ATech Policy Lab

Call for Evidence - ATech Skills for Adult Social Care Commission

The ATech Skills for Adult Social Care Commission has launched a major Call for Evidence for a new inquiry into how we can equip the adult social care workforce with the skills and confidence to use assistive and accessible technology (ATech) effectively. 

The aim of the Commission is to ensure that people who draw on care receive the support they need to use ATech to enjoy healthy, independent and fulfilling lives.  

Chaired by Cllr Teresa Murray (Deputy Leader of Medway Council), the Commission is seeking evidence from stakeholders across the UK – including training providers, care employers and professionals, local authorities, colleges, and technology experts – to map current ATech training provision, identify gaps, and develop policy recommendations to support workforce upskilling nationwide. 

The Kent and Medway ATech Skills for Social Care Commission is a project by Policy Connect’s ATech Policy Lab. The Commission runs alongside the Kent and Medway Digital Skills and Innovation in Health and Care (DSIHC) project, which is funded by the Local Skills Improvement Fund. 

The DSIHC aims to improve digital skills and the use of technology in the health and care sector by delivering training to both incoming and existing care professionals. This work includes the establishment of six ATech learning hubs in colleges in Kent and Medway. The Commission is sponsored by Kent County Council, Medway Council, and Kent Further Education. 

The Commission’s aims are: 

  • To ensure the DSIHC project is informed by national policy developments and is informed by the findings of concurrent and recent ATech initiatives across the UK.  
  • To enable the DSIHC project to serve as a true national trailblazer – shaping local and national policy and ATech delivery, through its example of positive impact.    

The Call for Evidence is open until Monday 8 September. Stakeholders can respond by completing the survey here: https://forms.office.com/e/5up4xv9ui7.

Or by submitting a completed document to rhiannon.tuckett-jones [at] policyconnect.org.uk.