Can Workforce Innovation Contribute to the Resilience of the Social Care System in Crisis Times? Evidence from the UK

Innovation is often considered as a means to solve the pressing problems public services face. Recently the contemporary crisis faced by the social care system has increased interest in innovation in this area. Social care is a labour-intensive sector, and having an effective and efficient workforce is essential to supporting people to have choice, control and independence. Therefore, the workforce is a key player in whether the system can express resilience and deliver its objectives. Resilience is the capacity of people, practices and processes to persist, adapt or transform, to sustain themselves and cope with the challenges they face (Hall & Lamont, 2013; Haider et al., 2023). This paper addresses the questions: to what extent does workforce innovation contribute to the resilience of the social care system? What is the nature of that contribution? Data were collected through interviews and documentary review to formulate four case studies of workforce innovations. These innovations were selected through a bibliographic indicator, internet search and consultation. The innovations focused on workforce training, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, care work promotion, new job profiles. Preliminary data analysis examines contextual challenges and innovation objectives, elements of persistence, adaptation or transformation involved in innovation. Presenting our findings, we will discuss whether there is and should be a future for innovation in social care, and the role that workforce plays in system resilience. We will also present our argument that innovation needs to align with new ideas that most likely contribute to system persistence and adaptation, rather than transformation.