Members will receive a verbal update on progress relating to the recommendations of approved scrutiny review report. Leicester Skills Development Group representative (LSDG) will update commission members on their work and plans for the future.
Minutes:
Members of the Commission received a verbal update on progress relating to recommendations arising from the scrutiny review into Social Care External Workforce.
Members were reminded that they had received an Executive response to the review at a previous scrutiny meeting on 19 January 2021.
The Vice Chair commented that this update was sought because there was concern that the response to the scrutiny review placed a large amount of responsibility upon Leicester/shire Social Care Development Group (LSCDG) and she was keen for this to be here to understand how the responsibilities identified in the review were going to be actioned and brought forward.
The Strategic Director for Social Care and Education briefly explained that in certain sectors of Adult Social Care separate organisations were commissioned to do work in workforce development. However, the LSCDG wasn’t a separate body, it was a legal partnership between this local authority, the County and Rutland working with other partners across the system to provide training for external care workforce.
A representative from the Leicester/shire Social Care Development Group (LSCDG) was present and gave an update around Adult Social Care workforce planning for the future.
Members noted that:
· LSDG was a legal partnership between Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Rutland County Council to work together as one collaborative partnership.
· The main function was to support the workforce and raise quality, e.g. there was a training plan that includes safeguarding, leadership skills, moving and handling etc, but with the pandemic there had been a move to digital to replace class based activities.
· LSCDG worked closely with contract and commissioning staff across the 3 local authorities and Skills for Care, its sub regional workforce group provided the main direction.
The update in relation to specific points in the “Response to the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Commission Task Group Meeting – Social Care Workforce” report included the following comments:
· Point 4 Quality of care and improving retention rates – LSDG had received a report on career pathways today this would be worked through to identify how best that can be implemented and a further update provided at a later date.
· Point 5 Finding Community and cooperative solutions – the LSDG sub regional workforce group was due to meet in June to motion this recommendation from the report and if agreed that piece of work could then be taken forward.
· Point 8 Attracting younger people to adult social care careers – this was part of the careers pathway work already being done and through the Inspire to Care Programme workshops and engagement activity were taking place,
· Point 10 Workforce plans - some local workforce plans and packs had been created with aspiration for local authorities to create an action plan and report back, meetings had been arranged to look at how that work could be done together rather than separately.
· Points 11, 12 and 13 were inter related around investing in training and development and upskilling of staff so were being taken together; LSDG had run a Leadership Programme and had also applied to become a provider to deliver the Leadership Programme over the next 2 years. As a provider they would be able to claim the workforce development fund so people were being encouraged to take up those sessions.
· Point 15 Challenging perceptions, this point interlinked with the work being done across the career’s pathway.
The Director of Adult Social Care and Commissioning reiterated that there was close working with the LSDG and additional funding to support work was being sought through other organisations. It was noted that a number of other actions within the report were still being worked through and it was suggested that a more detailed update be brought to a future meeting including details of the report around the career pathway which had only just been published.
Responding to comments from the members of the commission it was noted that in relation to improving quality and aspiring to move beyond that information had been gathered from quality assurance checks and commissioned services to inform several training courses e.g. Skills for Care Leadership programme. Also, if issues were identified for example around safeguarding that was something partners were encouraged to raise awareness of to improve services.
Members suggested that a form of accreditation be considered for workforce training as that might benefit people with their career progression.
The Chair commented that it was important to clearly understand that the City and County were working closely around this and looked forward to receiving a more detailed update report to a future meeting.
The Chair thanked officers for their input and the Vice Chair for leading this review.
AGREED:
That a detailed update report be brought to a future meeting.