Explore valuable resources and networking opportunities for commissioners, designed to support and enhance their role in the social care sector.
We’ve gathered a range of support and guidance to help commissioners build their knowledge and confidence in delivering high-quality care. Our resources are designed to support high quality commissioning practice around a range of topic areas:
Access to expertise and valuable opportunities to connect with peers by joining our national peer network for commissioners.
Join the national peer network for commissioners
Free to join and open to all commissioners in health and social care across England.
A dedicated space away from daily pressures, where commissioners can apply guidance, share best practices, experiences, and tackle real-life commissioning challenges alongside peers from across England. The network also provides access to regular masterclasses and facilitated peer learning sessions.
The national network focuses on key themes and topics relevant to commissioners, with an emphasis on personalised and outcome-focused approaches to commissioning for individuals accessing care and support.
Commissioner qualification and careers
Explore careers in commissioning including how to access the only qualification for social care and health commissioners in England.
Principles of Commissioning for Wellbeing Level 5 Qualification
Learn more about this qualification including the learning disability and autism version. It provides details on how the course is delivered, information on funding and how to apply.
Careers in commissioning
See information on career pathways and journeys into commissioning. Learn details around getting started, how to make a difference, career development, and links to further resources.
Strategic workforce planning
Analyse local workforce needs and develop long term workforce plans as part of your market shaping activity.
Strategic workforce planning, shaping and commissioning
Find an overview of free resources available to help commissioners undertake strategic workforce planning and shaping, as well as case study examples and wider support and information.
Self-directed support
Develop your local offer for people accessing direct payments and organising their own care and support. Access our resources and information for individual employers, personal assistants (PAs) and supporting organisations
Support for individual employers and PAs
Access support for individual employers and PAs as well as tailores resources for individual employers (IE’s), personal assistants (PA’s) and organisations who support IE’s and PA’s such as user led organisations (ULO).
Recruitment and retention
Learn effective strategies and best practices for attracting and retaining top talent in this field.
Commission to retain staff
Learn how care and support can be commissioned to support workforce planning and retention. Learn about the details on overseas recruitment and retention, supporting a diverse workforce, creating a positive place to work, effective leadership as well as staff wellbeing, development and recognition.
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Aimed at local authorities and details an innovative wrap around place-based programme. It looks to support social care organisations to find and keep the right people with the right values.
Quality
Discover the four pillars or productivity, how they affect quality and how you can build them into your commissioned support.
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Providing information on the social care workforce and quality model, including its background, and how to implement and evaluate quality improvement in your setting.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
These resources can help commissioners to build principles of equality, diversity and inclusion into commissioning practice and commissioned services.
Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard
Explore the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) including what it is, the background and the SC-WRES Improvement Programme 12-month cycle.
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Learn what a positive workforce culture is and how you can develop, and maintain where needed. Discover the importance of a positive workforce culture as well as practical examples.
Person centred and strengths based approaches
Learn more about what person centred and community-based working means and why it’s an important part of commissioning activity.
Person centred and community-based working - strength based approaches
Explore person centred and community-based working including strength-based approaches. Watch the video exploring the benefits of this approach and a link to the person-centred and community-based working guide.
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For anyone involved in enabling people to understand what care and support is available. It looks at the principles of conversational assessment to assess and plan people’s care and support.
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Discover what community and asse-based thinking is, tips on empowering communities and developing community resources and the benefits of community investment.
Learning disability and autism
Resources supporting good quality commissioning for autistic people and people with a learning disability.
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Detailing a cross-system framework for commissioning social care, health, education and children’s services for people with a learning disability.
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Detailing a cross-system framework for commissioning social care, health, education and children’s services for autistic people
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A review of good learning disability and autism commissioning practice and impact. Explore the background to the review, the methodology and findings, case studies and a summary of the key themes identified.
Delegated healthcare activites
Person-centred, safe and effective delegation of healthcare activities to care workers can enable people to have more choice and control of when and how things happen, with an opportunity to provide a better experience of care.
Delegated healthcare activities
Access resources, videos and webinars to understand and support person-centred, safe and effective delegation of healthcare activities. The guiding principles of delegated healthcare activities is available as well as a guide on delegated healthcare activities and the commissioning of adult social care.