Resources
The practical resources below can help you to strengthen this area of CQC inspection.
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Resource creator: Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
The Department of Health and Social Care has launched the learning and development support programme for the financial year 2024 to 2025 which will be administered by NHS-BSA.
Eligible adult social care employers in England can claim staff training costs from the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS). The LDSS is available for non-regulated care staff, including deputy and Care Quality Commission-registered managers and agency staff, within the adult social care workforce.
Date published: September 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This webinar shows managers and leaders that a quality induction doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be planned and considered. Explore practical ideas to support new employees with an effective induction and learn how this helps create a positive workplace culture within your organisation.
Date published: June 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV
淘精TV has developed an Induction toolkit to help managers plan and deliver a high-quality induction that fully supports new starters to quickly settle into their roles. It offers the opportunity to provide a robust induction to fully support new starters and ensure you create the right first impression. This covers from pre-arrival through to the sixth month of employment - to ensure you are providing a robust and supportive induction.
The Induction toolkit is aimed at helping managers support all staff, regardless of whether they are joining the sector for the first time or they are a highly experienced new team member. The toolkit includes checklists at each stage of the process to provide lists of activities to consider with signposts to resources and templates which you can tailor. It draws heavily on what providers across health and social care tell us works for them.
Date published: May 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV and LinkMind Media
This series of 11 videos covers various subjects such as the basics of creating content, how to select the right platform for your needs and the range of tools available to help you boost your online presence. There is also a handy pdf covering the essentials of social media. Learn how to recruit using Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc.
Date published: April 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This guide outlines the barriers, success factors and key principles for recruiting these groups into the sector. It explores how we can more effectively engage with men and young people.
Date published: April 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV
淘精TV WDF has enabled adult social care providers to claim back money towards the costs of workers completing a broad range of adult social care qualifications, learning programmes and digital learning modules.
With the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) new Adult Social Care Training and Development Fund launching in summer 2024, 淘精TV's WDF will come to a close. The final year of the WDF will cover a limited number of qualifications and apprenticeships that commenced before 01 April 2024 and are completed by 31 March 2025.
Date published: April 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV
Discover how implementing safer employment practices can enable you to create fairer, safer, and more inclusive workplace cultures for people who draw on care and support, and for staff and volunteers to work in.
This online toolkit enables you to consider the key stages of safer employment processes including:
- Planning to recruit
- Recruitment and vetting
- Induction and probation
- Supervision and management
- Identifying and managing concerns
- Managing leavers and referring information
Date published: April 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV and NHS Transformation Directorate
This is a suite of free-to-access ‘bitesize’ digital skills eLearning modules, in line with the Digital Skills Framework. The modules are designed to support people working in adult social care to gain knowledge and understanding on how digital, data and technology is used in the sector. The titles and themes of these seven modules are:
- using technology to support person-centred care
- technical skills in using technology
- communicating through technology
- being safe and secure online
- ethical use of technology
- digital learning, development and wellbeing.
Date published: April 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV
International recruitment is a great way to find skilled and diverse workers, but employers often tell us they have trouble navigating the legalities of recruiting internationally.
淘精TV has compiled a wide range of guidance and advice from other organisations, helping adult social care providers to understand the process to follow. This includes a comprehensive toolkit that showcases good practice and key considerations to ensure this is a positive experience for your service and the people you recruit.
Date published: March 2024
Resource creator: 淘精TV and Disclosure and Barring Service
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are an essential tool when recruiting safely and fairly. We’ve published a series of short videos, delivered by the DBS outreach team, to guide employers through how the process works and what to do if a DBS check takes longer than expected.
Date published: October 2023
Resource creator: DHSC
The Department of Health and Social Care’s national adult social care recruitment campaign aims to support adult social care employers to recruit the dedicated staff you need to fill your vacancies.
To accompany the campaign, a suite of new, free resources has been created to help you advertise your job opportunities locally.鈥�疶he campaign raises awareness of the rewarding nature of care work and tackles the concerns that research shows potential applicants may have.
Date published: October 2023
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This evidence-based toolkit provides information, activities, resources and case studies to enable you to utilise values-based recruitment methods and strengthen your workforce. It maps out a step-by-step approach to develop and implement effective values-based recruitment and retention.
Date published: September 2023
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This blog from recruitment expert Dominic Headley, draws insight from his specialist consultancy providing training and advice to employers to support safeguarding and safe and fair recruitment, to find out more about how to gain and provide effective references and why this is so important in the social care sector.
Date published: September 2023
Resource creator: 淘精TV
Qualifications can play an important role in learning and development, and there are a wide variety available within adult social care - from diplomas to smaller awards and certificates which are more focused on specific topics.
We recommend a wide range of vocational qualifications to support services to develop staff further, many of which can be partially funded via our Workforce Development Fund. The qualifications include:
- Level 2 Diploma in Care
- Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care
- Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care
- Level 4 Certificate in Principles of Leadership and Management for Adult Care
- Level 5 Diploma in Leadership Management for Adult Care.
In addition to the diplomas, there are a range of smaller awards and certificates that can be used to build specialisms across your staff team.
If you’re looking for expert learning providers to help you to deliver qualifications, our endorsed list can help.
Date published: July 2023
Resource creator: 淘精TV
Apprenticeships are a way of developing new staff and providing new skills for existing staff by studying and learning through work. The 淘精TV website lists the recommended apprenticeships available for those working in adult social care, including:
- Adult Care Worker (level 2)
- Lead Adult Care Worker (level 3)
- The Lead Practitioner in Adult Care (level 4)
- Leader in Adult Care (level 5)
- Nursing Associate (level 5)
- Social Work (level 6)
- Occupational Therapist (level 6)
- Physiotherapist (level 6)
- Registered Nurse (level 6).
