Cornwall Care is leading a two-year training project in Cornwall after being awarded £1.74m in grant funding by the European Social Fund, with proceedings getting underway earlier this month.
The grant is intended to support the provision of training for people working in social care, with match funding of £489,726 brining the total value of the project up to £2,230,126.
Cornwall Care, a non-profit car organisation and registered charity that provides high-quality care for elderly and vulnerable people, is leading the project, working with partners including Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Kernow Commissioning Group, Cornwall Partners in Care, Cornwall Adult Health and Social Care Learning Partnership, Cornwall Council, and the Isles of Scilly Health and Care Partnership Academy.
Known as the Social Care Academy of Learning Excellence or SCALE, the project aims to increase the skills of the people working within care in the county, with tailored provision delivered by in-house trainers set to follow a detailed analysis of the training needs in the area.
Topics such as dementia care, fall prevention and management and supported independent living will be included, with Cornwall Care responsible for governance, management and finance.
SCALE got underway earlier this month, with the funding dependent on a series of targets being met.
Cornwall Care CEO Anne Thomas chairs the partnership board and described the project as a "significant milestone.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to upskill social care staff throughout Cornwall and give them the professional expertise they need to progress their careers and personal aspirations," she said.
“Our focus will be on identifying need and then training the trainers to build social care capacity across the county. Continuing professional development is an essential way of motivating and retaining staff and I’m delighted that our partnership approach has resulted in the award of this final tranche of ESF funding.
“It’s a significant milestone that will help ensure continuously high standards of community and residential care in Cornwall and that’s good news for us all.”
