A new approach to workforce planning

This week we launched our new briefing ‘Workforce planning in a place’ – one of a number of tools and resources we’ve designed to help councils to develop impactful workforce plans. Senior adviser Amanda Whittaker-Brown talks about our work on workforce.

This time of year for most teams in Partners in Care and Health is hectic as we work to finalise delivery against our contract. For the workforce team we will have provided targeted support to over 35 councils this year in workforce planning in a place and embedding fair values and behaviours in the workforce.

If you want to know about what I mean by ‘workforce planning in a place’, we recently launched our new briefing. In it, we set out the importance of a place-based approach and what a strategic workforce planning framework might look like to support those who do not yet have a workforce plan for a place, or those who wish to revisit their workforce plan. We also look at how to better understand the workforce implications of key strategies to ensure greater alignment, and how to use workforce data and intelligence in adult social care to inform workforce strategies.

Traditionally, workforce planning in adult social care focused on the part of the workforce that was employed directly by councils. In fact, these people make up less than 10 per cent of the total adult social care workforce in a place, so the impact of these plans was therefore limited.

A place-based approach to workforce planning is new and it requires different approaches and skills from the people leading it.?Our new Workforce Planning Hub aims to support those seeking to develop impactful workforce plans for a place. The online hub provides information at national, regional and local levels. It shares practical resources and showcase good practice as it emerges.

We have other online resources in the pipeline, all co-designed with our three fantastic communities of practice, who meet monthly and collectively engage nearly 200 people from all nine regions. Not only have these communities informed our support but they have tested new resources too.

The community of practice supporting career academies, for examples, comprises nearly 100 people who have also been involved in the co-production of business case guidance to support those in the early stages of setting up an academy. The format encourages a true co-production approach, with each session starting with five to 10 minutes of meditation to encourage headspace for thinking and creativity – something I think we would all welcome occasionally!

Retention of the workforce remains a key priority as we move in to 2025. We’re working with our LGA Workforce colleagues on a new retention reset programme to draw out impactful approaches to retaining a valued and skilled workforce in the sector.?

The ten-week programme, which starts next month, builds on the LGA's recruitment reset programme and is offered without charge to councils. We're looking for councils who would like to participate. To sign up, complete this form, or if you have any questions, please email [email protected].