Job listings showcasing the positive impact of social care work and highlighting empathy, communication and compassion as essential qualities could help providers recruit and retain staff, according to a new report.

The Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) says in a new study that overly technical language used in job descriptions combined with a cumbersome application process currently puts people off applying for roles in the social care sector.

CCPS has been told by 96% of its surveyed members that the choice of language in recruitment materials is key to attracting the right people to apply.

Its new workforce report says that using plain and concise language in job listings and simplifying the way people apply for jobs could improve recruitment outcomes.

CCPS also recommends organisations outline options for progression and the ways a job in care can lead to long-term personal and professional growth when listing job openings.

Welcoming publication of the new report designed to help not-for-profit care providers recruit and retain staff, Kristy Lambert, CCPS’s Policy & Projects Officer for Workforce, said:

“CCPS is grateful to everyone who took part in this study. Their participation allows for relevant and important research to be produced in the hope of improving the outcomes of recruitment in the sector.

“We hope the report offers organisations ideas for implementation within their own language of recruitment and that its findings are useful.”

Research from CCPS last year found that 52% of staff who moved jobs left the sector altogether.

Almost three quarters of not-for-profit providers reported a high staff turnover between 2021 and 2022.

CCPS now says, amidst the recruitment crisis, more must be done to inform potential candidates about all the opportunities a career in social care can offer, without ‘over idealising’ the profession.

The most recent in a string of Scottish-government backed campaigns to boost social care recruitment was launched in November last year, with a focus on the ability of care workers to make a difference to the lives of the people they care for.

It came the same week as more than 100 organisations, led by CCPS, came together to call for the minimum hourly wage of social care workers to be raised above £12 – the level which came into force in April 2024.

The minimum hourly rate for social care workers before this was £10.90.

The Chief Executive of CCPS, Rachel Cackett, said then that organisations were “rapidly losing staff” because of care workers being systematically overlooked and undervalued.

CCPS’s new workforce study acknowledges low pay remains a key challenge to recruitment and retention across the sector, along with demanding workloads and a mismatch between job expectations and realities.

It recommends organisations advertise social care jobs to people not pursuing further education as an alternative to apprenticeships – which often have much lower pay – and to make clear in job descriptions any other non-pay-related benefits on offer.

 

Read more: Why the government must step up for social care; New gallery showcases stories of care; Ad campaign can’t shift negative view of care jobs

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