporting providers and organisations in developing values-based recruitment approaches, collaborating on recruitment initiatives, and acting as a vehicle for recruiting people into the sector.



Academies aim to employ staff with the right values and build strong relationships with providers to develop work experience opportunities and promote 'try before you buy' approaches. An academy also focuses on developing internal processes that support fast and effective transitions to job roles and sharing information about best recruitment practices. In addition, they co-produce recruitment with people using services and families through events and interviewing.



It is important to focus on recruitment because:

• the social care sector faces recruitment challenges due to the perception of low pay, insufficient vacancy applicants and a lack of awareness of different roles, among other things
• employing the right people is business critical
• ensuring there are enough people available to meet demand
• adequate resourcing for posts impacts the long-term success of any business.

An academy's primary role is to attract learners who align with the sector’s values and assist providers in enhancing their recruitment strategies, leading to higher retention rates.

Additionally, an academy will conduct research on retention levels within the industry and the local community. By collaborating with providers, academies aim to identify effective solutions to the perennial problem of retention.

Academies will also share successful practices from other regions and sectors to elevate the quality of local practices. Ultimately, an academy will champion and provide evidence of the positive impact of good employment practices.



It's important to focus on retention because:

• it ensures consistent support for people using services that maintain key relationships
• organisational viability and memory
• supports your brand
• it is cost-effective
• it can contribute to the organisation’s strategic objectives, including building a high-performance workplace, encouraging the development of a learning organisation, adding value to the ‘employer of choice’ and branding, contributing to diversity management, and increasing productivity levels.

An academy's primary role is to support talent management initiatives across the sector. It will use workforce and labour market intelligence data to identify the locality's training needs.

An academy will also understand what is available in the area and signpost organisations and individuals to these to ensure adequate provision is maintained.

Additionally, the academy will share expertise in the locality to guide people towards alternative ways of learning. It will also develop and deliver courses unavailable elsewhere and provide face-to-face or e-learning options where necessary. Academies aims to meet the needs of all areas of the workforce, including professionals.

Furthermore, it will support continuing professional development requirements and improve providers' CQC ratings by helping meet their teams' development needs.

It is important to focus on staff development because:

• recruiting new people is more costly than developing existing staff
• finding the right people is a challenge
• people remain confident and competent to carry out their roles effectively
• it ensures the right skills and knowledge in the sector
• it ensures safe, high-quality care and support
• staff feel valued, and this improves employee performance, motivation, satisfaction and morale
• increased productivity and innovation, as well as adherence to quality standards
• it reduces employee turnover and supports retention.
• it enhances organisations’ reputation and profile.

The public sector faces challenges in achieving innovation, which requires more than incremental improvements. Innovation should empower individuals to achieve outcomes, not just deliver processes. It should also adapt to the context and be delivered flexibly.

Academies aim to share new developments and explore research partnerships, provide courses and knowledge exchange, offer peer support networks, and identify opportunities for new roles and initiatives to foster more collaborative working methods.

  

Innovation is important for an academy in order to:

• meet the challenges of changing funding and increasing demand in the statutory sector.
• meet the ever-changing and growing complexity of needs in the population.
• ensure integration of health and social care requires innovative approaches.
• enable the development of new roles to support more compelling customer experiences.
• develop practice.
• ensure the effective scaling up of innovations. 

Effective workforce planning is crucial for any organisation. It involves estimating labour demand and evaluating the size, nature, and sources of supply required to meet that demand. This information is provided by workforce intelligence, which enables organisations to plan by identifying necessary skills and numbers.

Utilising workforce intelligence is essential for informed decision-making and overall success. Each academy will need structures and processes to ensure they have the necessary data and intelligence in local strategic plans, the labour market, workforce challenges and population needs.

Good workforce and labour market intelligence helps:

• direct business planning prioritises funding and resources and boosts productivity
• understand the changing nature of work and its impact on the workforce, which is essential for building a skilled workforce that drives business competitiveness and economic growth
• strengthen career pathways, guides skill attainment for good jobs and career growth, and identify job opportunities and necessary skills for learners to prepare for current and future positions
• understand the market and prevent duplication by identifying other training providers
• identify which organisations are at risk of provider failure, which allows the academy to provide relevant support or assistance in finding alternative employment for staff.

