RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION – SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

Recruitment can be a very expensive business. Skills for Care research indicates that every time a member of staff leaves the full cost of replacing them is around £3,500 – the cost to attract, recruit, induct and train, that’s without taking into account the non financial costs such as the detrimental effects on service users, their carers and your team.
 
A Community Care survey showed that the top reasons for staying in the care sector were
·         Job satisfaction
·         Interesting/Challenging Work
·         Good working relationships
 
Workforce development is key to helping your organisation retain staff. Look at our training section to make sure you are making use of all training initiatives available in Hertfordshire.
SUPPORT WITH RECRUITMENT:
For support with retaining your staff you may find this free Skills for Care tooklit ‘Finders Keepers’ useful:
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/publications/publications_f.aspx
or
this free Skills for Care toolkit for Small and medium employers guide to recruitment and retention :
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/entry_to_social_care/recruitment/SME_toolkit.aspx – this contains sample templates for various recruitment activities including sample application form, sample short listing grids etc.
  
Job Centre Plus can help with recruitment and most of their services are free.
For more information follow this link: http://businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?r.s=m&r.l4=1083960949&r.l1=1073858787&r.lc=en&r.l3=1084822723&r.l2=1073858914&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1083961626
 
Save all your recruitment costs and employ people who have had pre-employment training – for more information click here
 

This useful Skills for Care guide addresses all aspects of workforce planning:-

Taking steps: a guide to workforce planning for providers of adult social care
The government's Putting People First (DH 2007) agenda aims to ensure that people have choice and control over the care and support they need to live the lives they want. This means that the way in which adult social care is funded, commissioned and delivered is undergoing radical change.
A confident, skilled and knowledgeable workforce is essential to achieving these changes, so all adult social care employers now need to plan the way they recruit, develop and retain their workforces.
who should use the guide?
The guide is aimed at service providing organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors. It focuses on care and support providers as businesses and as employers. It is designed for busy people wanting help with workforce planning - take from it whatever you find useful and do not feel you need to read the document from cover to cover.

Download the document at this link: http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/workforce_strategy/InLAWS/Workforceplanningguide.aspx