The Social Care Commitment

White paper initiative ‘caring for our future’ Improving care, and the public’s confidence in care Developed by employers, employees and people who need care and support A voluntary agreement on workforce quality

A sector united

Alistair Burt Minister for Community and Social Care Dec 2015 “The 1.45 million care workers and healthcare assistants in this country are the lifeblood of the care sector. As our population continues to grow and age, their skills and dedication are needed now more than ever. But it is one thing to attract people with the right values and skills, quite another to empower and support them in what we know to be challenging yet highly rewarding careers. For more than two years, the Social Care Commitment has done exactly that – a contract between employers and employees to invest in each other and be the best they can. The Department of Health will continue to support Skills for Care, care agencies and local providers as they use the Commitment to facilitate better training and support, enhanced career paths and, ultimately, greater peace of mind for those receiving or arranging care for themselves and their loved ones.”

Quality People, Quality Care Sign up to the seven “I will…” statements Employers promise to give their workers the development they need Employees promise to put their values into practice in their daily work Guidance and resources to support employers and employees

The employer commitment is a promise to: Make sure staff understand safety and quality standards Help staff develop their skills Take responsibility for how staff work Recruit staff who care

Provide thorough induction training Support staff to put their commitment into practice everyday Supervise staff properly The employer commitment is a promise to:

Increase your confidence in your skills and abilities and get more out of your role.

Uphold dignity Work co-operatively Communicate effectively Work responsibly The employee commitment is a promise to:

Continue to learn Treat People Fairly Protect privacy The employee commitment is a promise to:

Why should I sign up? Easy to access Sector-wide suitability Potential to generate better workforce practices Raise care standards Act as a beacon of quality when choosing care

What are the benefits to my organisation? Endorse or recognise things you currently do well Enhance the organisation’s reputation Improve how you train and develop staff Improve the overall quality of care you provide Provides supporting evidence for CQC inspection

What are the benefits to my organisation? Improve dignity in the care you provide Help you to make care more personalised Attract more people with the rights skills and/or values to apply to work for you

Employee sign up provides an excellent employee induction tool Improve employee morale Help reduce your staff turnover rate Improve commercial performance Employee development plans contribute to evidence for the Care Certificate What are the benefits to my organisation?

Sign up can support you in many ways ….

Evidence to support CQC inspection

EXAMPLE 1 Social Care Commitment STATEMENT 1 – ‘I will take account of potential employees’ values, attitudes and behaviours when recruiting new staff’. TASK 6 - Create an appropriate, quality recruitment process by combining a range of assessment methods including those designed to assess attitudes and values. By choosing the above task from Statement 1 you can generate evidence to show that you are meeting Fundamental Standard of Care K, which says 'persons employed must be of good character, have the necessary qualifications, skills and experience, and be capable of performing the work for which they are employed'.

Evidence to support CQC inspection EXAMPLE 2 Social Care Commitment STATEMENT 2 - 'I will provide a thorough induction for all new staff and for those changing job roles. TASK 1 - Develop and review induction processes in line with legal requirements and best practice. TASK 5 - Monitor inductions to assess that they are appropriate and successful and provide documentary evidence that each worker agrees that such training has been received. By choosing the above two tasks from Statement 2 you can generate evidence to show that you are meeting Key Line of Enquiry W2 ‘How does the service demonstrate good management and leadership? ‘

NHS Choices profiles

Resources for sign up employers Three booklets: The Employee and Employer Commitments in Full A ‘tip & turn’ book that contains the Employer and Employee Statements and Tasks in full and an explanation of what the statement means in the workplace Making the Commitment – a Guide for Employers This booklet gives guidance on planning and organising undertaken chosen tasks, talking to staff about how they can make their commitment and looks at some of the benefits and challenges of signing up Making the Commitment – a Guide for Employees This booklet helps employees get the most out of signing up to the Commitment by explaining what it means, what’s involved and how to complete the tasks they have chosen

95% of employers who have signed up and made their commitment said sign up is straight forward 85% said they have already seen or expect to see an improvement in the quality of care they deliver 83% said it has lead or will lead to improvements to staff training and development That’s great but I don’t have the time to sign up!

Organisations who have already signed up told us: “It’s an extremely positive step and has value to both staff and residents” “It has given us a better understanding of the standards we need to meet” “Staff now fully understand their role and its importance” “It’s made staff more aware of how they should be performing and improving” “It reinforces the importance to staff and relatives of dignity in care” Source: ekosgen independent survey October 15

Employees who have signed up told us: “The process of signing up was easy” “Tasks took less time and were easier than expected” “I think it’s a good thing to do and helps us focus on the sort of things we should be doing” “It’s getting all staff to realise how important they are in the clients lives and encouraging them to sign up” “Having a goal to aim for and aiming for all staff to have the same goals helps to enhance the quality of the care we provide” Source: ekosgen independent survey October 15

Conclusions It’s quick and straightforward to sign up The majority of employers who are currently signed up expect to renew their Commitment and 93% would recommend signing up to other service providers. The resources for employers and employees and the support available from the Social Care Commitment Team is really helpful The Social Care Commitment has already delivered tangible benefits to organisations, their staff and those they provide care and support for and the breadth and intensity of these benefits is to increase in the future

Are you sure you still don’t have time?