Councils sought for Care xchange ‘discovery’ project set to disrupt agency model

Councils unhappy at paying agency rates, care workers who feel underpaid and undervalued, and care recipients suffering the consequences, could all benefit from a new co-design project currently being put together by the public sector crowdfunding platform CC2i. CC2i is working with SME Labour xchange to develop a concept, already proven in the hospitality and logistics sectors, for local authorities hiring social care workers. Essentially, the digital platform enables identification, training and matching of candidates who are unemployed or underemployed but interested in working full or part time as a carer. If successful, ‘Carers xchange’ could increase significantly the capacity of a notoriously hard-pressed sector. The initial business case, which will be further developed during the discovery project, suggests a saving to local authorities of £5 per care visit. Last year, CC2i worked with 50 local authorities to co-fund and co-design digitally enabled projects, including projects in social care, alongside a range of SMEs. Care xchange requires three councils to invest £10,000 each, plus time inputs for investigation and collaboration over a six month period. Further information can be found on the CC2i website.