Care England Workforce Development Group (WDG)
Care England’s Workforce Development Group is a forum for all things workforce-related and is typically attended by individuals working in HR roles across our membership base.
Meetings take place from 1-2pm on the third Thursday of every month, chaired by Lauren Hague (Senior Policy Officer). Meetings are focused on to the most pertinent topics relating to the adult social care workforce and are a great opportunity for members to hear the latest updates from across the sector, share and learn from the expertise of others and present concerns to the Care England team to take away and action.
Below you will find all resources relating to the WD Group, including meeting notes, supporting materials, webinar recordings, information packs, and much more.
To go back to the other special interest groups, please click here.
To access relevant workforce resources and guidance please click here.
To view Care England’s Workforce Priorities, please click here.
Interested in joining the WD Group? Contact Tom Pisani, group administrator
Workforce Development Group - Meetings (2025)
11 December 2025 (1-2pm)
The meeting presented by Aston Brookes focused on recent immigration rule changes, UKVI inspections, and ongoing sponsorship and CoS challenges. Members were urged to engage with live consultations to influence immigration, workforce and education policy. Actions were agreed to support compliance, migrant workers, and evidence-gathering for national inquiries.
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13 November 2025 (1-2pm)
DHSC presented the Fair Pay Agreement, outlining its purpose, funding, and timeline, with members raising concerns about funding distribution, administrative burden, and wider workforce impacts. Members discussed several ongoing consultations, including those on employment rights, bereavement, new mothers, and the Home Affairs Committee’s inquiry into routes to settlement, highlighting issues around ILR, volunteering hours, and sector parity.
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16 October 2025 (1-2pm)
The meeting focused on the DHSC Adult Social Care Recruitment Campaign, which aims to boost sector recruitment through targeted advertising and free resources for providers. Cohesion introduced its Predictive Retention Project, identifying key factors such as leadership, communication, and career development as central to improving workforce retention. Care England urged members to engage in consultations and the budget submission process to influence fair pay, workforce planning, and sustainable funding for adult social care.
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18 September 2025 (1-2pm)
This meeting covered updates on the Employment Rights Bill, immigration and recruitment challenges, and upcoming statutory changes, with Care England tasked to support members through guidance and training resources. Members were urged to engage with resources, register for LDSS funding, and align career structures with the Care Workforce Pathway.
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21 August 2025 (1-2pm)
The meeting covered workforce challenges, including Cohesion’s Predictive Retention Project and Care England’s Smart Care tool, alongside updates on immigration, vaccination, and the Employment Rights Bill.
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17 July 2025 (1-2pm)
This meeting focused on legislative updates to the Employment Rights Bill, major changes to immigration rules affecting care staff, and the implications of the NHS 10-Year and Urgent & Emergency Care Plans. Members shared practical concerns and were encouraged to submit proposals to the Casey Commission.
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19 June 2025 (1-2pm)
This meeting focused on the implications of immigration policy changes on adult social care, fraudulent recruitment, and updates to employment rights legislation. Skills for Care shared progress on the national Workforce Strategy, including initiatives on retention, digital innovation, and fair pay agreements.
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15 May 2025 (1-2pm)
This session explored the implications of upcoming immigration changes on international recruitment, developments in the Employment Rights Bill and Fair Pay Agreement, and practical challenges around LDSS approvals and CQC requirements, with a forward look to sector advocacy and future Skills for Care engagement.
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17 April 2025 (1-2pm)
This WDG meeting addressed key workforce challenges, including a presentation from uCheck about delays in DBS checks, as well as welfare reforms, and updates to international recruitment and sponsorship policies. New technology initiatives and changes to employment rights legislation were also discussed.
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20 March 2025 (1-2pm)
This WDG meeting covered ongoing actions related to workforce issues, including advocacy for sponsorship cost exemptions, displaced workers, and social care job recruitment. Updates on employment rights bill, including changes to agency worker rights, statutory sick pay, and collective redundancy rules, were discussed. Concerns about rising wage costs, the impact of increased sponsorship fees, and strategies for cost efficiency in the care sector were raised, with ongoing efforts to support providers.
