Mapping and Discovery for a National Care Academy Model in Wales

Social Care Wales, sponsored by the National Office for Care and Support and working in partnership with Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru (ADSS Cymru), is leading the discovery, design and development of a National Care Academy for the social care sector in Wales. The National Care Academy will: - Provide a national framework and virtual infrastructure. - Support locally delivered academy models. - Be delivered collaboratively by Social Care Wales, the National Office for Care and Support, ADSS Cymru, local authorities, and sector partners. - Not operate as a standalone training provider.

This commission represents the next phase of the programme, focusing on discovery and evidence gathering to inform the future development of the National Care Academy and a shared national vision for its delivery. The aims and objectives include to develop a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape of pre-employment support, training, learning and development available to social workers and the regulated social care workforce in Wales and identify the evidence, opportunities and considerations that should inform the future National Care Academy model.

For the purposes of this commission, regulated social care workers are those registered with Social Care Wales, including but not limited to social workers, care home workers, domiciliary care workers, residential childcare workers, adult care staff and nurses in social care. The supplier will: - Establish a national picture of pre-employment support, training, learning and development available to social workers and the regulated social care workforce across Wales. - Map qualification provision aligned to the Social Care Wales Qualifications Framework. - Identify variation in provision, approach and accessibility at local, regional and employer level. - Review existing care academy models and equivalent approaches operating across Wales. - Capture learning from existing academies and comparable UK and international initiatives. - Provide evidence-based recommendations to inform the next phase of National Care Academy development and the creation of a shared national vision. Please see the Invitation to Tender for further details.