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.

The Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support website 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 - 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

Help with Certificates of Sponsorship (COS)

If you're an adult social care provider and need additional certificates of sponsorships we may be able to help speed up the process.

How we can help

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has asked local councils to provide additional  information to help them with their decision making. Norfolk County Council may be able to support your application and the final decision is up to UKVI.

What you need to do

Email the following information to integratedcommissioners@norfolk.gov.uk

Sponsorship information

• Provider details (Name, address, contact details)
• COS request details (e.g. 10x SOC code -6145 carer @ 37 hours per week)
• Date of application for COS

Size and structure

• Average number of people you've supported per week in the last 12/24 months.
• Average hours of care provided per week in the last 12/24 months.
• Current number of full-time care workers and average number in the last 12/24 months. Explain any big changes (e.g., new services, staff transfers).

Service demand

• If you currently have a contract/s in place with Norfolk County Council, what is the form of the contract (i.e. block or spot purchased, framework, etc.) and how long have contracts been in place/have left to run?
• What percentage of your care workforce are, or have been, recruited via agencies over the past 12 / 24 months?
• What is your current care staff turnover rate?
• What percentage of your current care workforce (FTE), and of your care workforce (FTE) over the past 12/24 months, are or were international recruits with a health and care visa?
• How long have you been registered with CQC and what is your current rating (please state if not yet rated)?
• Indicate all previous experience of international recruitment (all roles) in your organisation (i.e. numbers of staff recruited / roles recruited to / years' experience of international recruitment etc). What support does your organisation offer to new international recruits (e.g. pastoral support, advice, accommodation, driving lessons)? 

What happens next

Your information will be reviewed by our team and the Director of Adult Social Services. We'll update you on our decision, and UKVI will inform you about the outcome of your COS application

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.