Workforce information and support

The adult social care workforce strategy identifies many strategic priorities. These seek to overcome workforce challenges and ensure high quality and person-centred care for local people and families.

The current initiatives in place support adult social care providers. This is by building the capacity and quality of the workforce. Please read on to find out more about all the different offerings that currently exist.

Contact us

If you work in adult social care, or you'd like to know more about careers, vacancies or skills development in the sector, contact us.

• Contact us if you are a social care employer
• Contact us if you are a social care employee or someone wanting to know more about a career in social care

The Norfolk Care Careers Team offers a wide range of workforce support for adult social care providers in Norfolk and Waveney. The support covers recruitment, retention, wellbeing and skills development including: 

• The Norfolk Care Careers website - advertise your job vacancies free of charge and benefit from our marketing campaigns that help raise awareness of the careers available in adult social care  
• Support with knowledge and skills via dedicated workshops and training 
• Guidance and best practice one to one consultancy on recruitment and retention 
• Mentoring from our dedicated and experienced Workforce Advisors 
• Wellbeing support for you and your staff 

We also develop career case studies to promote careers in the sector. Visit the Norfolk Care Careers website for further information.

For more information about advertising vacancies or sharing a case study please contact us at info@norfolkcarecareers.co.uk.

Adult Social Care workforce in Norfolk and Waveney can sign up free to get mental health and wellbeing support with the Shiny Mind App. To sign up visit ShinyMind Admin.

Our Frontline also offers one-to-one confidential support from trained staff.

It also has a collection of resources, tips and ideas to support your mental health, such as:

• Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support useful wellbeing resources for staff
• Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support useful wellbeing resources for managers
• #WeCareTogether - Health and Wellbeing

Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) staff support line offers wellbeing support. Visit the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust website for more information

SHOUT Service

The SHOUT service is a free, confidential, 24/7 support text service open to all health and social care staff.

Any colleague texting 'FRONTLINE' to 85258 will receive a text response with instructions on how to start a conversation with a trained SHOUT volunteer. SHOUT volunteers are overseen by clinical supervisors.

2100 Care Friends licenses are available to the Norfolk adult social care market. These licenses are free of charge, on a first come first served basis for 12 months to assist with recruitment and retention.

To find out more visit the Care Friends website or watch the How Care Friends works video.

Contact Care Friends to register your interest. Inform them that you wish to take up the Norfolk County Council offer, and they will help guide you through the process.

Best practice workshops

Over the past 12 months we have hosted online and face to face best practice workshops.

You can find more information about these workshops on the Norfolk Care Market events calendar.

International Recruitment - Community of Practice (COP)

The quarterly online COP is for the growing interest in international recruitment. It is one of the many ways to increase capacity in the adult social care workforce.

The COP aims to bring together adult social care providers in Norfolk with international recruitment. This enables a platform for best practice, the sharing of information and collaboration.

See our events calendar for the upcoming COP meeting dates.

International Recruitment System Hub - supportive offer

We developed a supportive recruitment offer to assist with recruiting international care workers and nursing staff. The service is free of charge.

To find out more contact us at norfolkcarejobs@norfolk.gov.uk

International Recruitment - eastern region offer

Norfolk is the Lead Authority for the approved application for £2.4m from the Department of Health and Social Care. On behalf of the Eastern Region, Norfolk is to establish a Centre of Excellence to further support the market with International Recruitment.

There is a dedicated programme of support available. View more information on our International Recruitment East hub. 

For any questions, please email: internationalrecruitmenteast@norfolk.gov.uk

The nursing associate is a stand-alone role and can also provide a progression route into graduate level nursing. The nursing associate training programme provides a nursing pathway for both health and social care, strengthening opportunities to create a "home-grown" workforce. This enables care homes and home care providers to re-profile their workforce and support the development of their staff for the benefit of the service user, resident or patient. It is registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and is a professional registered qualification.

The nursing associate is a highly trained support role to deliver effective, safe, and responsible nursing care in and across a wide range of health and care settings. Nursing associates work independently, and with others, under the leadership and direction of a registered nurse within defined parameters, to deliver care in line with an agreed plan. Nursing associates will have a breadth of knowledge and a flexible, portable skill set to serve local health populations, in a range of settings covering pre-life to end of life.

There two funding routes:

• Levy payment - the UEA, College of West Anglia and Open University accept levy payers. Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support have successfully obtained funding from Health Education England to cover the apprenticeship funding band.
• Non-levy payment - The UEA, College of West Anglia and Open University can also accept non-levy payers directly. Non-levy payers must make a 5% contribution (£750) towards the cost. However, Norfolk and Suffolk Care support have been successful in facilitating the transfer of levy payment to non-levy payers to allow access to this programme, saving the provider the 5% co-invest route.

