CARING CAREERS. Perceptions of the Social Care, Early Years, Children s and Young People s Sector

Transcription

1 CARING CAREERS Perceptions of the Social Care, Early Years, Children s and Young People s Sector Prepared for Skills for Care and Development By IFF Research

2 Contact details Jan Shury and Briony Gunstone IFF Research Ltd Chart House 16 Chart Street London N1 6DD Tel +44(0) Fax +44(0) Skills for Care & Development 2nd Floor West Gate, 6 Grace Street, Leeds LS1 2RP Tel +44(0)113 Fax +44(0)113

3 Contents 1 Executive Summary 5 2 Introduction: Background and methodology 9 Background 9 Methodology 10 Weighting 12 Survey population profile 13 Other relationships with the SFC&D sectors 14 Previous employment in the sector 14 Family employment in sector Error! Bookmark not defined. Experience of using sector services 16 3 Overall perceptions of sector workers 18 Introduction 18 Overall findings 18 Comparing services users perceptions of sector workers with perceptions of the general working age population 20 Sector workers overall impression of people working in early years, social care and social work 20 Jobseekers perceptions of sector workers 22 Varying overall impressions amongst different demographic groups 23 Gender 23 Age 23 Ethnicity 24 4 Perceptions of sector job attributes 25 Introduction 31 Overall perceptions of job attributes 31 Perceptions of job attributes: Early Years 33 Overall 33 Early Years sub-sector workers 35 Jobseekers 36 Perceptions of job attributes: care work 37 Overall 37 Care sub-sector workers 38 Jobseekers 40 Perceptions of job attributes: Social Work 41 Overall 41 Social work sub-sector workers 42 Jobseekers 42 5 Job Orientation Preferences Error! Bookmark not defined. Introduction 25 Overall job orientation preferences 25 Demographic differences 26 Sector workers 27 Jobseekers 28 IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D

4 6 The match between priorities and perceived sector job attributes 44 Introduction 44 The working age population overall 44 Early years 47 Care 50 Social work 53 Jobseekers 58 7 Sector Advocacy 60 Levels of recommendation amongst different demographic groups - Age 61 Link between level of education and advocacy 62 Sector workers 62 Level of advocacy amongst jobseekers 63 8 Final version of the questionnaire Error! Bookmark not defined. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D

5 1 Executive Summary General perceptions of the sector and worker roles The survey asked about people s perceptions about the jobs needed to provide sector services, specifically care or support workers; people who work with pre-school children; and people who work as social workers. Respondents were invited to rate their perceptions about these jobs from very positive to very negative. Respondents were then asked to say how strongly they agreed that these jobs showed various attributes. Views of the sector differ by sub-sector with early years being most favourably viewed, social work least; Perceptions about worker roles and job attributes differ, again early years is most favoured but social care jobs are seen least positively. Gender has relatively little influence upon these perceptions; Younger people (those aged under 35) have more positive views of sector workers roles and job attributes across each of the sub-sectors; People from a non-white ethnic background regard social workers much more positively than those who describe their ethnicity as white (59% compared to 49% giving a positive rating); Experience of sector services is not generally a key factor in shaping perceptions of workers (other than for early years services); People who work in the sector are more likely to view sector workers positively; Jobseekers have the same perceptions about sector workers and job attributes as the general population, in broad terms. Respondents were then asked to say whether and how strongly they would recommend these types of jobs to someone. Generally most people would advocate working in the sector with a preference towards early years over social care over social work; 40% of people would definitely recommend a job in early years; More than a quarter of people would definitely not recommend a job in social work, more than would definitely recommend it; Older people are less likely to recommend a job in social work; People from an ethnic minority are more likely to recommend a job in social work and less likely not to recommend one; The higher the level of qualification held, the less likely someone is to recommend a job in the sector; Being a service user does not encourage people to recommend a job in the sector; Workers in the sector and former workers are more likely to recommend a job in the sector; But people who have left social work are less likely to recommend the sector to others; Those who have had least contact with the sector are least likely to recommend a job in the sector; IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D Owner: B.G Security: CONFIDENTIAL 5

