In Wales, just as one consultation ends for a residential care home another for staffing in domiciliary care opens. Often we have seen that the criteria for one sector gets ‘cut and pasted’ to the next, in this case, the residential sector that will require registration one year later.
So what’s in this consultation? The proposals are that the registration fee will be increased year on year until 2022 when social care workers will be having to pay £35 per annum and pay for their updated DBS certificate every year. Managers will go up to £80.
Employers will use rigorous recruitment policies and processes to make sure that only suitable people with appropriate knowledge, skills, values and potential enter the workforce. This includes making sure people hold the qualifications and professional registration required for their post.
Meaning of “social care worker” etc.
- In Parts 3 to 8 of this Act “social care worker” means a person who—
(a) Engages in relevant social work (referred to in those Parts as a “social worker”)
(b) Manages a place at or from which a regulated service is provided
(c) In the course of his or her employment with a service provider, provides care and support to any person in Wales in connection with a regulated service provided by that provider
(d) Under a contract for services, provides care and support to any person in Wales in connection with a regulated service provided by a service provider
- The Welsh Ministers may by regulations—
(a) Except persons of a specified description from the definition of social care worker in subsection (b) Provide that persons of any of the descriptions in subsection (3), or categories of person falling within any of those descriptions, are to be treated as social care workers
What does this mean in practice?
Responsible individuals will need at least a Level 2 qualification.
People new to the profession will be able to work once their induction framework has been completed and within six months obtained their Level 2 qualification.
What about people who have been caring without a level 2 for many years. As things stand they will need a Level 2. The Minister, Rebecca Evans, has met social care workers who fit this scenario in their 50s and 60s and have told her plainly that if they have to do the paperwork they will leave the profession. I suggest that there needs to be an exemption for people who have been caring for say over five years.
In many homes, domestics who have food handling training have given residents who need feeding their meals. Unless there are regulations under (2)(a) above to exempt them then they will need to get a level 2 and pay £35 p.a.
The full consultation document can be downloaded here.
