WORKFORCE
This can make a real difference to retention. When people understand how their role connects to future opportunities, they are more likely to see adult social care as a career rather than simply a job. A care worker who can see a route into an enhanced role, team leadership or management may be more motivated to stay, develop and contribute to the organisation over the long term. The ‘pathway’ can also support providers to
build stronger succession plans. Across adult social care, the development of future leaders remains a major priority. Registered managers, deputy managers and team leaders play a vital role in shaping culture, supporting staff and maintaining quality. But strong leaders do not appear overnight. They need to be identified, supported and developed over time. Using the ‘pathway’, providers can begin to spot people with leadership potential earlier. They can use supervision, appraisal and learning conversations to understand who is interested in progression, what support they need and what experience would help them move towards future
roles. This can help organisations reduce reliance on external recruitment and build leadership capacity from within. This is particularly important for registered manager pipelines. Registered managers carry significant responsibility for the quality, safety and day-to-day running of services. Providers that wait until a vacancy appears before thinking about succession may find themselves under pressure. Those that use the pathway to identify aspiring managers and support their development are more likely to have people ready to step forward when
Five actions to take in the next six months
1. Review career progression opportunities Look at whether staff can clearly see how they can develop and progress within your organisation. If progression routes are unclear, use the Pathway to make them more visible. Look at mapping a job description against a role category to help discuss career development.
2. Build the Pathway into supervision and appraisal conversations Use the Pathway to support discussions about strengths, development needs, future ambitions and learning opportunities.
3. Identify future leaders early Consider who could progress into senior care, supervisory, deputy manager or registered manager roles, and what support they need to get there.
4. Use workforce data more strategically Review turnover, vacancies, retention, training and succession risks, then use the Pathway to target development activity where it will have the greatest impact. By using the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) to track workforce data, mapping your organisation’s roles against the pathway role categories, you can help with building a national picture of the social care sector and shaping policy decisions.
5. Align the Pathway with existing workforce plans Embed the Pathway into recruitment, induction, learning and development, leadership development and succession planning rather than treating it as a separate project.
THE CARE HOME INDUSTRY HANDBOOK 2027 39
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