6 Jobseekers are more likely to recommend a job in the sector but their perceptions are more polarised on the early years sector. Job Preferences (importance of job attributes in general) Respondents were asked about the things people may look for in a job and how important they felt these were. This was based upon whether they felt that factors that lead to job satisfaction were present (motivators or pull factors, loosely speaking) and how much the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction were also present (hygiene or push factors). Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors work together to influence perceptions and overall job satisfaction. Generally, the working age population sees the sector positively when it comes to motivating or pull factors but also fairly negatively as regards hygiene or push factors. The overall scores for the two categories give the general view that work in the sector is interesting and rewarding, but lacking with regards to more tangible benefits. In terms of benefits, Social work has the most positive perception for rewards, career opportunities, status and job security. With the exception of promotion prospects, Motivators ( push factors such as the enjoying the work being done) were considered essential or very important by over three-quarters of the working age population. People placed significantly less value on promotion prospects than the other motivators, although still over half (54%) rate them as essential or very important. While these attributes were generally the most important factors, some attributes about how the job was structured and rewarded (push or hygiene factors) were given a similar level of priority. Notably, over four-fifths (84%) of the working age population valued job security highly, placing this attribute on an equal footing with the most important motivator (work you like doing). Friendly people to work with and good pay were also highly valued by around three-quarters of the population Women have a stronger preference for choice and convenience in working hours and work that is not too physically demanding. And for job security and training opportunities. Men and young people are more likely to value promotion prospects. Young people also put somewhat more value upon job security, pay and fringe benefits. Less upon work you like doing. Preference for work that is less physically demanding, choice/convenience in working hours and an east workload also increased with age. The oldest group were also more likely to consider status/respect important. Sector workers consider motivating factors more important than the population as a whole (in particular good training provision). Sector workers are less likely to emphasise promotion prospects. These findings suggest sector workers are more demanding in terms of what they want from a job. Sector workers were also more likely to value status/respect as being important and job security. Jobseekers priorities differed in being less concerned by job attributes in general (i.e. they were more likely to take any job). Jobseekers also showed slightly more preference for fringe benefits and an easier workload (with a suggestion this may be linked to health problems/disabilities). IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 6

7 How Job Preferences Match with sector job attributes Respondents were asked to say how strongly they associated job attributes with jobs in the SfC&D sector (specifically with jobs as care or support workers; people who work with pre-school children; and people who work as social workers). Generally there is a good match between the perceptions of the public and their preferences in the early years sector as regards attributes of the job itself (motivating factors). Gaps are around (a perceived lack of) promotion opportunities and training provision. For social care and social work there is a significant gap between perceived and preferred attributes, more for social care than social work. This applies particularly to training provision and to promotion (least so for social work). There are particular gaps in work you like doing and use of initiative for social care jobs. There is a much greater mismatch between perceptions and preferences about how the job is structured and rewarded (hygiene or push factors). More than four in five people value job security but less than half of people associate this with jobs in the sector. There is also a significant gap between preference for good pay and expectations from jobs in the sector. For the early years sector the gaps are in perceived availability of training provision and promotion prospects (with larger gaps for men and young people). The gaps in hygiene or push factors are primarily job security and pay. The sub sector was also seen as not providing choice/convenience in hours and fringe benefits. For social care work, there was a significant mismatch between the working age population s priorities and their perceptions for almost every job attribute. All motivating or pull factors showed a considerable gap. Hygiene factors showed broadly the same picture across age groups and gender, and all ages had a significant gap between priorities and perceptions for most factors. For social work, there was a significant gap between priorities and perceived attributes for all motivating factors, however, the picture for promotion prospects in particular was much better. Three-quarters of the working age population value having friendly people to work with; while only 40% believe that social work offers this; a much lower proportion than either early years (73%) or care (54%). The gap between priorities and perceptions was larger for young people with regards to the three most important attributes: job security, pay and friendly people to work with. National perspectives The survey was designed through the inclusion of the boost interviews described previously - to allow analyses of differences in perceptions between people in England, Scotland and Wales. Some variations in perceptions between the UK administrations were expected, since specific policies and services may vary from one administration to another, and this may impact on real or perceived sector working conditions as well as general perceptions of the sector. The variations identified in the survey were mostly fairly small, but overall, Scotland tended to have slightly better perceptions than did England and Wales. Northern Ireland appeared indicatively to have somewhat worse perceptions, however the sample size here is too small to draw statistically valid conclusions. People in Scotland were more likely to have a positive impression of care and support workers (74%, compared with around 68% in England and Wales). They were also more likely to view social workers positively than were English people (54% compared with 49%), although there was no significant difference with regards to the other countries. For early years workers, there was no IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 7

