Social Care Fair Work Forum: annual progress update 2026

The Social Care Fair Work Forum (“the Forum”) was established in September 2020 following a recommendation from the Fair Work Wales Commission.

It is independently chaired by Professor Rachel Ashworth, Professor of Public Services Management at Cardiff Business School.

The Forum brings together:

• employer representatives
• trade unions
• other stakeholders
• the Welsh Government

as equal partners.

By creating space for real social partnership working in the social care sector, the Forum aims to:

• improve pay for the workforce
• improve terms and conditions for the workforce
• support the practical implementation of fair work principles across social care in Wales

This work is taken forward through:

• the Forum’s own programme of activity
• dedicated task and finish groups
• wider stakeholder engagement

A fair pay and progression framework for the whole sector

There was a significant development earlier this year when the Forum introduced a voluntary Pay and Progression Framework for the sector.

The Framework sets out a clear, sector-wide structure that describes:

• the breadth of roles within social care
• the progression pathways available
• the skills and responsibilities associated with each level

The Framework demonstrates that social care is a rich and rewarding career, and we will work to emphasise this within and beyond the sector.

A key aim is to promote and encourage greater consistency in pay and progression, supporting employers to better align pay scales across the sector and enabling workers to see social care as a sustainable and rewarding career.

Significantly, the Forum has committed to reviewing pay levels for the workforce following the recent completion of research on pay scales across the sector, commissioned by Social Care Wales.

The Forum has agreed and included in the Framework that, as a starting point, social care workers should be paid in line with Agenda for Change Band 3.

The Forum sees this alignment as an essential step to promote fairness, parity, and consistency across the health and social care workforce.

The pay element of the Framework will continue to be developed and strengthened as the Framework evolves.

Parity on terms and conditions through social partnership

Last year we announced the establishment of a Social Care Workforce Partnership.

During the last 12 months, the Partnership has successfully developed exemplar:

• Recognition Agreements
• Disciplinary policies
• Grievance policies

during its first year.

This marks an important step in helping to ensure HR policies are applied more consistently and working conditions are improved across the sector.

These, and other Partnership priorities, are determined by social care providers and the workforce.

Fair Reward

The UK Employment Rights Act (2025) now enables Fair Pay Agreements for the Social Care workforce to be extended to Wales.

The Forum worked closely with Welsh Government to publish a Consultation on the development of a Social Care Negotiating Body for Wales to set Fair Pay Agreements for the social care workforce.

The consultation closed on 28 April 2026, and a report of the responses will be published in the summer.

With Fair Pay Agreements still in the early stages of development, the Forum continues to oversee the implementation of the Real Living Wage, a commitment the Welsh Government has maintained since 2022.

An independent evaluation found that, whilst the policy has made substantial progress in paying the RLW to care workers in Wales, improving pay equity during an exceptionally challenging period for the sector, full coverage has not been achieved with around 16% of the workforce not yet receiving the RLW.

Providers also reported concern around pay compression as an unintended consequence of implementing the policy.

The Forum is pleased to note the commitment that the new government in Wales made in their manifesto to ensure that the Real Living Wage becomes the minimum wage rate for social care sector in Wales and looks forward to collaborating to achieve this collective goal.

The experience of Personal Assistants in the social care sector

The Personal Assistants (PA) Stakeholder Group continues to provide oversight of matters relating to PAs, ensuring their perspectives are reflected in policies on:

• pay
• terms and conditions
• training and development
• trade union promotion
• awareness of available support

Members include representatives from:

• Welsh Government
• trade unions
• Social Care Wales
• PA employer representatives
• the “All‑Wales Local Authorities” PA Working Group
• the Direct Payments Forum

Key priorities include:

• improving data on the PA workforce
• strengthening communication and information for PAs
• aligning PAs with the Social Care Workforce Pay and Progression Framework to support fair pay and career development

The Group has contributed to the consultation on the introduction of direct payments for adults in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), considering the potential impacts on PAs working in social care.

The Group and its members are working closely with Welsh Government Direct Payments officials and health board representatives to support the effective implementation of direct payments in CHC.

