This week we talked to John Barratt, our PhD student, about what he’s learnt so far throughout the study

“Coming in to this PhD I had a limited understanding of the Social Care sector, and what I did know was largely based on what was being said in the media. Having been doing the PhD for 8 months now, my knowledge has grown considerably.

I am now aware of just how large a challenge the industry faces going forward, both in the sense of needing to recruit a higher calibre worker in vast numbers whilst continually improving the quality of care. I am also aware of the financial constraints the sector is under and how some providers, when it comes to capacity, are at breaking point.

Moreover, I have learnt how the health sector aligns with social care and how this can cause its own complications. I have also learned about the large array of opportunities that the sector can offer. There are careers within it that I would not have been aware of before I began this PhD. This highlights to me that there is a problem promoting social care as a legitimate career choice.

From a recruitment perspective the social care sector is widely touted to require one million more workers by 2025. This is obviously a huge challenge and an important one. This couples with the challenge that some areas of the country and a number of providers struggle to recruit the carers they require now, never mind the future need they are faced with.

Although there is help and guidance out there for providers with regards to how to undertake recruitment, I believe this can be enhanced, and this is what I hope my PhD can help to provide.

When I first applied for the PhD Cohesion was actually PPS, and it was exciting for me to hear about what caused the rebrand and the huge growth that Cohesion have and are experiencing. It really demonstrates their commitment to recruitment and to social care.

Having spent time over at Cohesion I have had the privilege of experiencing firsthand how they work. Their processes stood out to me because of how thorough they are – their commitment to candidate engagement is incredible. It was great to see how thorough the recruitment team is in explaining the steps and stages of the recruitment journey to candidates.

One thing that especially stood out to me was the caring aspect and personal feel that cohesion provides to candidates.

They really do their best to make them feel that Cohesion is with them every step of the way. But this is applied beyond the candidate – Cohesion work closely with clients and do all they can to ensure their needs are met and exceeded.

Cohesion’s commitment to this PhD and their passion for leading the industry with innovative research will enhance their processes, and hopefully he processes of the industry; they are really setting a golden standard for recruitment in social care.”

During our next catch up, we will be finding out what John wants to learn on a personal basis and what it is that makes this such an exciting study.

For more exciting updates from John, click here.

In the meantime, why not take a look at some of our free Social Care ebooks which further explore the skills shortage, the future of the sector and values-based recruitment.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates on Changing Social Care!

Co-written by John Barratt, PhD student at Aston University