Meeting current and future demand in adult social care
Sheffield is moving at pace to meet the current and future demand for more carers in the city.
It’s expected that there will be 13,000 more people aged over 65 by 2030 in Sheffield, so anticipating and responding effectively to changing health and care needs is key.
Progress on meeting this need is the focus of ‘Living the life you want to live’, the Council’s Adult Social Care Strategy 2022 -2030, which focusses on keeping people well and independent for longer at home. Its vision is that ‘everyone in Sheffield lives in a place they can call home, in communities that care, doing things that matter to them, celebrated for who they are - and when they need it, they receive care and support that prioritises independence, choice, and recovery.’
To achieve this, the Council will need to be successful in its mission to retain, recruit and develop a strong social care workforce that delivers outstanding care for the people of Sheffield.
Councillor Angela Argenzio, Chair of Adult Health and Social Care Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “We’re aware of Sheffield’s bigger picture in terms of adult social care and we’re doing the work that we need to do to meet need now and in the future.
“We have 17,500 people in social care roles here and with people living longer, we forecast that we will need 23% more jobs in this sector by 2035.
Our vacancy rates are higher than in other local authority areas in Yorkshire and the Humber too so we’re focussing on not only recruiting more care professionals but making sure that we show how much we value those who work for us.
They provide invaluable care to individuals and families, and they have a huge, positive impact on our city. That’s why this work that we’re doing is so important.”
With a commitment to show the value of the social care workforce and to make sure that it is sustainable, key developments have just been launched to do this, as part of the Sheffield Care Sector Workforce Development Strategy 2023 – 2026. More developments are planned over the next two years.
Councillor Angela Argenzio talks about the new Sheffield Care Academy, Sheffield CARES, at its initial launch:
Insert video of Councillor Argenzio here.
Sheffield CARES Academy
Sheffield Care Academy for Recruitment Education and Support (Sheffield CARES) is now live and will support recruitment and develop a high-quality care workforce in Sheffield.
A partnership between health and care organisations in Sheffield, including colleges, universities, user-led organisations, providers, citizens, and people who use services, Sheffield CARES is a hub to drive activity to develop the care sector workforce in Sheffield. It offers a standardised approach to job advice, learning and development, work experience and apprenticeships, whilst also providing opportunities to gain management, specialist, and leadership training. Sheffield CARES Academy will use innovation and champion best practice to inform service delivery.
The Sheffield CARES academy promotes direct care roles include carers, personal assistants, rehabilitation workers, advocacy workers, activities workers and Shared Lives carers and management roles which include team leader, supervisor, manager, deputy manager, team manager and specialist co-ordinators roles.
It aims to:
- Promote careers in care
- Improve the recruitment process for applicants and providers
- Support staff to stay working in care
- Improve the staff training offer
- Promote the use of technology, digital and innovation
- Improve data collection and use data to drive activities
The Sheffield CARES Academy will be on the road in communities across the city later this year or early January 2025. The roadshows will showcase it to, and ask for feedback and ideas for its development, from those who would like to either join the social care workforce or those who would like more support, training, and development in their current social care roles.
The Sheffield Care Excellence Awards 2025
The Sheffield Care Excellence Awards 2025 were launched on 17 October and are an important part of recognising and valuing everyone who contributes to the provision of care and support in Sheffield. This includes Sheffield’s 17,500 strong care sector workforce and the city’s 11,000 unpaid carers and 7,000 young carers.
Anyone can nominate someone for one or more of the awards, including ‘Social Care Hero of the Year’, ‘Newcomer or Apprentice of the Year’ and ‘Lifetime Achievement of the Year’ no later than midnight on Tuesday 12 November 2024.
The awards ceremony will take place at Sheffield City Hall Ballroom on Thursday 13 February 2025.
Next week’s Personalisation Week, which runs from Monday 11 to Friday 15 November, will be promoting the work of personal assistants. Places for the week long programme of events are available to book here.
Personal assistants (PA) are paid to help people who need social care support in their home, which helps them to live as independently as possible. Many people choose to employ a PA because they need the consistent, ongoing support that their own PA can provide. Anyone who would like to become a personal assistant can sign up to the personal assistant register here.
The Council’s Sheffield Care Sector Workforce Development Strategy 2023 – 2026 is here.