Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of career development and progression opportunities for the social care workforce supporting people with disabilities; and if he will take steps to increase (a) the pay scales of that workforce in line with a minimum of NHS band 3 and (b) other measures that support the (i) development and (ii) retention of that workforce.

The Department has made no assessment on the potential impact of changes in the number of people working in the social care sector on services for people with disabilities. Although the Department does not collect statistics on the number of people working in social care on services for people with disabilities, the latest data from Skills for Care shows that in 2023/24, there were 1.705 million filled posts for the adult social care sector. This marks an increase of 4.2% on the previous year.

The Department is continuing the development of the Care Workforce Pathway, the first national career structure for adult social care. The first phase of the pathway was published on 10 January 2024, following a call for evidence and development with a sector specific expert consultation group.

Enhancing skills for staff working in social care is of critical importance. The pathway sets out the knowledge, skills, behaviours, and values needed to work in adult social care, as well as a clear career structure. The pathway includes suggested learning programmes which are available for funding through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS), which launched in September. The LDSS course list provides a variety of sector specific training courses and qualifications.

We are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to the adult social care sector. This will empower worker representatives, employers, and others to negotiate pay, and terms and conditions in a regulated and responsible manner. We will engage those who draw upon, work in, and provide care and support, as well as local authorities, unions, and others from across the sector. The exact structure of that agreement is subject to consultation and negotiation.

This work in combination will be an important part of the first step towards a National Care Service.