Social Care Forum meeting: 18 January 2021

A vision for fair reward

• Presentation Poverty Alliance Scotland

A presentation from Poverty Alliance Scotland was received and noted for future consideration.

Social Care Futures

Update on Task & Finish Groups:

• Collective Bargaining
• Personal Assistants
• Safety
• Pay & Skills

Safe, Healthy and Inclusive Working Environments:

• Meeting held on 8th December 2020.
• Group members agreed to take forward a number of actions to progress this agenda including taking steps to gain an understanding of current practice. The role of HSE will be explored further and a follow up meeting is to be scheduled for late February.
• Next meeting scheduled for 23rd February 2021

Personal Assistants:

• Meeting held on 16th December 2020.
• Work to commission research into the working lives of Personal Assistants in Social Care across Wales is progressing.
• Next meeting to be confirmed.

Pay and Progression:

• Meetings held on 16th December 2020 and 8th January.
• The need for a clear and consistent framework for workers that provides progression and fair pay was identified. The Group identified some of the complexities that need to be worked through as well as highlighting the need to be mindful of the work of the Collective Bargaining Task and Finish Group and other key stakeholders.
• Next meeting to be confirmed.

Collective Bargaining

• Meeting held on 13th January 2021.
• The Group considered the Construction Industry Agreements. There was discussion around the mechanisms that can be used to implement agreements and the constraints. Follow up meeting to be arranged.
• Next meeting scheduled for 21st January 2021.

Draft statement to be updated to reflect members’ feedback.