The Group will continue to do so, through ongoing engagement and shared discussions at Stakeholder meetings, to ensure alignment and safe, consistent practice across health and social care.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group continues to work with partners, as well as linking with the Forum’s own Worker Voice Task & Finish Group and the Social Care Workforce Partnership, to ensure that EDI issues are considered relative to all dimensions of fair work.

The Group has discussed:

• progress against the actions set out in the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ArWAP) for the social care workforce
• how they can support members of the workforce who face abuse and discrimination

The Group is considering how to improve guidance for the workforce on how to report such instances, so all staff feel safe to do so.

Commissioning research and engagement work on the provision of micro-care services

Welsh Government has undertaken further engagement with stakeholders across the sector in 2025 and early 2026, including surveying local authorities to gain a contemporary understanding of how micro-care services are being used to deliver care and support through commissioning or direct payments.

Stakeholders were asked for their views on potential policy or regulatory developments, which are currently being considered.

Highlighting contract security and flexibility

Earlier this year, the Welsh Government published findings from commissioned research on zero‑hours contracts and call clipping in domiciliary care in Wales.

The findings demonstrate that despite regulatory efforts since 2017, zero‑hours contracts remain widespread largely due to:

• commissioning practices
• funding pressures
• workforce shortages

While some care workers value the flexibility of zero‑hours arrangements, many experience:

• financial insecurity
• stress
• a lack of control over their working lives

with a significant proportion preferring guaranteed‑hours contracts.

The impacts of call clipping are also severe as this undermines care quality, increases moral distress for workers and contributes to burnout, high vacancy rates and poor retention.

The Forum has shared the findings from this report with the UK Government to inform their proposed changes to the zero-hours contracts aspects of the Employment Rights Act.

Alongside this, the Forum will continue to work with social partners to balance both the professional and personal challenges around zero-hours contracts and the benefits of flexible working.

A focus on employee rights, voice and representation

The 2025 national Social Care Wales workforce survey findings underline the importance of sustained and collaborative action to strengthen fair work, pay, and progression across the social care workforce in Wales.

While improved morale and a strong sense of purpose demonstrate the sector’s values‑driven commitment, persistent financial pressures, variable satisfaction with pay, and reported stress linked to workload and administrative demands highlight the need for more consistent and transparent employment practices.

The findings reinforce the case for sector‑wide approaches that:

• support fair and sustainable pay
• enable clear progression routes
• recognise skills and experience
• reduce avoidable pressures at work

Taken together, the evidence supports ongoing collaboration through the Social Care Fair Work Forum to:

• embed fair work principles
• promote equity and retention
• ensure social care roles offer secure, valued, and attractive career pathways

The Worker Voice Task and Finish Group worked closely with Social Care Wales to support and maximise participation in the 2026 survey.

This included:

• helping to improve accessibility
• ensuring workers feel safe and confident to share their views

Whilst the final 2026 report is yet to be published, early findings suggest that the survey saw a response rate of just under 10% from the workforce, up from 7% in 2025.

The Group looks forward to considering the wider findings when they are published.

The Group is also closely following Social Care Wales’s work to promote and embed positive workplace cultures within social care, supported by the Rayne Foundation.

Research and evidence from the Foundation highlights strong links between positive organisational cultures and improved wellbeing outcomes for:

• people who use care and support services
• the workforce who support them

The Group will continue to provide input to the Forum, offering observations and suggestions for consideration to support workers’ access to trade unions across Wales.

International Recruitment

International recruitment became a key priority for the Social Care Fair Work Forum last year.

It regularly considers the challenges faced by migrant care workers, including the risk of labour exploitation.

Whilst we know that most employers support their migrant workers fully, more employer sponsorship licences were being revoked by UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI), meaning migrant workers already working in social care in Wales, were becoming “displaced” through no fault of their own.

In early 2025 there was no direct support for migrant workers in Wales, and the Forum identified this as a key concern in protecting and supporting these workers.

In addition, in July 2025 UKVI announced the end of overseas recruitment into social care roles.

This meant that employers who had planned to recruit overseas were no longer able to, causing further workforce pressures across the sector.

The Forum were clear that this needed to be addressed, and in response the Welsh Government established the National Advisory Service (NAS).

