Background

The challenges facing the adult social care sector have been the focus of a series of reviews by Parliamentary committees, government departments and various businesses, research firms and other organisations. One common thread that wove through many of their recommendations was the creation of the National Skills Academy for Social Care.

Among those recommending this approach was Dame Denise Platt, the former Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, who in her 2007 report to the Department of Health called for the creation of the Skills Academy focusing on developing and promoting quality leadership within the adult social care. Better leadership, she suggested, was key to making the necessary changes and providing top-quality care.

Her views were echoed by the Skills Academy Steering Group, which was created in the wake of Dame Denise’s report to develop and launch the academy. The 15-member group – representing small, medium and large care employers and the Department of Health and the Learning and Skills Council – said the Skills Academy model would best serve the needs of the sector.

This model, the group said, would have the reach and influence it needs because it would be owned by a coalition of employers and sector skills agencies, providing independent leadership they would control. It would harness the skills, experience and particular focus of each of the agencies involved, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. It would enable the collective resolution of longstanding issues of quality assurance and access to training, which require a national, regional and local approach and complement the agencies already involved in supporting and regulating care.

Work is now underway to transform that model into a working Skills Academy that will become a key point within England’s care network. That Skills Academy is rapidly taking shape. A core development team is in place and a permanent Director has been named. This team is working with the Steering Group to ensure the Skills Academy meets the clear needs within the sector.