Evaluation of Pay Structures to Support Recruitment and Retention in Social Care in Wales

Recruitment and retention remains an ongoing challenge for the social care sector in Wales recognising that this experience is not exclusive to Wales and remains a core theme of the health and social care workforce delivery plan. While a lot of progress has been made against the ambition of the delivery plan, staff salaries remain a consistently reported challenge for the sector.

Feedback indicates that increased wages would make a significant difference to attracting, recruiting and retaining staff within in the social care sector.As part of the response to this challenge, a Draft Pay and Progression Frameworkhas been developed by the Social Care Fair Work Forum, which was established by the Welsh Government in September 2020 following a recommendation from the Fair Work Wales Commission.

The Social Care Fair Work Forum are a social partnership group made up of employers, trade unions and other stakeholders. Their aim is to improve working arrangements for social care workers in Wales.

This means making sure workers are fairly rewarded, heard and represented, and able to progress in a healthy, inclusive environment where rights are respected.The pay and progression framework is designed to meet the ambitions of Wales's fair work commitment and the workforce strategy for health and social care.

It aims to:* improve recruitment and retention in the social care sector;* support development of the workforce through continued improvement of skills and knowledge;* provide a clear progression route for those thinking of joining, or already working in,

the sector;* provide a simplified framework for social care employers and employees;* describe and standardise positive behaviours of social care workers;* provide a fair and transparent process for decisions on collective and individual wage decisions (at this stage in individual organisations).Work is continuing to refine the content of the pay and progression framework,

with this commission focuses on the pay element.Aims and ObjectivesThe aim of this project is to assess existing pay rates for social care workers in Wales and recommend changes to improve the equity and support workforce sustainability.The objectives of this project are to:- Identify variations in pay rates based on factors such as job role, experience, qualifications, and type of care setting, include part of the sector i.e. statutory,

private or voluntary.- Where possible, evaluate the impact of pay rates on recruitment, retention,

and job satisfaction among social care workers.- Produce a report which details the findings from the engagement across the sector and provides recommendations for changes to improve pay equity and support workforce sustainability.Please see the Preliminary Market Engagement Notice for more informationNOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx.