Enhancing Social Care Workforce Standards Through NMDS-SC: Insights from the Local Authority Pilot

1. NMDS-SCNational Minimum Dataset-Social CareFeedback: Local Authority Pilot John CleggProject Manager, NMDS-SC London

2. This presentation will: • Outline the benefits of NMDS-SC. • Progress and results so far: • London • National • Local Authority pilot. • Engaging Local Authority’s – how on when.

3. Benefits of NMDS-SC • NMDS-SC provides the information to target resources / training to raise workforce standards. • Provides key national stakeholders with true market needs information. • Provides employers with the workforce development programmes they need, not those that someone else wants them to have.

4. Progress • London • Phase 1 (Jun 06 – Dec 06) • Phase 2 (Jan 07 – April 07) • Approach – CSCI registered, communications plan. • Results. • Nationally • Outcomes – statistics beginning to assist. • Electronic data warehouse NMDS-SC Online. • SfC Agenda.

5. The Pilot LA Project • 50 authorities invited to participate in August 2006 • 35 authorities committed to the project. • 18 authorities have currently submitted data. • 24 authorities have returned a questionnaire to identify lessons learned.

6. Some outcomes… • Majority achieved senior management support. • Most located their projects in HR. • Restructuring an issue for some • Most concerned to minimise workload on ops managers • Some unhappy that it duplicated data given to CSCI. • Concerned about the voluntary nature of NMDS-SC • CSCI inspectors not encouraging participation. • 9 took issue to Unions – no issues raised - while 11 didn’t . • Most used Skills for Care marketing material.

7. 20 wrote project plans – valued. Most intend to produce a Project Plan for the next phase. 3 had a Communication Plan Sample documents too complex - simpler versions to be developed. Range of communication methods employed. Approach

8. Resources • 3 authorities found additional resources. • Most did it with existing resources but at the cost of other tasks. • 2 authorities identified additional costs - £185 and £4334. • 4 identified more resources for the next phase.

9. Data Protection “The showstopper” • 6 wrote to staff asking them to opt in. • 5 wrote to staff asking them to opt out. • 1 asked staff to opt in to: • All data, all data except Ethnicity and disability, or no data. • 1 took the opt out approach but deleted sensitive items anyway. • 2 felt able to submit data without further action. • 1 submitted data but then wrote to staff informing them. • 2 felt able to submit without further action but removed sensitive data. • 2 are still waiting for final advice and 1 has yet to send out letters. •  ”To succeed, NMDS will need to be mandatory.”

10. Determining the focus… • 8 focused on CSCI-registered establishments. • 4 picked a small team and one that would be keen to be involved. • 1 picked the Prevention Services Team - covered a range of roles. • 1 picked 2 social work teams, • 1 picked services to people with learning disabilities. • 3 covered the whole of adult services, • 1 the Children’s Services, • 2 the whole social care workforce. • Most selected willing volunteers and low hanging fruit.

11. Completing the Questionnaires • 1 authority asked managers to complete. • 13 sent out pre-populated questionnaires to managers. • 7 completed all the data centrally. • 2 completed most data centrally asking only for either minimal information from managers or for their approval of accuracy. • Data checking and cleansing takes time - authorities advised to allow time for this.

12. Data Quality & Gaps • 12 reported problems with qualification data. • 7 origins of staff. • 8 Destinations of leavers. • 3 Continuity of employment. • Authorities submitted what data they had. Some of the missing data has not been collected before - may require decisions by managers. Will depend on value and the costs of doing so.

13. Next Steps • Evaluation of what worked and what didn’t - in particularly, how we are going to manage the gaps. • Many developing project plans, revising working groups and some applying for additional resources. • Need to set up sustainable systems to collect and maintain data. • Engagement with all LA’s from Autumn 2007.

14. The benefits are many: • Streamlining the collection of robust data into one survey • Statistical ‘census’ point of reference • Quality data analysis, for the first time • Identify skills gaps regionally and nationally • To inform the development of appropriate learning strategies for the whole sector • Reduces cost by enabling better targeting of resource • Provide a factual basis for future needs forecasting (skills foresight) • Improved workforce development planning • Enables employers to get more for less

15. Thoughts and comments? Contact for more information: John Clegg Project Manager NMDS-SC London Mobile: 07791 594718 Email: john.clegg@skillsforcare.org.uk