News from our partners: West Midlands councils rally behind new recruitment and retention campaign 

News from our partners West Midlands Association of Directors of Social Care (West Midlands ADASS) 

Councils across the West Midlands have teamed up with Skills for Care to help boost recruitment in adult social care throughout the region.

The ‘Every day is different, when you care’ campaign is being led by the Department and Health and Social Care and supported by West Midlands Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (WM ADASS) which represents the 14 local authorities in the region.

All 14 local authorities across the West Midlands will be supporting the campaign, establishing for the first time, a regional approach to raise the profile of adult social care across the region.

There is more to adult social care than meets the eye. The sector offers an extremely varied and rewarding profession with opportunities to suit every type of carer. The ‘Every day is different, when you care’ campaign which will help people understand more about adult social care, mitigate any myths they have about the sector, and help them explore whether a job in social care would be right for them.

As well as providing a valued and critical service to some of our most vulnerable citizens, adult social care provides an occupation and an income for hundreds of thousands of people and a raison d’être for thousands of businesses. In the West Midlands alone, around 160,000 people already work from 4,100 locations and it is estimated that demand for their services is such, that by 2030, somewhere between 45,000 and 70,000 new jobs will need to be filled.  To put the scale of this operation in context, the sector employs more people in the West Midlands than are employed in the automotive industry across the UK.

Andy Begley, Chair of West Midlands ADASS and Director for Adult Services and Housing at Shropshire Council said:-

“This is a very productive and exciting time in adult social care. The rapidly growing sector continues to evolve and transform in creative and innovative ways, bringing exciting new job vacancies and lots of opportunities to develop and progress. There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of this vibrant and dynamic sector.

“Also over the past 12 months, West Midlands ADASS have been looking at ‘Flipping’ Adult Social Care so that it is not seen as a drain but a key driver in the region’s economy. The sector is also one of the biggest employers in the country, by some estimates employing more people than the NHS, and contributes literally billions of pounds to the West Midlands’ economy and demand for its services will grow and grow for the foreseeable future.

“We therefore want to encourage people across the West Midlands to see what great career prospects, and opportunities for progression there is in social care across the region.”

Marc Greenwood, Secretary of the National ADASS Workforce Development Network and Head of Business Systems and Continuous Improvement at Coventry City Council also commented, saying:

“We know that councils and care providers across the West Midlands work hard to raise the profile of social care, the positive role of care workers and the invaluable contribution they make to ensure our residents live with dignity and independence.

“We want to continue to develop an innovative and dynamic workforce across the West Midlands and inspire the right people to the sector. With a growing need for more care workers, West Midlands ADASS want to support councils and providers to recruit the best possible talent.”

For more information about ‘Every day is different, when you care visit www.everydayisdifferent.com.

For more information about WM ADASS visit https://www.westmidlandsiep.gov.uk/info/13/wm-adass-adult-social-care or follow us on Twitter @WMADASS.

Further information

About West Midlands ADASS

West Midlands ADASS shared vision is for a sustainable health and care system that supports thriving local economies and communities that promote independence and social justice.

The alliance along with Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM) work together to build a strong improvement programme for adult social care in the region. The programme has sought to focus the combined resources and effort of the 14 councils on activity, endeavour and challenge that provides capacity to improve services, promote good practice and provide mutual support and challenge in an ever more financially-restricted environment.