Call to contribute to draft practice guidance for domiciliary care workers in Wales

Published this week, the draft guidance aims to support and guide domiciliary care workers in their work. 

SCW want to make sure the workforce feels it is appropriate and is encouraging people who work in domiciliary care and their managers to feedback on its content.

The guidance, along with the Code of Professional Practice for Social Care, describes the standards expected of domiciliary care workers. It also aims to give them, as they work to the standards of the Code, confidence in their competence and practice. 

Working as a domiciliary care worker can bring about unique challenges, often working alone and unsupervised, sometimes dealing with unexpected situations. The guidance offers tailored, practical guidance for working in people’s homes.

SCW want your views on how they can make the guidance available to all domiciliary care workers. For example, should it be produced as a mobile app, as well as a digital booklet? Can employers help make sure their staff have access to it? Is the language and style suitable? 

A number of workers and managers have already influenced the guidance by taking part in engagement workshops over the summer. This public consultation makes it possible for everyone to have their say, including people who receive care and support, their families and carer and is part of a wider initiative to raise the status of the social care profession.

These proposals are designed to help transform standards of care and raise the status of the social care workforce in Wales.

The closing date for comments on the practice guidance is 19 January 2018. All feedback will be considered before we publish the final version in April 2018.

You can take part by downloading the draft guidance and complete a short online survey from the consultation webpage.

At the time of publication, SCW are considering the consultation feedback and other evidence alongside the Welsh Government to decide what should happen about registration and when.

This document has been drafted in the form of regulatory guidance, so that if it is agreed that registration will proceed, domiciliary care workers will have clear, consistent standards to work to alongside the Code of Professional Practice for Social Care. This is in-line with the guidance provided for other groups already registered with SCW. If it is decided that domiciliary care workers will not join the Register, the guidance will still be published, but references to registered workers will be removed.