The social care workforce includes over 1.5 million people working for regulated and non-regulated services. However, the workforce faces significant challenges that affect the sustainability of services, the wellbeing of care workers, and the quality of care people receive. Currently, the sector cannot recruit, retain, and train enough people to meet the growing demand for care.

Therefore, creating the workforce we need – now and in the future is focused on ways in which we can recruit the right people, keep them in the sector, and develop and recognise their skills and experiences.

We can do this by reframing the importance of care work to make it more attractive and ensuring that people working in the sector have opportunities to grow and develop their careers in roles that are fairly paid and highly valued.