Partnership working brings together groups or organisations to achieve a common goal, spreading control and influence. It addresses specific issues, like social care workforce challenges. Successful partnership work requires openness, trust, honesty, shared goals, values, principles, and regular communication. The goal is to improve outcomes for service users and ensure cost-effectiveness.

 

Partnerships with colleges, universities, training providers, and employers are critical to improving the care sector workforce and establishing an academy. Each partner offers unique skills, connections, and opportunities valuable to the partnership.

• Colleges, universities, and independent training providers bring the infrastructure for accreditation, the skills for training and development, local networks, strategic relationships, and funding for courses.
• Providers bring service knowledge, expertise in delivering support, practice placements, vacancies, and an understanding of what is needed from the workforce, including gaps.
• Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide an effective workforce across the sector (Care Act 2014). They will also bring knowledge and information regarding the current and future workforce, connections to various providers, resources, and strategic relationships/networks.
• Health brings resources, a direction of travel and experience with career hubs.

The benefits of partnership working are:

• sharing resources and resulting economies of scale can be achieved.
• focusing on a common goal or shared vision helps partners to achieve their outcomes.
• it provides additional momentum to get things done across organisations and allows opportunities to exchange views and support innovation.
• allows the academy to access more varied funding streams for various purposes.

Social care faces various challenges such as fragmented provision, funding, pay, image, perception, ageing workforce, and competition for candidates. 

Public services require new approaches and standards of delivery, as well as the need to reconnect with providers, people using services, citizens, and communities. Traditional leadership and change models may need to address these complex, systemic issues effectively. New service configurations, leadership approaches, and partnerships are necessary, specifically those that promote collaboration across organisations and partnerships instead of expecting leaders to make decisions alone.

 

Care and health academies should focus on local populations and environments, making place-based leadership critical. Community leadership requires mutual trust, shared vision, and collaborative planning, with personal growth and strong relationships empowering those involved. Without cross-boundary leadership, academies may struggle to produce collective benefits.

 

Good leadership looks like the following in a partnership:

• genuine, connected, and congruent (West-Burmham, 2013)
• rooted in the ‘community’ rather than the traditional hierarchical approach to power and leadership (Needham, Mangan & Dickinson, 2014)
• leaders that are prepared to give ‘things’ away and to ‘lose’ for the benefit of the wider goals and objectives; in essence “we win even if I lose”
• engaged with citizens and communities in a way that supports them to express their humanity and pool expertise
• leaders operate with maximum credibility and effectiveness (systems leadership) in fluid and supportive organisations, not siloed and controlling.

For the purposes of this project the definition of coproduction was used.

“A way of working whereby citizens and decision makers, or people who use services, family carers and service providers work together to create a decision or service which works for them all. The approach is value driven and built on the principle that those who use a service are best placed to help design it.”

Policy supporting co-production is well-established and is a key expectation in public services in the United Kingdom. Increasing demand, rising expectations and reducing budgets also mean organisations must deliver the right services in the right way and at the right time; co-production helps this to happen.

Workshop participants identified the following as some of the reasons why co-production is essential.

They are:

• increases collaboration between partners across agencies, sectors and communities
• motivates and empowers individuals, increases engagement and revitalises communities
• improves information sharing
• builds confidence to ensure competence
• focuses on people-led solutions/problem-solving and move organisations away from traditional solutions
• aligns consumer and producer demands.

Project management is initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing a piece of work to achieve specific goals and meet identified success criteria within the pre-determined timescales. The challenge of project management is to accomplish all project goals within the given constraints.

This information is usually described in project documentation created at the beginning of the development process. The primary constraints are scope, time, quality, and budget.

Project management is important in developing a career academy because:

• it can be a large and complex project.
• it can help manage timelines across a range of partners.
• encourages team working.
• maximises cost efficiencies and effectiveness.
• it ensures proper expectations about project delivery.
• it identifies challenges and barriers and establishes mechanisms to address them.
• it will support integration into any existing processes in the partner organisations.
• helps retain and use knowledge and lessons learnt.

An informed organisation collects high-quality information on its context, activity and results. This information is analysed to expose issues or opportunities and identify options available to decision-makers. An options appraisal can be helpful as it provides a clear outcome by identifying a preferred model, which can be developed in greater detail.

The process can be used to engage with key stakeholders and identify priorities. It can also raise difficult and important questions and challenges at an early stage.

An options appraisal is important because:

• it ensures informed decision-making.
• identifies the key objectives that must be achieved.
• describes the different ways of achieving these objectives.
• outlines the pros and cons of each option in terms of the benefits (financial and non-financial).
• identifies if a care and health academy is an appropriate solution to the workforce challenges in the locality.
• it helps understand and analyse the costs and benefits of the set-up options available to the partnership.
• ensures the academy is set up as a service with long-term viability, able to deliver high-quality services for the longer term.

A business case builds on the outcome of the options appraisal and aims to provide organisations with a tool for evidence-based and transparent decision-making as they implement the project.

A business case is important because:

• it articulates the risks, opportunities and threats involved and puts them in the perspective of the investment required
• it is a record of the financial context and a summary of all the benefits that will be delivered
• it ensures that the project is aligned with strategy and is considered.
• it ensures that the rationale and proposal are reviewed, the sponsor is held to account and progress and outcomes are tracked.

Developing an action plan is essential once the business plan is agreed upon. This helps organisations and partnerships to go from their vision to reality.

An action plan enables project managers to deliver and manage the project by describing the actions required to meet the identified objectives. This increases efficiency and accountability.

Action planning is important because:

• identifies the steps that are needed to achieve the stated goal.
• clarifies what resources are required.
• identifies the timeline for when tasks need to be completed and by whom.
• it makes tracking progress easier and identifies issues, challenges and solutions.
• boosts productivity and keeps the team focused, motivated and on track.
• gives a clear direction and highlights the steps to be taken with completion dates.
• supports prioritisation of tasks.

The Department of Education funds education, training and community learning via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). 

What funding is available?

16-19 provision

The ESFA uses a national funding formula to fund institutions to deliver study programmes. Study programmes must be tailored to each student's prior attainment, have clear study/employment goals, show progression, and include qualifications and work experience.

Adult Education Budget

The Adult Education Budget provides eligible adults with flexible and tailored learning programs to equip them for work, apprenticeships, or other learning. Funding is shared by learners and/or employers.

Since 2019-20, certain adult education functions have been devolved to six Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, which publish their own funding rules. They are required to fund statutory entitlements to eligible learners fully. Providers may fully fund learners who earn low wages and cannot contribute to co-funding fees.

The budget also funds non-accredited learning, including independent living skills, employability, work skills, and labour market re-entry.

Apprenticeship funding

A funded apprenticeship must be a genuine job, i.e., a paid role with enough time to complete the apprenticeship.

Grants and bursaries

These are available to adult learners from national and local organisations, including charities. 

Skills for Care

Workforce Development Fund supports the continuous professional development of staff across the Adult Social Care sector, particularly Personal Assistants.

Personal Training Budgets 

Nurses in NHS hospitals, community settings and GP surgeries in England have access to a personal training budget of more than £1,000 over three years to support their learning and development.

Local authority, health, and provider workforce development funding (pooled)

Organisational infrastructure facilitates business activity and enables teams to manage tasks efficiently. Traditional structures group employees by function, region or product line, while more flexible structures are adaptable to changing business environments.

 

Infrastructure is important because:

• structures that are fit for purpose will help information flow through the organisation effectively and support the efficient delivery of the business.
• it ensures there are no structural gaps in roles, work processes and accountabilities.
• it ensures appropriate responsibilities and a manageable span of control.
• it ensures the organisation can work to capacity, utilising the capabilities of its employees effectively and being responsive to changing demands.
• it provides value for money by appropriately using employees’ time and skills.
• agile organisations can rapidly deploy people to address shifting business needs.

