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Teresa Wilson, operations director at Brook Street Social Care, argues that social care doesn’t just have a workforce crisis. It has an identity crisis.
Ask yourself a simple question. Who supports children with complex needs? Who helps those experiencing homelessness, mental ill health and trauma-related experiences rebuild their lives? Who enables thousands of people with disabilities to participate in their communities every day?
The answer: people who work in social care.
Social care isn’t something that happens to “other people”. It is something most of us will encounter at some point in our lives. And yet the people who provide that care are still too often invisible.
That invisibility has consequences. The sector employs 1.6 million people and contributes almost £90 billion to the UK economy, yet England still faces 111,000 unfilled roles in adult care alone and staff turnover of around 28%.
It’s tempting to look at those numbers and conclude that social care simply has a recruitment problem, but that misses something fundamental. We need to recognise the scale and opportunity within the sector. If people don’t understand the profession, they cannot see where they could fit. Social care may have a recruitment challenge, but it also has an identity crisis.
A new story
We have to give social care a new story.
The prime minister’s plans for a National Care Service, announced in July, represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset the national conversation around care. But if we are serious about building a sustainable workforce to meet future demand, we need to look beyond vacancies and ask a deeper question: what does it mean to have a career in social care?
Unlike teaching, nursing or policing, social care has no equivalent national narrative that communicates its purpose, professionalism and career opportunities. Too often, it is still perceived as low-status, poorly rewarded work with limited progression.
I have met care workers, registered managers and providers who never expected to build a career in social care when they first entered the sector. Many stayed because they discovered a profession that offered purpose, responsibility and the chance to build a career while changing lives.
Social care workers safeguard vulnerable people. They manage risk, administer medication and support people to live independently while helping them navigate some of the most challenging moments of their lives.
That is not low-skilled work. It is highly skilled work. And if we want the next generation to see social care as a profession, we must make that visible. People cannot aspire to careers they cannot see.
Only 8% of care workers are under 25, while turnover among younger workers stands at 44.6%. If we want to build a workforce for the future, we need people to actively choose social care – not simply fall into it.
Of course, a new story cannot be built on rhetoric alone. If we are serious about building a stronger profession, then government, providers and the workforce itself must work together. Pay, progression and professional recognition must support the story we are telling.
That’s why our recent white paper sets out bold calls-to-action to tackle the workforce challenges holding the sector back.
The proposed Fair Pay Agreement is an important opportunity to improve recruitment and retention, but it must go beyond a minimum rate. Experienced workers, specialists and those taking on greater responsibility should be properly rewarded. Government funding will be essential if reform is to succeed without placing further pressure on providers.
We also need visible career pathways. People should be able to see how they can move from an entry-level role into specialist practice, management and leadership, with training, qualifications and pay progression to match. Social care needs a national career and leadership framework that makes those opportunities real and accessible.
And we need to recognise the practical barriers that can prevent people from progressing. Digital exclusion is a workforce issue, not simply a technology issue. Without access to the right devices, connectivity and skills, people are less able to progress.
International recruitment is another part of the picture. Domestic supply cannot currently meet demand, and the withdrawal of international recruitment routes creates further pressure. We need a controlled, ethically governed approach that provides stability while protecting workers from exploitation.
Finally, leaders need more time to lead. Reducing unnecessary regulatory burden would allow registered managers and other leaders to focus on developing teams, improving services and raising care quality.
Interconnected challenges
None of the challenges in social care exists in isolation. Pay, progression, leadership, digital capability and workforce supply are all interconnected, shaping both workforce sustainability and the quality of care people receive. If social care is to become a profession people actively choose, these reforms must work together.
A stronger social care sector is worth fighting for, and the opportunity presented by current reform is significant. But the test of any new system will ultimately be much more straightforward. Will people choose to work in social care? Build a career in it? And, ultimately, stay in it? And will the people leading services have the support and capability they need?
If the answer is yes, we will have done more than redesign a system. We will have given social care the future it deserves.