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20 February 2025 (1-2pm)
The Workforce Development Group meeting on February 20th covered key issues including the proposed increase in Certificate of Sponsorship fees, challenges in international recruitment, and strategies to improve public perception of careers in social care. Updates on workforce-related legislative developments, funding concerns, and employment rights were discussed, with several action points assigned to Care England and its members.
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16 January 2025 (1-2pm)
In this January meeting, the first of the new year, we will discuss the discussion on ENICs changes outlined in the budget. We will also be discussing DWP and the DHSC’s Adult Social Care Recruitment Campaign – Make Care Your Career.We then will be talking about Baroness Casey’s Independent Commission into Adult Social Care.
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Workforce Development Group - Meetings (2024)
18 January 2024 (1-2pm) : Skills for Care Workforce Strategy
In October 2023, following longstanding calls from sector bodies for the government to deliver a long-term workforce plan for adult social care, Skills for Care announced that it would produce a 15-year workforce strategy in collaboration with the adult social care sector.
In January’s WD Group meeting, we were joined by Jane Brightman, Director of Workforce Strategy at Skills for Care, to discuss the production of Skills for Care’s much anticipated workforce strategy. Jane provided an overview of Skills for Care’s work, before a discussion centred around three main questions:
- If you had one absolute ‘red line’ recommendation to be included in the workforce strategy, what would it be?
- What barriers or blockages can you see for the successful development or implementation of a workforce strategy, and what could Skills for Care do to overcome it?
- What has Skills for Care missed in their thinking so far?
The meeting was an opportunity for members to learn more about the upcoming workforce strategy and raise any questions, queries or concerns.
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15 February 2024 (1-2pm): International Recruitment
Since care worker roles were added to the Shortage Occupation List in February 2022, overseas workers have played an increasingly important role in the delivery of care services in England. In December 2023, the Home Office announced sweeping changes to the legal migration system that would make it harder for individuals to be recruited into adult social care from overseas.
The February Workforce Development Group meeting focused around these changes to international recruitment rules, and we were joined by colleagues from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Anthony Collins to go through these changes and what they will mean for providers.
Discussion will be centred around the following questions:
- Is there anything not immediately clear from Government announcements?
- What challenges do the rule changes present to your organisation?
- What steps is your organisation taking to manage these challenges?
- What can Care England (and Anthony Collins) do to support your organisation with international recruitment, or raise awareness of the challenges they pose to the sector?
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21 March 2024 (1-2pm): Young people in the adult social care workforce
The March WD Group meeting centred on young people in the adult social care workforce. We were joined by Simon Bottery, Senior Fellow, Social Care at the King’s Fund, who will be sharing insights from an upcoming piece of research. Simon’s research explores both the experience of care providers and that of young people in the adult social care workforce, looking at what the sector can do to better support more young people into care roles.
Following Simon’s presentation, discussion revolved around the following questions:
- What lessons can we learn from the King’s Fund research?
- Is there anything members have found works well in recruiting young people?
- Is there anything members have found works well in supporting young people in their workforce?
- What would you like to see happen to support more young people into care roles?
- What action can Care England take to raise awareness of these issues?
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18 April 2024 (1-2pm): Low Pay Commission (LPC) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW)
At the April 2024 WDG we were joined by colleagues from the LPC, an independent public body that advises the Government on the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW).
The meeting focused on the impact of the April 2024 NMW rise and was aimed at informing the 2025 rate and beyond.
Following a presentation by the LPC, discussion centred on the following points:
- Have fee uplifts been sufficient to cover the April 2024 uplift?
- Have you experienced delayed uplifts? What impact has this had on your bottom line?
- Impact and organisational response
- The projected rate for 2025 is a smaller increase than the previous two years – is this welcome, as its less of a financial burden?
- Or, are there inadvertent consequences, for example in terms of recruitment and retention?
- International recruits – compliance and enforcement of the NLW
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16 May 2024 (1-2pm) : Culture and change in the workforce
At the May WDG Meeting we were joined by Quentin Millington of Marble Brook to talk about culture and change in the sector, and how to secure buy-in for new ways of working.
Following a presentation by Quentin, structured discussion revolved around the following questions:
- What workforce development initiatives have you seen or been involved in?
- What values do your initiatives aim to encourage within your teams?
- What tactics have worked well in workforce initiatives you have seen?
- We want to bring out the best in everyone. What does good leadership look like?
