The Welsh care sector faces chronic shortages in its workforce. Long term challenges in recruitment and retention have become more urgent. There are currently not enough people willing to work in social care and childcare roles.   

As experts in the health care sector, Urban Foresight conducted a programme of research into the workforce challenges faced by the industry. We produced a series of comprehensive reports for Social Care Wales which explored the issue from different perspectives. 

We split our research across two themes; understanding attraction, recruitment and the role of WeCare Wales, and understanding job-seeking behaviours.  

Our research highlighted that many of the challenges faced by social care and childcare employers in Wales are experienced by this sector throughout the UK.   Low pay, low status, the responsibilities involved in care roles, and long hours all deter people from pursuing a career in care. 

Our research also revealed that Wales faces additional challenges. Recruiting Welsh speakers is particularly difficult. Drivers needed for home care were also difficult to attract for places with a large rural population.  More broadly, issues such as Brexit, COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis have all had an impact on staff recruitment and retention. 

Using these insights, we created new guidance and a suite of resources to provide care employers with practical steps to address this crisis.   

An attraction, recruitment and retention guide – A document packed with guidance and actionable strategies, from how to attract people to the sector, to ensuring staff feel valued.   

A users personas toolkit – The toolkit helps social care employers understand the typical profile of jobseekers. It also provides suggestions about how to target these different personas and consider people’s motivations and personal circumstances.   

Our insights are also being used by Social Care Wales to improve their internal processes, particularly related to WeCare Wales: An entity established by Social Care Wales to raise the profile of the sector and make it more attractive to job-seekers.  

To view the full range of reports and guides we created please visit Social Care Wales Resources for employers.  

This project builds on Urban Foresight’s expertise in conducting evaluations and developing strategies to improve health and care outcomes.  Find out about our work to explore how mental health provision could be improved in Sunderland to deliver equitable and effective support services. Additionally, read about our role in monitoring and evaluating a pilot project to prescribe active travel in Leeds.