The value of investing in workforce development

With the Workforce Development Fund now open for grant applications, Rob Newby, head of national workforce development, capability and skills at Skills for Care, shares why workforce development is so important for social care

The Workforce Development Fund (WDF) is an incredibly important and well-utilised source of funding available to support learning and development for the social care workforce.

I’m really proud to be part of the team at Skills for Care which supports the distribution of this truly beneficial funding, which is provided by the Department of Health and Social Care.

We’ve seen WDF fund a wide range of really valuable opportunities for continuing professional development in social care. It can be utilised to fund professional qualifications, training courses, e-learning and many other forms of learning and development.

This year the fund will continue to provide additional support to registered managers and front line managers, as leaders are key to providing quality care and supporting the workforce and it’s so important that people in top-level positions also continue with their own professional development as well as supporting their teams to develop.

We know that people working in social care work incredibly hard and are very busy, but it really is a priority for all of us to continue with our ongoing learning and development, and the support of WDF can help to make that a little bit easier for many organisations and individuals.

Investing in learning and development for your team can support recruitment and retention, a challenge that the sector is facing currently. Skills for Care data shows that investing in learning and development for your team can help keep staff. Average turnover rates decreased from 41.2% among staff who had no training, to 31.7% among those that received some form of training. Additionally, turnover was reduced by 9.1% for care workers who received more than 30 instances of training when compared to care workers with one instance of training.

But most importantly, ongoing learning and development ensures that organisations continue to provide the best level of care to the people who they support and deliver the best outcomes in supporting people to live their lives in a place they can call home, do the things they love and stay well.

Social care is a fast-moving world. The demand for care is growing and the way people need or want their care to be delivered is changing. We also have everdeveloping technology that can provide really innovative and exciting new ways to deliver care and support. So, it’s key to keep up with these new innovations and best practice.

For leaders and managers, continuing professional development can focus not just on practical learning but also on how to be the most effective leader you can be. The way we work and what people look for from their workplace and from their managers is something that also continues to adapt as society grows and changes. Because of this it’s really important that managers and leaders keep up with solutions such as compassionate leadership and effective supervision to ensure they get the most from their team and are creating positive workplace cultures.

Skills for Care will be providing updates over the coming months about each stage of WDF 2023-24 opening for application, keep an eye on their website for the latest updates: skillsforcare.org.uk/WDF