“Fix commissioning and funding so care work is secure, fairly paid and worth choosing over benefits.”
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Homecare Association notes the Centre for Social Justice’s Wasted Youth report and its analysis of the growing gap between benefit income and the earnings available from low-paid, insecure work. The findings echo what our members tell us: some careworkers are stepping away from roles - not to jobs in hospitality and retail - but to benefits. This is not because they lack commitment, but because the current models of commissioning and funding homecare too often deliver zero-hours contracts with minute-by-minute purchasing, unpaid travel time and unpredictable income. In those circumstances, the less risky choice can be to move to benefits.
We agree with the Centre for Social Justice that inactivity among young people and the rise in health-related benefit claims are matters of national concern. Any reform must, however, be balanced, evidence-based and protect people who genuinely cannot work, including those with disabilities or significant mental health conditions. Changing benefits alone will not solve the problem. We must also improve the quality, security and status of the jobs on offer.
Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association, said:
“The Centre for Social Justice is right to highlight that incentives matter. But if benefits out-compete jobs with poor employment conditions, the answer is to fix the jobs and the systems which create them.
"In homecare, many providers are commissioned by councils and the NHS on low fee rates, zero-hours, time-and-task contracts, often paid per minute and without funded travel or sufficient training time. This often results in instability for care workers and undermines continuity of care for older and disabled people.
"With fair fee rates and better commissioning, providers can offer guaranteed hours, pay for travel, create career pathways and invest in supervision and skills. That’s how we make care work worth choosing - and how we reduce reliance on benefits in a way that is humane, sustainable and good for the economy.”
Our position
- Reform commissioning and funding. Move away from minute-by-minute purchasing to outcome-based contracts that enable guaranteed hours, paid travel time and funded training and supervision.
- Set fair fee rates. Councils and the NHS must pay sustainable rates so providers can pay at least the Real Living Wage, cover on-costs, and offer predictable rotas and progression.
- Target employment support to care. We support measures that de-risk hiring and help people into good work - for example, expanding access to employment programmes for care, and piloting incentives that encourage employers to take on and retain young people and those returning to work.
- Support mental health properly. If Government pursues changes to health-related benefits, any savings should be reinvested in timely NHS Talking Therapies, occupational health and in-work support, so people who can work are helped to succeed and those who cannot are protected.
- Workforce planning and ethics. Create a clear domestic pipeline into care through apprenticeships and accredited training, alongside ethical international recruitment where necessary.
The Homecare Association stands ready to work with Government, the NHS, local authorities and other partners to turn analysis into practical action. By fixing the commissioning model and paying fair rates, we can improve recruitment and retention, reduce churn and agency spend, and - most importantly - deliver the stable, high-quality support that people need to live well at home.
ENDS
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