The service:

• supports displaced social care workers
• supports overseas workers already living in Wales
• helps workers find alternative employment within social care
• helps providers address workforce pressures

It:

• connects workers with Welsh care providers that have vacancies and sponsorship licences
• provides a first point of contact for overseas workers
• signposts workers to relevant support services

While progress has been made, we recognise that further action is needed and we will continue to monitor progress of the NAS.

We encourage the next Welsh Government to take steps to ensure joint working across all key partners, including:

• UK Government
• the National Office
• commissioners
• providers of care
• the Forum

to strengthen safeguards, ensure that commissioning supports and enables fair treatment for all workers, and agree a consistent approach to addressing poor employment practices where these are identified.

Sick Pay

The Forum continues to highlight concerns with sick pay across the social care sector.

Whilst it welcomed the changes included as part of the Employment Rights Act to improve sick pay, the Forum does not feel these go far enough.

In addition, as a Forum that includes social care employer representatives, we are aware of the financial pressures that this aspect of the Act has put on social care employers, with no additional funding to support employers to implement these changes.

The Social Care Wales Workforce Survey results in relation to sick pay continue to inform us that sick pay issues remain a concern, and indeed this remains a priority focus for the Forum.

We wrote to the previous Deputy Minister for Children & Social Care early this year to re-emphasise our concerns with sick pay and, despite the financial challenges, we will continue to highlight this as a priority with the new government.

Employment Rights Act (2026)

Last year the Forum welcomed the announcement of a new UK Government Employment Rights Bill which received Royal Ascent in December 2025.

The Employment Rights Act (ERA) introduces significant reforms throughout 2026, focusing on:

• strengthening worker rights
• enhancing trade union powers
• enforcing fair pay across all sectors

The ERA is establishing a new UK-wide Fair Work Agency which significantly improves the practical enforceability of existing legal protections and employment rights.

The Act reinforces:

• a culture of flexibility
• a culture of support

which will materially improve the conditions that allow workers to stay in work safely, with dignity and financial security.

The ERA strengthens protections for:

• zero-hours workers
• low-hours workers

The Act introduces:

• new rights to guaranteed hours
• compensation for short-notice shifts
• compensation for cancelled shifts

The Act also:

• reinforces the ban on exclusivity clauses
• complements earlier reforms to holiday pay
• complements earlier reforms to working time calculations

This reduces one‑sided flexibility commonly experienced by care workers, encouraging more stable contracts and income security.

Whilst the ERA sits with UK Government, the Forum and Social Care Workforce Partnership have agreed that there is a role to be played in preparing the sector for these changes.

The Forum recognises the challenges that social care providers in particular will face in adopting some of these initiatives, with no supported funding.

The Partnership is currently considering:

• new priorities for 2026 to 2027
• developing policies that will assist providers to support and adopt the changes from the ERA

Members of the Forum

The members of the Forum are:

• Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru
• Care Forum Wales
• GMB
• National Provider Forum
• Royal College of Nursing
• Social Care Wales
• Wales Trades Union Congress
• Unison
• Welsh Government
• Welsh Local Government Association

Remit of the Forum

The remit of the Forum is focussed on paid social care workers in the public, private and third sectors.

It has initially focussed primarily on social care workers in the independent sector in the first instance, but its considerations will also extend into the public sector.

The forum will not impinge upon those professions with existing collective bargaining agreements in place, for example:

• Social Workers
• Occupational Therapists
• Registered Nurses

Social Care Fair Work Forum audit and review

Since our last update the Forum welcomed a Welsh Government internal audit, which offered a valuable opportunity to reflect on our ways of working and build on what is already working well.

The audit recognised:

• the Forum’s strong social partnership approach
• effective stakeholder engagement

It also supported further improvements, including:

• clearer oversight of our work
• more structured delivery arrangements
• regular review of membership and leadership
• the introduction of a risk register

To support continuous improvement, the Forum has also strengthened its annual review processes, including:

• a survey of members
• refreshed terms of reference for the Forum
• refreshed terms of reference for the Forum’s task and finish groups

helping to ensure clarity, efficiency and effective decision making.

As we move forward with a new Welsh government, the Forum looks forward to building on its strong foundation of partnership working to continue to progress fair work in social care.

More information

More information about the Forum can be found on the Welsh Government website:

Social Care Fair Work Forum