A prominent group of leaders from across the social care sector have written an open letter to the new Secretary of State for Social Care, urging the Government to fund a new scheme to attract a new cadre of future leaders for the sector.

The letter to Rt Hon Therese Coffey MP back the proposed Social Care Leaders Scheme, a bold and disruptive approach to transform leadership in the social sector, the initial funding for which was provided by the Foundation.  Additional funding to develop a fully-costed Business Case was provided by Hallmark Foundation, Anchor Hanover and Kent County Council.

The open letter was signed by Professor David Grayson CBE, Chair of the Social Care Leaders Scheme Steering Group, whose members include Martin Green (Care England), Vic Rayner (National Care Forum), Nadra Ahmed DL OBE (National Care Association), Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO CBE (Vice Patron, Teach First) and Jon Wilks (Institute of Health and Social Care Management).

The letter refers to the support received from the recent report from Public Policy Projects (The Social Care Workforce: averting a crisis) under the chairmanship of Rt Hon Damian Green MP.  Commenting on the letter, Damian Green said:

“The idea of a ‘Teach First’ model is ideal to adapt for the social care sector. It has worked for teaching, it has worked for police, it would work for social care. The need of the social care sector is such that it requires innovative ideas to be introduced as soon as possible, and the Social Care Leaders Scheme promises to provide the necessary shift.”