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 for more information.

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 development via dedicated workshops and training 
• Guidance and best practice one to one consultancy tailored to provider requirements (please note that this specifically tailored for commissioned providers) 
• 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.

Contact us for more information about advertising vacancies or sharing a case study.

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 Care Careers team provides Wellbeing Workshops tailored for Registered Managers, Deputy Registered Managers, individuals in equivalent roles, and Wellbeing Coordinators. These sessions equip professionals with essential strategies to support wellbeing in care settings.

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

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

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.

Best practice workshops

The Norfolk Care Careers team provides Recruitment and Retention Best Practice Workshops, designed for Registered Managers, Deputy Registered Managers, and those in equivalent roles, along with HR and Recruitment professionals.  These workshops offer valuable insights and strategies to enhance workforce management and retention.

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

Scam alert. There is a company charging international recruits to arrange interviews for work. This is being promoted via social media. This is a scam. No reputable organisation would ever request payment to secure an interview. Learn more about staying safe while searching for health or social care jobs in the UK.

International Recruitment - eastern region offer

On behalf of the Eastern Region, Norfolk established a Centre of Excellence to support the adult social care market with International Recruitment.

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

Don't forget to approach [email protected] to explore whether there are any suitable displaced candidates available. Read our privacy notice to find out how we use your personal information.

Help with Certificates of Sponsorship (COS)

To help speed up your application for additional certificates of sponsorship

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 care providers with applications, however the final decision is up to UKVI.

What you need to do

Email the following information to [email protected]:

• Sponsorship information
  • Provider details (Name, address, contact details)
  • COS request details (e.g. 10x SOC code - 6135 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 social care and health sector skills plan outlines our dynamic approach to partnership working to ensure that the skills needs of the sector are identified and addressed
• Read the sector skills plan on the Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support website 

Social care learning and development grants and funding 

Adult social care workforce data set (ASC-WDS) account - skills for care 

The ASC-WDS is a free online data collection service that covers the adult social care workforce in England. The data collected is vital to the Government, the Department of Health and Social Care, local authorities and the Care Quality Commission as it allows them to plan, fund and monitor the sector. 

There is funding available for companies who complete ASC-WDS for various training courses and qualifications. Learn more from Skills for care - Adult social Care workforce data set.

Learning and development funding for adult social care

The Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) is only available to care providers with an ASC-WDS account. You can claim for a wide range of training courses and qualifications. ASC-WDS includes an eligibility checker so you can easily check if you can claim. 

Eligible adult social care employers in England can claim staff training costs from the LDSS.  

Skills for care - Learning and development funding for adult social care 

Apprenticeship funding 

We have a levy share programme in place which allows employers to access apprenticeship funding for new staff or to upskill existing staff. 

This unique programme is available through the Norfolk Apprenticeships team. More information and details of how to apply.

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
• Practical 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.

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 (N&SCS) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2002, committed to supporting the local adult social care sector. Commissioned by Norfolk County Council, N&SCS provides information, advice, guidance, and practical support to the adult social care providers, with a strong focus on workforce development and training.

N&SCS shares up-to-date sector news and opportunities through its website, a twice-monthly e-bulletin, the biannual Norfolk Care News newsletter, and a range of regular meetings and events. These channels help ensure that care providers stay informed about the latest developments, training options, and sector-wide initiatives.

As a local support organisation for the Better Security, Better Care programme, N&SCS also helps care providers meet compliance requirements for the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).

The Training2Care Virtual Dementia Tour Bus arrives in Norfolk this June and July!

In response to insights gathered from the annual training survey conducted by Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support, and follow‑up discussions with Registered Managers, we are pleased to offer additional dementia care learning opportunities for Norfolk and Waveney Adult Social Care workforce.

Alongside the formal dementia learning qualifications, we are piloting an immersive training experience designed to deepen understanding of what it may feel like to live with dementia. The Virtual Dementia Tour Bus is equipped with a range of sensory tools and deprivation aids, supported by clear instructions and guided facilitation. This unique, hands‑on experience enables participants to gain first‑hand insight into the behaviours, challenges, and needs of people living with dementia.

We encourage all providers to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen empathy, enhance practice, and improve the quality of dementia care across our region.

Dates and locations

Running over 5 weeks between 1st June - 3rd July, providers can book across all locations for either a morning or afternoon session using the links below. While bookings were initially limited to two spaces per provider per location, we're now able to offer additional places where availability allows.

• Thetford - Guildhall and Market Place, 1-5 June
• Great Yarmouth - Great Yarmouth Library at The Place, 8-12 June
• North Walsham - North Walsham Community Centre, 15-19 June
• King's Lynn - Alive Lynnsport, 22-26 June
• Norwich - County Hall, 29-30 June and 1 and 3 July

Spaces are limited so please don't delay, sign up today!

Sarah Rank, Head of Business Partnering at Norfolk County Council, visited a Dementia Bus at a Technology Enabled Care Conference and was inspired: "Despite really not knowing what to expect beforehand, the opportunity this gave me to understand some of the sensory issues people with dementia are facing was an important and powerful one."

Public experience days

Feedback from public experience days also highlighted the benefits of promoting public awareness to support family members with their understanding, therefore we are also pleased to make the bus available over five free public drop-in days during 6 to 10 July, in five market towns across Norfolk.

These free, drop-in days will take place between 10am-1pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm in the following Norfolk locations:

• 6 July - King's Lynn Market Place
• 7 July - Thetford, Market Place
• 8 July - Great Yarmouth Market Place
• 9 July - North Walsham Market Place
• 10 July - Norwich, The Forum