Supporting Care Workers - Proposed Legislative Changes

The recent Skills for Care Report on the state of the adult social care sector workforce in England highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by this sector.

The report identified that as many as 43% of domiciliary care staff were employed on zero-hour contracts, with a further 12% being indirectly employed via agencies and on other contract types.  For those employed by the independent care sector and working in London, 63=% were earning less than the real living wage for London.

Care work is one of the most demanding yet undervalued professions, with care workers facing emotionally and physically challenging situations daily. It is thus no surprise that the Skills for Care Report identified that the sector struggles with staff retention and turnover, particularly among care workers aged under 25 years, who experience a turnover rate of 44.6% with care workers on zero-hours contracts being the most likely to leave.