Values are fundamental beliefs that define an organisation and its identity. They are translated into the vision, which specifies the key aims and goals of the business. Principles define the workforce's expected behaviours concerning the values and vision. Standards are the measurable articulation of the principles and should link to the performance criteria established for the academy.

Why values, vision, principles and standards are important:

• Values are crucial to defining and establishing an academy’s identity and guiding its employees towards achieving the identified goals.
• Values help promote effective communication, boost employee motivation, and guide workers in social care to understand right from wrong.
• A vision inspires individuals and organisations to commit, persist and give their best.
• A vision keeps organisations and groups focused and together. This is particularly important in a partnership and when developing a care and health academy.
• Principles provide a clear framework for employee behaviour and help implement the organisation's vision and values.
• Standards provide a vital guideline for customer service, ensuring that it is measured against the goals and culture of the organisation.

Successful companies focus on branding and marketing, often used interchangeably. However, it's essential to understand their differences.

Branding defines "who" you are, while marketing builds awareness. Branding is a strategic approach, while marketing is tactical. Social care needs a recognisable logo and brand to unite independent small businesses and raise awareness of the sector. This can increase public confidence in the sector and encourage more people to enter it.

Why branding and marketing are important:

• An identifiable brand establishes a connection with customers, giving them confidence in your organisation's abilities.
• A brand can set you apart from your competition, highlighting what makes your organisation unique.
• A well-aligned brand can help you maintain support and customer loyalty through periods of change, giving you a competitive edge.
• A strong brand demonstrates your organisation's values and priorities and can create a personal connection with customers who share those values.

Performance management is crucial for public sector organisations prioritising budget over profits, sales, or market share. It involves setting objectives for individuals and teams to understand their role in the organisation's mission and strategy, improving performance, and holding people accountable through reward, career progression, and termination.

Impact evaluation measures the effectiveness of organisational activities and their contribution to goals and should be embedded throughout the organisation.

An academy and its partners can ensure alignment with business and sector values and objectives by evaluating learning and development courses.

 

Performance management is important for organisations because it allows them to: 

• measure successes and failures in delivering goals and objectives
• measure the effectiveness and productivity of individuals and teams
• maximise value and ensure employee work contributes to business objectives
• achieve value for money.

Impact evaluation is important because it allows organisations to: 

• develop new ideas and opportunities for growth and investment
• identify product/course improvement or replication
• engage constructively with stakeholders
• manage costs and prevent wasteful use of resources
• maintain reputation and sustain staff morale
• prove the value of learning at work and its effect on organisational capability.

Continuous improvement is a never-ending pursuit of perfection that works with available information to evaluate the effectiveness of business processes. Ignoring management information leads to wasted resources, while pro-active continuous improvement processes prevent issues from arising.

Becoming a learning organisation is crucial to understanding the organisation and achieving continuous improvement. A learning organisation is skilled at acquiring, creating, transferring knowledge, and modifying behaviour to incorporate new insights.

The benefits of continuous improvement and a learning culture are:

• efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity 
• engaged employees 
• lower employee turnover 
• competitive products and services 
• better customer service. 
• developing leaders at all levels 
• creating a culture of inquiry and knowledge sharing
• enhanced ability to embrace change

Forward planning means considering future circumstances or requirements. For example, in a business environment, it is concerned with the business's long-term future, so it considers possibilities of growth and development as well as uncertainties and challenges that could cause obstruction. On the other hand, sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future.

Forward planning is important:

• to minimise the number of future uncertainties that might occur
• to ensure that when an unplanned change occurs, the organisation can recover quickly and return to its original state
• as it increases employees' morale as they know that the organisation cares about them and their future
• to manage financial flows and inconsistencies and create a regular flow of income into the organisation
• to maximise the organisation's effectiveness resulting in improved customer relations, greater customer satisfaction, and efficiently fulfilling business goals.