Our workforce priorities

In terms of our workforce priorities, we want a workforce that is:

• Valued and respected for the vital role they play in supporting people to live well.
• Skilled and competent, delivering high-quality, person-centred, safe care and support.
• Diverse and inclusive, reflecting the communities we serve and promoting equality and dignity.
• Resilient and supported, helping them to access learning, development and wellbeing opportunities.
• Collaborative and innovative, working together across organisations and embracing new ways of working.

Our goals and objectives

To achieve our vision for Barnsley’s Adult Social Care workforce, we've identified four strategic goals. Each of these goals is underpinned by a series of key objectives:

Recruitment, retention and career development

Attracting and recruiting more people to work in Adult Social Care. To achieve this, we'll:

• Promote the benefits and opportunities of working in Adult Social Care. This is both at Barnsley Council and in our independent care sector.
• Improve the recruitment experience for candidates.
• Expand and diversify the pool of potential candidates for Adult Social Care roles.
• Continue to develop our Proud to Care Hub. This will help us promote the benefits and opportunities of working in Barnsley’s independent care market.

Leadership and management

Develop and retain our existing Adult Social Care workforce, focusing on workforce development, regulation and registration. To achieve this, we'll:

• Ensure all our people have access to induction, training and qualifications that meet the sector’s standards and expectations.
• Support people to progress and advance in their careers.
• Enhance the retention and engagement of workers through their employee experience.

Wellbeing and resilience

Support the wellbeing and resilience of our Adult Social Care workforce. To achieve this, we'll:

• Provide workers with access to quality health and wellbeing support.
• Foster a positive and supportive work culture and environment.
• Recognise and reward the achievements and contributions of our people.

Adapting and innovating

Enable our workforce to adapt and innovate to meet the changing needs and demands in Adult Social Care. To achieve this, we'll:

• Equip workers with the skills and knowledge to deliver integrated and personalised care and support.
• Encourage our people to embrace digital and technological solutions that enhance the quality and efficiency of care and support.
• Help workers to take part in research, evaluation and improvement activities.

Our commitment to achieving our goals

We'll make sure we've the right people doing the right jobs, with the right values and behaviours, at the right time and in the right place.

Our workforce will reflect our diverse communities. We'll support those who choose a career in Adult Social Care to realise their potential, empowering and enabling colleagues to thrive.

We'll have a confident, capable and qualified workforce. They'll deliver high-quality, strengths-based services that meet registration and regulation requirements.

We'll do this by…

• Creating compassionate and accessible leaders who lead by example. They'll embed our values and encourage a culture of openness.
• Working closely with our partners to deliver a strengths-based, outcome-focused approach to Adult Social Care. This will be based on our Better Lives programme.
• Having effective leadership programmes for managers and aspiring managers. This will help us focus on aspirations and career progression.
• Working with our partners to continue developing systems leadership across the health and social care system.
• Working with our partners to develop and embed an integrated workforce.
• Working in a co-productive way with our communities and people who use our services.

How we'll monitor and evaluate our progress

We'll monitor and evaluate the impact of our Adult Social Care Workforce Plan using a range of key indicators, such as:

• Workforce data and intelligence. This will include the number, profile and turnover of staff, the number of vacancies in the sector, training needs and skills gaps.
• Quality and performance data and intelligence. This will include the outcomes and satisfaction of people who use our services, provider ratings and inspections.
• Feedback and consultation data. This will include the views and experiences of workers, employers, providers and commissioners.

We'll report on the progress and achievements of our Workforce Plan annually. We'll use these findings to inform and update the actions and outcomes of this plan.

If you'd like to learn more about our vision, priorities and plans, please check out our full Adult Social Care Workforce Plan for 2024-29.

You can learn more about the possibilities of working in Adult Social Care in Barnsley by visiting our Proud to Care Hub.