A request from Department of Health and Social Care

The social care sector is facing a recruitment crisis. Across England, there are currently 122,000 vacant positions on any given day and the sector will need to recruit to a further 580,000 job roles by 2035. Between February and April 2019, the Department of Health and Social Care ran a national adult social care recruitment campaign which generated a 14% uplift in clicks on the apply button for care roles on DWP Find a Job and 97% more searches for jobs containing ‘care’ or ‘care worker’.

Building on the success of the first wave, the next phase of the campaign will run from autumn 2019 to April 2020.

To attract the best staff, we need to act together.

We need to help people recognise what a rewarding and varied career option Adult Social Care can be, so that we can recruit (and retain) staff with the right values and skills.

What providers can do to participate:

DHSC is calling for care providers across England to send in stories and images from people who work in adult social care using this form. These stories will be shared on the website, the Facebook page, and with the Media.

An example of a care worker’s personal experience:

Alison left a career in teaching to help care for her mother. After she sadly passed away, Alison decided it was time for a change and had a go at working in care. Five years later, and she has now progressed to Senior Care Assistant at Bupa UK and completed her medication training.

“I’d say definitely give it a go, you don’t know if you like it until you’ve tried it. It doesn’t always work for everyone, but most people do stay because it’s great and so rewarding.”

Image requirements

• The image should be a high-resolution picture (2MB) of the care worker, and a client if permission is given from the client
• The image should be in the professional setting in which the care worker works
• The care worker and clients depicted must have given explicit permission for the picture to be shared on the Facebook Page and DHSC website.

On Facebook, we would also like to tag the provider and the care worker where possible, subject to permissions being granted to do so.

We will pull together a written story and quote from the information you provide in the consent form, which can be downloaded here. We will confirm before we post any content, and you will be able to review and approve what is going to be uploaded. We will also share a link to the post once it is live so that you can share, like, or comment.

By submitting this form, you give permission for your employer and affiliated parties to use these images and the related story in promotional media.

Send completed form to: everydayisdifferent@dhsc.gov.uk. Please make sure that any care workers or clients who are put forward for inclusion are aware of the activity and have given explicit permission for the content to be shared on the www.facebook.com/everydayisdifferent page and website