We are proud of our social care workforce in Solihull and recognise the importance of ensuring that every worker feels valued and supported.
This page tells you more about practical support available for care workers and care providers in Solihull.
Care in Solihull
You can also sign up for our monthly bulletin Care in Solihull which has news and opportunities from our Commissioning team, workforce support and training updates plus regional and national topics of interest.
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the bulletin, or have any questions about workforce support, please email our Commissioning team at asccommissioning@solihull.gov.uk.
Valuing our care workforce
Please share the offers, training and wellbeing support in this section with your workforce.
The Blue Light Card is a discount service for people working in the NHS, emergency services, social care sector and armed forces. It provides members with discounts online and on the high street.
The card usually costs £4.99 for two years. We have funding to offer staff the card for free. Providers need to register and purchase the cards for staff, then invoice the Council to reclaim the money.
Please read this leaflet for more details about the Solihull scheme. You can also use this poster or flyer to promote the scheme to staff.
Download this document for offers, support and discounts available to care workers.
These include childcare support such as the Holiday Activities and Food programme, financial and work support.
The Birmingham and Solihull training hub provides training and upskilling support to primary and social care in Birmingham and Solihull.
The hub also supports:
- workforce planning
- recruitment
- help providing student placements
- apprenticeships and other services
To access all the training opportunities, you’ll need to register or log in to Moodle on the site. You can also contact the training hub by email at bsol.traininghub@nhs.net.
These Birmingham and Solihull Staff Mental Health Hub provides health and social care colleagues with quick access to mental health services and support where needed. It is confidential and free for all health and social care staff.
If staff are worried about how the cost of living is affecting their home or work life, access all or any of the free, confidential services in this poster. More information about support for staff is also available on the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System website.
Recruitment support
We want care providers to feel supported by Solihull Council to recruit and develop people who then choose to stay and grow their careers in care.
Many providers recruit social care staff via employee referral schemes, which can be a great way to find high quality and like-minded staff. To help you keep track of employee referrals, and any payments which need to be made to employees, we have created this Excel spreadsheet.
It includes the capability to have different rates for employee referrals to different roles. Guidance notes are in the spreadsheet. If you have any feedback about the spreadsheet, please contact ASCCommissioning@solihull.gov.uk.
West Midlands Care Association (WMCA) offers a wide range of services to care providers including advice, events, training, recruitment support and discounted DBS checks.
Solihull College and University Centre offers a number of social care courses and apprenticeships.
Solihull College students studying level 2 and 3 social care courses need placements. Can you offer a student placement and help them increase their experience of social care? If yes, please contact Shamira Bolia, Placement co-ordinator for care and education at Solihull College & University Centre.
The West Midlands Social Care International Recruitment Hub provides information, advice and guidance to the adult social care sector.
The hub includes information on ethical recruitment, independent legal advice and information for sponsored workers.
Skills for Care supports the adult social care sector. Their website includes a Think Care Careers section with useful resources for recruitment.
This Department of Health and Social Care campaign promotes careers in care and has free resources to help you boost your recruitment.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.
They make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve.
Information about recruitment procedures and supporting learning and development needs of staff are set out in Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on the CQC website.
Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) is a national partnership of more than 50 organisations committed to transforming health and care through personalisation and community-based support.
On the TLAP website you’ll find examples of good practice, events and webinars. You can also sign up for their monthly e-news updates.
Transport solutions
We want to ensure that the care workforce has access to sustainable and environmentally friendly travel solutions.
There is discount bus travel for all social care workers across the West Midlands.
Buy tickets from the National Express
If you need help, a guide to buying tickets is available.
We are running a pilot scheme for care providers to use electric vehicles (cars, e-mopeds and e-bikes) as alternatives to petrol cars and as solutions for non-drivers.
If you are interested in joining the electric vehicles pilot, please contact the Adult Social Care Commissioning Team at asccommissioning@solihull.gov.uk for an initial discussion.
E-bikes are electric-assisted cargo bikes which can carry equipment without being large and cumbersome to move. Users of e-bikes do not need a driving licence and e-bikes do not need to be registered, taxed or insured.
E-mopeds are fully electric vehicles roughly equivalent to a 50cc moped with a maximum speed of 30mph and a range of up to 91 miles. The bike features a load carrying area at the rear which can be fitted with a range of boxes to carry kit securely.
Users must be insured and hold a suitable driving licence, although no road tax is required. The minimum required is a UK valid provisional licence and riders must have passed Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) to ride on the roads. Training is available from providers in the pilot scheme.