8 variation in the proportions expressing a positive view overall, however Scottish people were more likely than the English to have a very positive view (42% compared 34%). People in Scotland tended to have the best perceptions of job attributes in the sector; this was the case to a varying extent for all three sub-sectors. There were few differences between people in England and Wales, although Wales had more positive perceptions in a couple of cases. Differences by countries were more apparent in respect of hygiene factors than motivating factors. For the early years sub-sector, perceptions were slightly more positive in Scotland for the majority of hygiene factors. In particular, Scottish people were more likely to think that jobs in early years offer job security (52% compared with 46% in England/Wales), and good pay (29% compared with 22%). They were also slightly more positive regarding status/respect, fringe benefits, and workloads in the sub-sector. Views in England and Wales were generally very similar, but Welsh people were more likely to have a positive view of early years promotion prospects (42% compared with 32% in England and 34% in Scotland). Views on jobs in social care showed a similar pattern to early years, with people in Scotland holding a more positive opinion on a number of factors. Scottish people were significantly more likely to think that care work is accorded status/respect (57% compared with 46% in England/Wales), and that it offers job security (47% compared with 41% in England). There were no significant variations between views in England and those in Wales. Social work, however, showed a different pattern. As with the other sub-sectors, people in Scotland had more positive views on some hygiene factors (pay, fringe benefits and workload), and these factors were among the same factors viewed more positively in Scotland for the other sub-sectors. Additionally, people in both Scotland (60%) and Wales (52%) were more likely than those in England (44%) to think that social work offers job security. However, unlike early years and care, there was also significant variation among the motivating or pull factors. People in Scotland had more positive views than England on interesting work, promotion prospects and training, and for the first two of these people in Wales also had a more positive view. Since people in Scotland had better perceptions overall of all three sub-sectors and there were few differences in priorities, it follows that the match between priorities and perceptions was generally best in Scotland. This was particularly the case for care work. The high importance attached to having friendly people to work with in Wales also resulted in a better match in England than in Wales on this factor. People in Scotland are more likely to recommend some jobs in the sector. This was the case for early years (45% in Scotland would definitely recommend compared with 39% in England), and for care (27% would definitely recommend compared with 20% in Wales). However for social work, there was no significant difference between the three nations, despite Scotland s better perceptions on a number of job attributes. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 8

9 2 Introduction: Background and methodology Background 2.1 Skills for Care and Development is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for people working in early years, children and young people s services, and those working in social work and social care for children and adults in the UK. The sector consists of a range of public, private and voluntary organisations delivering services in home, community and residential settings to a wide variety of people. The sector faces significant challenges associated with the economic downturn, a squeeze on public and private finances and growing demand for services from an ageing population 2.2 Despite the dynamism within the sector and the number of initiatives that have been developed to improve the working lives of those who work in it (and the quality of services delivered to end-users), some parts of the sector continues to face high vacancy rates, high staff turnover and difficulties with recruitment across a number of occupations; these challenges have persisted even through the recent recession and are likely to increase in significance as the economy moves into recovery. To improve efficiency and raise productivity, employers in the sector need to recruit and retain a motivated, competent and skilled workforce 1. A better understanding is also needed about what drives the movement of workers within the sector and their career paths, to support more accurate workforce planning and encourage the development of quality jobs and attractive career paths by employers. 2.3 These difficulties in recruiting and retaining sufficient workers within the social care, early years 2, children and young people's sector have been a key concern for Skills for Care and Development and other organisations operating within the sector. It is widely believed that the public s perceptions of the sector and of the people / occupations within it are relatively negative. The presentation of the sector in the media is in large part defined by high-profile tragedies stemming from individual and systemic failings; this can then lead to negative stereotyping and a stigmatisation of what it is to work in the sector. At the same time, it is believed that understanding of the range of activities that the sector undertakes and of the value it brings to people's lives is limited. 2.4 Work has been undertaken to develop strategies to increase the attractiveness of the sector by a number of bodies including national advertising campaigns focusing on particular occupations within the sector and initiatives designed to address/counter negative portrayal of the sector through the deployment of spokespeople for the sector and promotion of 'good news' stories. In order to understand the impact that this work has had to date, and to set a benchmark against which the impact of future activity can be measured, Skills for Care and Development commissioned IFF Research to conduct a large-scale survey of public perceptions. More specifically the survey set out to explore: this report details the findings of this survey. 1 UK Sector Skills Assessment for the social care, children, early years and young people s workforces, Skills for Care & Development (2011) 2 In Scotland, early years services are usually referred to as day care services for children. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 9