Whilst we don’t arrange the apprenticeship, our website provides an overview of the process and associated funding. If you’re looking for a learning provider to support you to deliver apprenticeships, our endorsed list can help.
Date published: July 2023
Resource creator: 淘精TV and University of York
Values-based recruitment is essential to ensuring you employ a compassionate, person-centred workforce that is committed to providing quality care. It can be tricky to know how to assess a candidate’s values and whether they align with those of your organisation.
淘精TV has worked with social care experts at University of York to create ‘Curious about Care’, a free evidence-based tool that can be used as part of your recruitment process. It allows you to explore different scenarios with a candidate to better understand their values, helping you assess if they are a good fit for your organisation.
Date published: May 2023
Resource creator: 淘精TV
A range of Infection, prevention and control related training is available to purchase from 淘精TV’s Endorsed learning providers.
You can search for quality learning across different parts of the country and find courses to meet your staff needs.
Date published: April 2023
Resource creator: Partners in Care and 淘精TV
One of the biggest challenges faced by care providers is keeping staff. This online guide, produced by Partners in Care and Health and 淘精TV in conjunction with councils and care providers, shares top tips, resources and case studies to give you ideas and inspiration to help you retain staff.
Date published: February 2023
Resource creator: Better Hiring Institute
This Better Hiring Toolkit provides simple guidance to support you to both obtain and provide effective references and conduct information.
At the heart of the Toolkit is the safety of the people who employers are entrusted to care for and the staff who carry out this role. Those responsible for recruiting or supervising staff or volunteers, have an obligation to conduct a safe and fair recruitment process and ensure that pre-employment checks are robust so that your organisation safeguards the people being supported.
The Better Hiring Toolkit for Care is free to use and has handy templates throughout for you to use within your organisation.
Date published: January 2023
Resource creator: ACAS
With over one-quarter of employers reporting an increase in staff absences, it’s crucial for businesses to know how to manage sickness absence effectively, because failure to do so can have a detrimental effect on business.
ACAS has developed guidance that offers tips on how best to handle sickness absence and how to better support employees during their illness and upon their return to work.
Date published: November 2022
Resource creator: 淘精TV, Health Education England and DHSC
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training aims to provide the health and care workforce with the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability.
Date published: October 2022
Resource creator: ACAS
By law, your employer must pay a minimum amount on average for the hours you work.
This is called the:
• National Living Wage (NLW) if you're aged 23 or over
• National Minimum Wage (NMW) if you're aged under 23 or an apprentice
This article details:
• Current rates
• Rates from 1 April 2023
• Who gets the apprentice rate
Date published: July 2022
Resource creator: 淘精TV
In partnership with Neil Eastwood, Founder and CEO of Care Friends and author of ‘Saving Social Care’, this webinar shares sector expertise around maximising the retention of your staff. Discover top tips and innovative solutions for staff retention and lots of useful practical ideas from other managers.
The webinar shares learning and best practice from frontline managers and is complemented by recommended resources.
Date published: March 2022
Resource creator: 淘精TV
The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) helps you to support and develop your staff by providing access to funding. An up-to-date account makes you eligible for claiming the Workforce Development Fund, a valuable source of funding for staff training which supported over 18,000 learning opportunities in 2020-21. It also gives you access to the free essential training programmes to upskill your staff knowledge in vital topics relevant to providing care.
ASC-WDS allows you to benchmark your workplace against similar providers on workforce metrics such as pay, turnover, staff sickness and qualifications. These insights can help you to drive improvement and decision-making across your organisation.
Other benefits include safe and free storage of staff and training records, and discounts across 淘精TV’s products and training from endorsed learning providers. You’re also contributing to the voice of social care. ASC-WDS provides the leading source of intelligence to the government, the CQC and others, so they can make informed decisions on policy and planning.
Date published: November 2021
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This provides an overview of the government-funded opportunities available to help adult social care employers to recruit. It includes:
- apprenticeships
- traineeships
- kickstart programmes.
Date published: April 2021
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This website provides information and advice to support nurse recruitment and development. It covers a range of different nursing expertise and associated initiatives to support your service, including:
- registered nurses
- nurse associates
- nurse leaders
- return to practice.
Date published: April 2021
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This short guide can help if you recruit young workers. It covers what you need to arrange if you employ staff under 18 years to work at your service and outlines the benefits for employers.
Date published: December 2020
Resource creator: 淘精TV
This guidance advises how you can attract a diverse range of candidates for your roles and hire people previously underrepresented in your workforce. Including:
- Recruiting temporary staff
- Employing people with criminal records
- Employing people with disabilities
- Employing 16-17 year olds
Date published: December 2020
Resource creator: 淘精TV, Skills for Health, Health Education England
The ‘tailoring the Care Certificate’ resources have been developed to support workers in achieving the minimum standards of the Care Certificate in job roles where more specialist skills are needed. They can be used for workers who are new to care, or who are moving from one area of care into a more specialised service.
As well as being used by the learner, they can also be used by the trainer and assessor or to enhance existing Care Certificate delivery and assessment. They aren’t a mandatory resource and don’t replace any aspects or content of the Care Certificate.
Date published: April 2020
Resource creator: Care Friends
Finding the right quality of care staff is a major challenge. Employee referral programmes are the proven best source, but they’re a hassle to administer and fiendishly hard to keep top-of-mind with staff. As a result, they only deliver a fraction of their true potential.
Care Friends is an app developed by Neil Eastwood, author of Saving Social Care, and launched in partnership with 淘精TV, that aims to change that.
Date published: April 2020
Developed in partnership with