Page 59 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

General care and support workers skills
53% of people employed in services commissioned by local authorities have the required or recommended qualifications for their job, leaving 47% to become qualified. In general the majority of these workers currently require a minimum level 2 Health and Social Care vocational qualification.
From 2020 around 5,900 domiciliary (home care) workers in the region will be required to register with Social Care Wales in order to practice. One of the mandatory registration requirements is to hold a named qualification as listed on the Qualification Framework for the social care sector in Wales.
Welsh language skills
There is a need for Health and Social Care and early years services to be available through the medium of Welsh. The revised national strategy for Welsh language provision in health and care; More than Just Words53 was published in spring 2016. The strategy states:
“People choose to receive Health and Social Care services in Welsh because that is their preference and right. For others, however, it is more than just a matter of choice – it is a matter of need. This is especially true for the elderly, people with dementia or a stroke, or young children who may only speak Welsh.”
However, whereas 24% of the population of South West and Mid Wales can speak Welsh54, employers report that only 14% of the Social Care workforce can55. With this in mind it will be important for employers and training providers to maintain and develop the Welsh language skills of the workforce.
Skills to support people with complex needs
There are growing demands on the sector to care for people with increasingly complex long term needs. This is true for people in residential settings and those living in their own homes. Dementia care is a particular example of this.
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3.5.2 Primary Research Analysis
Response Profile for Health & Social Care
20 15 10 5 0
Micro SBCR GMW
Small
Medium
Large
Regional
53 More than Just Words, Welsh Government, March 2016
54 2011 Census
55 Data from Local authority social services staff numbers, Welsh Government, combined with data from the Social Care Workforce
Development Programme data collection of staff working for services commissioned by local authorities
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Sector Profiles