Norfolk County Council also provide a fund to support £5,000 per workers towards backfill costs for cohorts running up to February 2025, subject to availability.

Find out more about the role and how to access the funding.
 

Learning and Skills Development contributes to safe, quality and person-centred care.

It can also ensure workforce members:

• Have the right skills and knowledge
• Have the opportunity to develop
• Have job satisfaction
• Feel empowered to take on more responsibility.

The Skills for Care report 'State of the adult social care sector and workforce', highlights that staff turnover rates are nearly 10% lower for staff who receive training.

The Norfolk Care Careers team offers the following:

• Support with your training matrix and identifying training needs
• Signposting to courses and potential funding sources
• Sign post to digital learning opportunities and support to get started with digital learning
• Study skills support.

Workshops

The workshop programme provides initial skills development and more information about working in the social care sector.

Sessions include:

• Progression pathways
• Building workplace confidence
• Person-centred and holistic care
• Record keeping.

Visit the Norfolk Care Careers events page for upcoming workshops

1:1 Mentoring

Our dedicated Workforce Adviser team can also offer mentoring to members of the social care workforce or to those considering a move into the social care sector. 

Mentoring:

• Tailors support to suit individual needs
• Offers advice and a space to self-reflect
• Enables career progression and job satisfaction
• Supports anyone who is undertaking courses or professional development
• Helps with study skills, planning and managing time
• Signposts to suitable funded training opportunities and e-learning courses
• Supports to overcome day-to-day challenges and gain confidence.

Social care workers who have had mentoring say the support is a valuable resource. They outline it has improved their confidence and made them more likely to take up future training or education.

Register your interest in 1:1 Mentoring

If you work in adult social care, or you are considering a move into the sector and would like to know more about mentoring, careers, vacancies or skills development in the sector, contact us. 

• Contact us if you are a social care employer
• Contact us if you are a social care employee or someone wanting to know more about a career in social care

Do you work in HR and support recruitment and retention in adult social care in Norfolk and Waveney?

We would like to invite you to an online Community of Practice of HR professionals.

This a confidential space to discuss and exchange best practice and support one another- providing an opportunity to build networks with peers.

*This is not a space to offer legal advice which should be sought independently where required.

See our events calendar for upcoming COP meeting dates.

Skills for Care is the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England. Their role is to understand the key drivers of workforce change, using insight, data and evidence.

They provide managers and those involved in the delivery of social care with:

• Guidance on best practice
• Tools and resources
• Intelligence to support workforce recruitment, capabilities, and culture

Visit the Skills for Care website for further information.

Contact the Skills for Care team via their contact us webpage.

Registered Manager Membership Offer

Norfolk Care Careers are pleased to provide you with free Skills for Care Registered Managers Membership for 12 months. Membership will help support you to develop best practice and knowledge, keep up-to-date with sector developments, and share ideas with like-minded peers.   

The benefits of registered manager membership of Skills for Care include: 

• A printed copy of the Skills for Care social care managers handbook - an essential resource for registered managers 
• A monthly newsletter full of practical information and guidance 
• Access to the Good and Outstanding care guide (Single Assessment Framework version) and 34 quality statement recommendation checklists
• Offers and discounts on courses, and other benefits from endorsed providers of learning and development 
• The chance to train and become a mentor, or receive mentoring 

For details on signing up for 12 months fully funded membership email info@norfolkcarecareers.co.uk. 

Read our privacy notice to find out how we use your personal information.

Blue Light Card

The Blue Light Card offers discounts both on the high street and online on a range of items. This includes utilities and other essential household purchases. 

The card costs £4.99 and is valid for two years. Please note: the blue light card is currently only available to employees of Care Quality Commission-registered organisations.

Blue Sky Card 

The Blue Sky Social Care Card  acts as an employee or carer identification (ID) badge. There are added perks including discounts from national and local retailers for social care staff and their employers. 

The card costs £5 and is valid for 12 months.  

Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support is an independent, not-for-profit company, established in 2002, dedicated to supporting the local adult social care sector. Contracted by Norfolk County Council to provide support to the adult social care market, with an emphasis on information, advice, guidance, training opportunities and recruitment support.

They provide information, advice, guidance and training via the Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support website, weekly e-bulletin and a printed newsletter, Norfolk Care News, twice a year. These ensure that the adult social care sector is aware of the latest news, developments, training opportunities and events.

They distribute funding for staff development via Skills for Care's Workforce Development Fund (WDF) which helps fund social care qualifications and other learning programmes.

View more about Care Academies.