The Care People

Regional care enterprise is best practice model abroad

The successes of North East care enterprise could be set as a model for best practice in the UK and abroad.

Boldon-based Training in Care runs training in accredited qualifications before offering its students employment in a community interest company, The Care People.

The model is now being seen as best practice for the way in which it brings together the private sector with the third sector, which then delivers services to local authorities to meet community needs.

Countries including Turkey, Italy and Portugal are looking at integrating it with established IT technology systems in sectors outside care.

Founder Dr Angela Brown recently completed her Phd in education using the enterprises for her thesis, which linked workforce development and lifelong learning.

She said: “The idea came about because Training in Care was putting people through early years qualifications only for them to discover they couldn’t find jobs that were flexible enough to fit around their own care responsibilities.

“The answer was to set up a social enterprise, The Care People, which offered flexible work opportunities and continuous training skills.

“By winning contracts for supply provision with nurseries and children’s centres, it would be able to offer its own employees the ability to demonstrate experience and skills to other employers.

“The aim was to create a sustainable partnership between the third, private and public sectors which engaged with workers who drive service delivery in response to local need.”

The Care People was officially launched in South Shields by David Miliband in 2007 and has gone on to find work for 78 people.

Initially financed by Training in Care, it has been sustainable since 2010 and is now expanding to offer adult care services as well as care for children in court proceedings, nursery officer supply cover and support for children with learning disabilities.

It has been showcased at an international conference and has attracted the attention of MPs across political parties.

Dr Brown said: “We pay a lot of money as a society to train people and help them gain qualifications but unless they use those skills they can soon become out of date.

“Qualifications are the beginning of the work journey; employers need to see how people use their training in the workplace.

“The Care People is an incubator model in that we train people in accredited qualifications then hold on to them, continuing to train them, until suitable employment becomes available.

“From the employer’s perspective they are higher employable people.

“My thesis focused on how public money can be used for good.

“In our case, the workers own their own company and the money they earn as a business and as individuals goes back into the local community.”

Our Partners