Great care needs great people: Getting it right for the social care workforce.

Across the board, social care providers are facing some tough recruitment and retention challenges. Unless something changes, by 2035 we won’t be able to meet the care needs of the Liverpool City Region; there simply won’t be enough people working in social care.

We’re on a mission to solve this problem. We’ll future-proof the workforce by working alongside local providers to test, learn and build new ways of working – ways that support organisations to find, grow and keep staff. Why? Because we know great care needs great people.

This Good Care Week, we want to shine a spotlight on how we’re building a local care workforce with enough people to fill vital roles, skills and experience that others can trust, and workers who feel valued and driven to stick around and change lives.

Over the next two years, we’ll be working with a range of partner organisations to deliver 6 test and learn pilots – because transforming the social care workforce needs a radically new approach. These pilots will help us to build on what works and bring new people into the sector, growing their skills and improving retention.

Now, with half of our pilots underway, we want to share what our first 3 are all about.

Homegrown: A local approach to recruitment

We know that often in our region, care workers live in the same neighbourhoods as the people they support. Many people stay with their employers for a long time, driven by a sense of ownership, commitment and community. That’s not just good for continuity of care, it also strengthens our neighbourhoods.

We recognise the real benefits a neighbourhood-based approach to care brings.

That’s why we’ve partnered with Transform Lives Company (a leading LCR-based social enterprise) to develop a local-first approach to social care recruitment. This approach will be shaped by the people who live and work in the ‘Parks’ area of Liverpool (L8 and L17), with local people defining local outcomes.

Over the coming months, we’ll be linking up with local early years and adult social care providers who want to be a part of this change. Organisations that can help us test different ways to place, train and maintain a very local workforce. For six months, we’ll work together to raise the profile of local care organisations, develop a ‘taster approach’ for potential employees, streamline recruitment processes and develop coordinated support to address barriers to employment.

Care to Lead: Supporting staff to grow and thrive

We don’t need to tell you – it’s the skill, care and commitment of brilliant staff in the sector that power great outcomes for children in residential care. But let’s face it – workforce pressures are making it harder than ever to attract and retain gifted, talented or aspiring leaders.

We’re working with leading Cheshire and Merseyside Local Authorities, Riverside College, the Department for Education, and other partners to combat this. Together, we’re co-designing and piloting a new approach to developing children’s residential care leaders.

‘Care to Lead’ is a new, Level 4 programme, designed to support talented social care practitioners to develop the skills and experience needed to step up into leadership roles.

From September 2025, we’ll be working alongside Riverside College to deliver this programme, adopting a blended learning approach that allows learners to demonstrate their readiness for leadership roles. That way, by 2026, providers will have a cohort of leaders ready to step into registered and deputy manager roles, supporting people and organisations to thrive.

AdJust: From custody to care

When a woman leaves prison, there are many things she needs to rebuild. More often than not, a career is one of them. The data shows that reoffending is significantly reduced for those gaining employment after release.

Last year, we spoke to HMP Styal (near Manchester), who told us that they’d picked up on a clear appetite for social care vocational programmes but could find no examples in other UK prisons. Many women were showing an interest in care – and some had valuable experience – but they didn’t see a way back into the sector.

At times like this, it’s so important that we avoid losing these skills and instead focus on growing them.

We’ll be working with HMP Styal and Recycling Lives (a leading charity that changes lives through offender rehabilitation) to design a model that places safeguarding at its centre, offering these women a route back into social care employment, whilst ensuring that offence-based risk is carefully considered. Together, we’ll be piloting a custody-based Social Care Academy.

We’ll curate a list of low-risk offenders to participate in a 6-week course, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to join the care workforce upon release, providing wrap-around pastoral support to ensure they’re job-ready.

To create job opportunities, we’re using the learning from Timpsons to build a network of open-minded social care employers, supporting them with their internal screening and assessment processes and helping them to open up opportunities for people who’ve offended.

What’s next?

Like we said – great care needs great people. We’re looking for local providers who are ready to try something new, who want to find, grow and keep talented staff. If you want to be part of this change, drop us a line.

This work is only in the early stages, and we’ve still got 3 more pilots to deliver over the next year and a half. We’ll be sharing updates, learning and honest reflections on this work – so watch this space.

Interested in our pilots and want to know more? Get in touch with Lucy by emailing lucy.bailey@yonderpeople.org