10 Methodology 2.5 The survey was conducted by telephone between 30 th March and 28 th April 2011 and achieved a total of 2,343 interviews. These interviews were split across three samples: a core sample designed to represent the UK working age population 3 and then two boosts designed to increase the number of interviews achieved among (1) people currently working in the sector and (2) jobseekers and to allow separate analyses to be undertaken to explore the views of these key groups. 2.6 The core survey used a RDD (Random Digit Dialling) sample, supplemented by a sample of mobileonly households in order to avoid excluding the considerable proportion of the UK workforce who live in households without access to a landline telephone. Quotas were set for the number of interviews to be achieved within England and in each of the devolved administrations, with a view to increasing the number of interviews achieved in Scotland and Wales in particular 4. The achieved sample of core survey interviews fell out as follows: Table 2.1: Distribution of core survey interviews England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Total Total Gender Male Female Age Sector workers Early years Care workers Social workers Jobseekers Jobseekers The working age population was defined as people aged between 16 and 70. The lower age cut-off was set at 16 to allow us to include both those looking to enter the workforce at this point and those who plan to enter later but are in the process of making some of the choices that will define the career routes that they end up embarking on. In terms of an upper-age cut-off this was set above state pension age on grounds that participation of this cohort in the labour market will increase in future decades as individuals with insufficient levels of funding retirement chose to extend their working careers. It is possible that reaching State Pension Age is/will be a trigger point for some to consider a change in their working live and that a job within the social care, early years, children s and young people s sector may be an attractive choice for a Third Age Career. 4 Interviews were allowed to fall out naturally in Northern Ireland (i.e. NI respondents were identified randomly, there was no sample boost for Northern Ireland). IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 10

11 2.7 The targeted sector worker and jobseeker samples were purchased from a list broker 5 in order to minimise the cost of reaching these relatively small populations. 2.8 Jobseekers were defined as respondents who were unemployed and actively looking for work. 2.9 Sector workers were defined as respondents who said that they were employed in the fields of: nursery, childcare or early years services; or social work or support services for vulnerable or disadvantaged people; or care services and whose job descriptions could be coded to a key list of SOC occupations Table 2.2 below shows the distribution of interviews achieved for each of the boost samples Table 2.2: Distribution of boost sample interviews Sector Workers Jobseekers Total Gender Male Female Age Country of residence England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 6 12 Sector workers Early years 14 n/a Care workers 263 n/a Social workers 20 n/a 5 A list broker acts as an agent for those who wish to conduct direct marketing campaigns via direct mail, or telemarketing. 6 See Appendices for list of key occupations IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 11

