The General Social Care Council (GSCC) has today (10 January) welcomed the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) report The state of social care in England 2005-06.
Speaking at today’s launch, Rodney Brooke, GSCC Chair said: “CSCI is to be congratulated on the report, which is a mine of essential information. We believe that the workforce is key to improving the quality of social care services and that registration is key to raising the status of the workforce. At the Minister’s request, the GSCC has submitted proposals to the government on extending the benefits of registration to residential and domiciliary care workers.”
Lynne Berry, GSCC Chief Executive said: “We share the assumption of this report that services must be judged against what service users say they want and against the government’s reform agenda; both require a trained and trusted workforce delivering high quality services in ways that put service users at their heart.
“CSCI’s report gives cause for celebration and concern. It is great news that the percentage of those working in younger adults’ residential services who have met the training standard has risen from 49% in 2002/3 to 73% in 2005/6 and that the percentage of those meeting the qualifications standards in older people’s residential care has risen from 47% to 72% in the same period. However a substantial number of home care services are not meeting standards relating to the selection of staff and supervision – key aspects not only of the National Minimum Standards (NMS) but also the GSCC’s codes of practice for social care workers and employers.
“In children’s residential services, although the percentage of people who are trained and competent increased from 46% in 2002/3 to 70%, this has been the same figure for the last two years. A third of children’s homes do not meet standards relating to health, safety, security and the adequacy of staff. In homes for younger adults, 53% had insufficient verification of the suitability of staff through recruitment checks and references, as did 40% of care homes for older people.
“Overall there is a great deal to welcome. Much has been achieved; quality is up. However the rate of improvement must be maintained. Good recruitment procedures, effective training, personal accountability and effective safeguarding measures are essential to achieving a respected and skilled social care workforce”.