Values and the workforce: the expectations of people with lived experience

We worked with people who draw on care and support to co-produce a set of 7 value statements for the social care workforce. This report not only outlines these values but also offers recommendations on how to develop the social care workforce in ways which enable these values to be upheld.

This work, requested by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), supported the development of the Care Workforce Pathway. Our role was to talk to people who draw on care and support to find out what values they think the workforce should have, so that they align with real-life experiences. The resulting statements have been embedded in the Care Workforce Pathway.

The social care workforce having the right values is key to people experiencing good person-centred care. Values translate into behaviour and that is what people experience. By having the views of people who draw on care and support at the heart of DHSC policy, we’re taking a big step toward making sure policies are all about the people they affect.