Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase recruitment of social care workers.

English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care (ASC).

The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the ASC sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the recruitment and retention of the domestic workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do. As we work towards a Fair Pay Agreement, the Government will engage all those who draw upon care, as well as those that work to provide care and support. We will also consult local authorities, unions, and others from across the sector.

We are supporting the professionalisation of the ASC workforce, through expanding the Care Workforce Pathway, including registered manager and deputy manager roles. The Pathway will set out how people can develop across a long-term career in adult social care with support and training; attracting people to join and remain in the sector.

The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF) will provide over £1 billion for adult social care to local authorities over 2025/26. MSIF is designed to support increased adult social care capacity and improve market sustainability. One of the three target areas local authorities can spend their allocation on is increasing adult social care workforce recruitment and retention.