New bid to enhance leadership skills

A proposed five-year social care workforce development plan has
identified leadership as a skills gap that must be addressed.

The proposed strategy was put out to consultation by training
body Topss England this week.

A spokesperson for Topss, which will become Skills for Care in
April, said there was an awareness that “without leadership, you
are not going to succeed in other parts of the sector”.

A number of high-profile cases, including that of Victoria
ClimbiŽ, have generated much criticism of the lack of
leadership skills, including supervision, within social care in
recent years.

The previous social care workforce five-year strategy, which
comes to an end in May, did not include leadership, despite
acknowledging its importance.

Increasing the use of direct payments is also identified as a
priority within the new draft strategy, alongside proposals to do
more to help service users to have the confidence to use them.

• Consultation from www.topssengland.net. 
  Deadline 1 April 2005