Torfaen Borough Council has become the latest authority to agree to form the Gwent-wide social care workforce development service which will have responsibility for developing careers for social workers as well as supporting skills development for carers.
When the council’s Labour cabinet agreed to join the service Pontnewydd councillor Sue Morgan said she was “particularly interested” in the work planned to support social care skills development including training and career progression for carers in regulated and unregulated roles.
Cllr Morgan said for a brief time during the pandemic she had worked as a carer, having previously been employed in what she said was considered to be a “skilled” role, and said: “These roles are classed as unskilled but I can guarantee they are anything but unskilled.”
The cabinet was told the transfer of staff to the new service, to be led by Caerphilly Borough Council which already works in partnership with Blaenau Gwent on social care workforce development including overseeing qualification and accreditation, would be “cost neutral” as it will be covered within existing budgets and no compulsory redundancies are anticipated.
Council director for social services, Jason O’Brien, said issues such as where staff will be based are still being worked through by a management board but it is anticipated the service will be run from Fox’s Lane in Caerphilly though he said office space would still be available for staff at Pontypool’s Civic Centre.
Monmouthshire council confirmed it would join the service in October only after concerns from backbench councillors, who complained they hadn’t been properly informed of the change, were satisfied.
Torfaen council leader Anthony Hunt said he welcomed the chance to support the development of the care and social services workforce and career development.
He said it would assist the national care agency Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to establish in England. The Welsh Government has set out a similar proposal.
Cllr Hunt said: “This will very much fit in with the national care service ambition of the new prime minister.”
He also asked if the new service could help move care away from private for profit firms to either being directly provided, by councils, or run as cooperatives. Mr O’Brien said work to train council staff to take over residential care, due to the Welsh Government commitment to eliminate profit from children’s care, has already taken place.
Cllr David Daniels, the cabinet member responsible for adult social care, said there is “no greater responsibility than being tasked with the dignity of another human being” and hoped care jobs will be seen as more valuable in future.
“You can’t replace social care roles with AI and hopefully the value of these roles will only grow as they become carer choices for some people and hopefully we recognise the need to attract new people to this career path,” said Cllr Daniels.
Consultation with Torfaen staff and trade unions is still to take place, with staff due to transfer with terms and conditions protected, as the council finalises the arrangements for joining the service.