Skills For Care launches new fund for innovative projects

Fund offers support to employers offering projects to increase the skills of their workforce

Skills For Care has launched a new fund which aims to aid employers that are offering innovative projects to increase their workforce’s skills.

The Workforce Development Innovation Fund (WDIF) is open now and will offer financial support to employers who are “looking to change the way they offer their services”.

Interim CEO of Skills for Care, Andy Tilden, said the fund was intended to modernise the workforce in the face of new challenges and needs brought about by an ageing population.

“Adult social care is an ever-changing landscape and as our population gets older and lives longer different needs are emerging almost daily,” he said. “That means the way services work will need to change, too, so this fund can really help in developing new and innovative ways of working collaboratively by developing the skills and knowledge of the workforce.”

In order to meet the criteria for funding, employers must meet one of four priorities.

The first of these is to test an approach to develop capacity for Registered Nurses to support and supervise pre-registration nursing associates and return to practice nurses within an ethical and safe learning culture.

The other three priorities are: to enhance the impact of a registered manager network; to develop future registered managers; and to improve the working practices between social care and health workforces in support of integrated working.

The fund is open to applicants until 1pm on Friday 28 June 2019. To find out more and apply, please visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/WDIF2019.