Mencap responds to the government’s plans to offer social care staff ‘improved career options and training’

Today, (10^th August 2022) the Department of Health and Social Care announced that hundreds of thousands of social care staff are to receive help to develop their careers as part of the government’s £500 million support package, the Workforce Development Fund.

Matthew Harrison, Public Affairs and Parliamentary Manager at Mencap, said: 

“Social care workers put their lives on the line during the Covid-19 crisis and we know they deserve better.

“While opportunities for training and development are an important part of the puzzle, urgent action is needed to solve the crisis facing the social care workforce.

“Care workers should receive a wage that reflects the skilled work they do. Love and loyalty don’t pay the bills, and without tackling pay head-on we risk losing dedicated staff to other sectors like retail and hospitality.

“Without increasing wages, we know that working age disabled adults across the country, including those with a learning disability, will be left at the sharp end of the social care crisis, unable to access care and support. We must not allow this to happen.”