- Given today’s discussion, what might you do differently in the future?
- What can Care England do to promote values-based culture across social care?
If any members would like to get in touch with Quentin you can do so via quentin@desk.marblebrook.co.uk.
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20 June 2024 (1-2pm) : General Election 2024: What’s in store for the adult social care workforce?
The 2024 general election is set to take place on 4 July. The major political parties have put forward competing visions for the country, including for the adult social care sector. In our June WDG meeting we were joined by Hannah Bollard from Anthony Collins Solicitors for in-depth look at Labour’s proposals for the adult social care workforce and what these might mean for care providers.
In particular, we looked at Labour’s proposals on:
- Ban on zero-hour contracts
- Day one rights (unfair dismissal, etc.)
- Single status of employees
- Pay, collective bargaining
The meeting was an opportunity for members to get an early glimpse into what the future could hold for the adult social care workforce and identify priority areas for Care England’s influencing efforts.
A summary of the key reflections/questions relating to the proposals discussed can be found here.
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18 July 2024 (1-1:30pm): Launch of Skills for Care Workforce Strategy
This month’s shortened meeting discusses the launch of the new Workforce Strategy, with a video from Jane Brightman, Director of the Workforce Strategy, at Skills for Care.
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Meeting Video |
15 August 2024 (1-2pm)
Following the launch of the Skills for Care Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, as well as Labour’s new Employment Rights reforms, we were joined by Jane Brightman, Director of the Workforce Strategy at Skills for Care and Dominic Cooper, Professional Support Lawyer at Citation.
Jane discussed what it might look like for Recommendations and Commitments from the strategy to be implemented, as well as what happens next.
Dominic explores what providers should expect and prepare for from Employment Rights Bill, for which the first reading is due to occur on October 4th. Citation hosts a webinar more in detail on the topic on September 12th. If you would like to attend, please click here.
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19 September 2024 (1-2pm)
This month’s meeting we were joined with Jackie Morris, Solicitor at Anthony Collins to discuss enhanced pay rates, pay scales and tribunal delays in order to look into what legally protects you.
Following the launch of the Inclusion at the Crossroads Report we discussed workforce inequalities research, menopause awareness and LGBTQ+ guidance to make sure we make our workplace as equal as possible.
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17 October 2024 (1-2pm)
At the October Care England Workforce Development Group, we were joined by Dr Oge Ilozue, a GP, Partner and Trainer based in North London and Senior Clinical Advisor Vaccination Programme for the London region to discuss vaccines and winter wellbeing for the social care workforce and Alex Ramamurthy, Head of Health and Social Care, Wagestream presenting key insights and recommendations from the Inclusion at the Crossroads report, highlighting how financial inclusion can positively impact workforce retention, engagement, and wellbeing and how providers can take action.
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21 November 2024 (1-2pm)
In this November meeting, we will be joined by Hannah Bollard, solicitor at Anthony Collins, to discuss the new Employment Rights Bill and how providers can prepare for changes. We will also give an update on the changes to the National Minimum Wage and National Insurance Contribution changes outlined in the Autumn Budget 2024.
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19 December 2024 (1-2pm)
In this December meeting, the last of the year, we will discuss the new pay reviews & pay rates We will also give an update on the Discussion on the Learning & Development Support Scheme (LDSS).
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Workforce Development Group - Meetings (2023)
January 2023
February 2023
March 2023
April 2023
May 2023
June 2023
July 2023
August 2023
September 2023
October 2023
November 2023
December 2023
- No WD Group meeting was held in December 2023.
To request materials from prior to 2023, please email tpisani@careengland.org.uk
Supporter Member Workforce Webinars
2024
2023
- Volunteer support for resident wellbeing
- RWK Goodman: Essential employment law update
- Skills for Care: The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England
- Reducing agency spend: A how-to guide from Cohesion
- Successfully onboarding new overseas team Members Webinar
- Skilled worker sponsor licence and immigration compliance
- Shortages to Solutions: Cost-effective staffing to improve your CQC ratings
- Staff Bank Solutions
- Your workforce as your best recruiters: Why Care Friends won the King’s Award for Innovation
- Health and Social Care Workforce: Wellbeing, Integration and Sustainability
For upcoming Care England Supporter Member Webinars, please see our events page.