Working to the strengths of the social care workforce Jill Manthorpe King’s College London @scwru

The problem or the solution? Catastrophising … Over-generalisation … Reliance on anecdote …

Strengths based characteristics = Vocation + altruism Career opportunities Skills development Local work Practical appeal Demand Appreciation Do you think you are useful? Could you be replaced by a robot?

Asking questions Do social workers and social care workers find working with older people rewarding? What seems to help?

The rough workforce equation Emotional exhaustion Depersonalisation Personal accomplishment How do older people and carers affect these? CC social work survey revealed similar Adult/Children SW profiles

Middle managers’ strengths: Hidden world of care home management and human relations Autonomy and discretion of managers Super-diversity of the care home sector – lessons for other employers? Expressions of desire for a family ethos or brand

LA Employer Strengths (problems better known!) Tradition of learning & development Corporate HR systems Reputation Values Solid Equal pay & opportunities

Three challenges: 1 Possible impacts of Sustainability & Transformation Plans (STPs) on social care workforce Short & variable STP references https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/sustainability-and-transformation-plans See: https://www.nhsproviders.org/media/2285/stp-and-operating-plan-workforce-issues-rob-smith-medical-and-nursing-directors-network-11-october-2016.pdf NHS sees demand for Nurses & AHP increasing – notes regional but interregional variations. Desires to improve Sickness & Stability, to liberalise training

Other employers want to be stronger too! NHS sees demand for Nurses & AHP increasing. Notes regional but interregional variations. Desires to improve Sickness & Stability, & to liberalise training. https://www.nhsproviders.org/media/2285/stp-and-operating-plan-workforce-issues-rob-smith-medical-and-nursing-directors-network-11-october-2016.pdf

Challenge 2 Preparing (in care workforce terms) for Brexit ? Impacts on the local market and national providers (regulated & non-regulated)

Challenge 3 Are micro-employers sustainable (such as employers in small care homes, of Personal Assistants, and in day centres)?

Describing the work What do we know about managers/social workers/occupational therapists/social care practitioners as the ‘intervention’ when working with older people? What are their strengths?

Intervention + Productivity Evidence: - effect of specific training; wellbeing gains of carer interventions STaRT; PC care, communication skills training, adapted DCM + music & activities reduce severe agitation in care home residents (Livingston + 2014)

Table Top Question 1 What could a social care employer do to keep its older workforce being productive (in the nicest sense of the word)? How would you help older workers retain their strengths?

Table Top Question 2 If you were writing the Department of Health’s Workforce Strategy for Social Care what would you include and why?

Thanks for listening Acknowledgements and disclaimer The Social Care Workforce Research Unit receives funding from the Department of Health but the views expressed are those of the presenter and analysis team. The photos are from The Guardian 26 March 2008 and all credit is due to photojournalist Simon Rawles. Thanks to the Longitudinal Care Workforce study participants + wider study team, Jess Harrris, Shereen Hussein, Kritika Samsi, Caroline Norrie, Michelle Cornes, Jo Moriarty