Wiltshire and Swindon Care Skills Partnership (www.ws-careskills.org.uk) is a voluntary organisation led and supported by Wiltshire County Council, Swindon Borough Council and Skills for Care. We are an employment partnership supporting the Social Care Workforce throughout this sub-region of the south west.

The "Care Ambassador" programme was created and developed in the South West. Skills for Care have taken this forward and helped each region continue with this initiative. This has become nationally recognised in promoting and raising the profile of the social care sector.

Care Ambassadors are qualified and experienced care workers, committed and positive about their career and able to promote this to act as role models to inspire and encourage people of all ages to consider careers in the sector.

Initially the Care Ambassador initiative was aimed at schools, students, teachers and parents, but it was soon realised that this should be extended to reach a wider number of people who may be ideally suited to working in the sector, including women returners to work, men, lone parents, migrant workers, retirees, carers, and those who may be looking for a career change.

We are looking at targeting a wider community and recruiting Care Ambassadors of all ages and levels of experience to include approaching teams, job-centre plus, community and services

There are currently seven Care Ambassador projects in the South West with more than  40 projects.  The whole country has about 1,000 Care Ambassadors - we want to add to this number and hope to encourage more uptake in the social care sector.

We hope that we can share this vision throughout Wiltshire & Swindon:

• Promote and  create an identifiable image for social care
• Promote, enhance and change perceptions about careers in social care.
• Promote and raise the image and status of the social care workforce
• Promote and  increase recruitment into the social care sector
• Promote and  inspire personal and professional development in the existing workforce
• Promote and help achieve a highly trained workforce to meet future demands

Our Care Ambassadors come from a large area covering different parts of the Care Role and different backgrounds.

We have many Care Ambassadors in Wiltshire - thank you to all the partnership members who value this role in supporting the roles found in the care sector. Wiltshire Council are also providing care ambassadors  - great news.

Wiltshire Care Ambassadors, Wallace and / or our co-ordinator Ian Clark will continue approaching:

• schools,
• Colleges,
• job centre plus
• careers events and
• anything that can help to demonstrate how great this career really is.

If you need to have support in the Society and Heath Diploma, back to work or knowledge of what social care from our care ambassador's view point  - let us know.

Where do our Care Ambassadors come from?

Abbey Care (Salisbury)

Abbey Clean (Salisbury)

Care Choice (Trowbridge)

Care Watch Domiciliary Care (Trowbridge)

Castle Care Wessex - Live-in Care (Based in Westbury)

Fairfax Care Home (Salisbury)

ILP Residential (Westbury)

Sarum Centre (Salisbury)

Spire Domiciliary Care (Salisbury)

Willow House (Salisbury)