Social care managers committed yet undervalued, finds poll

Registered managers are highly committed to their roles but most do not feel valued, a National Skills Academy for Social Care survey has found.

The vast majority of managers (96%) have received training that is not mandatory, while over a quarter have attended such training in their spare time, with this being particularly true of managers working in smaller organisations.

In addition, many respondents expressed passion about their roles, saying that they received significant job satisfaction and felt they could improve service users’ lives for the better.

However, only 40% of registered managers felt appreciated or valued and many reported feeling stressed, due to their lack of recognition and issues including relationships with commissioners, bureaucracy and the poor representation of social work in the media.

Almost two-thirds (57%) called for the sector to focus on improving public understanding of social care.

The survey, conducted in conjunction with organisations including the Social Care Association, was answered by 1,154 registered managers, just under 10% of the total registered with the Care Quality Commission, as calculated by Skills for Care.

“The findings bear out the widely-held view in the sector that registered managers, although they are often the lead professionals in care homes and home care settings, don’t often get the recognition, respect and support for the work that they do and the pressures they have to work with,” said skills academy head of membership and engagement Debbie Sorkin.

Leadership capability and budgeting were among key areas for development for managers identified by survey respondents, while 56% were interested in some form of accreditation scheme for managers.

The skills academy will be holding focus groups around the country over the next month to explore the findings of the research in greater depth, and the findings from the groups will be reflected in the final report on the survey.

For more information, to reserve a copy of the report or to take part in a focus group, email Debbie Sorkin.

Image: Purestock/Getty Images

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