12 2.11 The working age population sample also incorporated interviews with both job seekers and sector workers The scale of the survey means that findings can be reported with a high degree of statistical confidence at the overall level, although the base sizes for some questions and for some areas of the report (looking at particular sub-groups of the population) are quite small, with a consequent impact on the robustness of findings. In particular, while the total number of interviews achieved with people working in the SFC&D sectors is relatively robust, and delivers findings with at least ±4.6% confidence at the 95% level, the numbers of interviews achieved with early years and social workers are relatively small. For this reason, most of the analysis within this report is predicated on the total sector workforce; where findings are presented separately for the sub-sector workforces, these are presented as indicative only, and should be treated with caution. Table 2.3: Distribution of interviews and statistical confidence Working age population Jobseekers Sector Workers Care workers Early years Social workers Sample Size 2, Standard Error* * In the worst case scenario (i.e. for findings of 50%) at the 95% confidence level Weighting ±2.0% ±4.9% ±4.6% ±5.2% ±14% ±15.9% 2.13 Reflecting the three-pronged data collection approach, the weighting of the survey data was also carried out using a staged approach. In the first instance, the 1,717 interviews achieved from the general population sample were weighted to official ONS population statistics in terms of gender, age and country of residence within the UK (i.e. England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) No official statistics exist in the same way to define the jobseeker and sector worker populations. However, because the general population sample also included job seekers and sector workers, this first phase of weighting also projected the size and a profile of these two populations within the overall population, suggesting that: 8% of the working age population are employed within the SFC&D sectors: 80% of these are care workers, with 11% early years workers and 9% in social care 6% of the population were job seekers (at the time of interview) 2.15 As a second stage of weighting, the sector worker and jobseeker boost interviews were added back into the sample, with weightings designed to respect the jobseeker and sector worker populations exposed by the first phase of weighting in terms of their gender, age and country distributions. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 12

13 Survey population profile 2.16 Table 2.4 profiles the three core populations whose perceptions of the SFC&D sectors the survey is designed to shed light on: the working age population as a whole, and then the jobseeker and current sector worker populations within it. The current sector workers have been further split according to the sub-sector that they are working in. It should be noted that relatively few interviews were achieved with individuals working in the early years sector or in social work, and findings among these individuals should be treated with caution throughout this report. The first three demographic criteria: gender, age and country of residence were controlled for in the weighting; the other criteria were established through the survey fieldwork. Table 2.4: Demographic profile of survey populations Working age population Jobseekers Total Current sector workers Care workers Early years Social workers Unweighted base 2, Gender Male 50% 60% 18% 17% 14% 28% Female 51% 40% 83% 83% 86% 72% Age % 44% 31% 31% 41% 18% % 45% 56% 56% 50% 65% % 11% 13% 14% 7% 18% Country of residence England 84% 86% 86% 87% 82% 83% Scotland 9% 8% 7% 7% 5% 6% Wales 5% 6% 4% 3% 9% 6% Northern Ireland 3% 1% 4% 3% 5% 6% Ethnicity White 90% 92% 93% 93% 96% 94% Non-white 10% 8% 7% 7% 5% 6% Highest level of educational qualification No qualifications 10% 13% 2% 3% 0% 0% GCSE/O Level 19% 29% 10% 12% 5% 6% Apprenticeship/ Vocational Qualification 29% 36% 52% 56% 41% 35% AS/A-level 11% 6% 11% 7% 27% 24% University 31% 15% 25% 22% 27% 35% IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 13

14 2.17 The table suggests that sector workers are: Considerably more likely to be women than men - men make up 50% of the UK working age population, but a mere 18% of sector workers are male (and significantly fewer are early years workers); Less likely than average to fall either into the oldest age band (55-70) and slightly less likely to fall into the youngest age band (under 34); o although base sizes are small, and findings need to be treated with some caution, it does appear that early years workers differ slightly from other SFC&D sector workers in this respect, in that they are more likely to be in the youngest age group (but even less likely than other sector workers to fall into the oldest age bracket) Less likely than the population as a whole to have no qualifications or to be educated to GCSE / O-level standard and not beyond, but also to be educated to University level. Indeed, half of the sector workforce is educated to an apprenticeship or VQ standard, reflecting on-going skills and qualifications strategies within the sector In comparison to the general working age population and to sector workers, jobseekers stand out insofar as they are: More likely to be men than women; Less likely than the population at large to be in the oldest age group, and slightly more likely to be in the youngest age group More likely to have no or fewer qualifications: 13% claim to have no qualifications at all (compared to 10% of the general working age population) and only 15% are educated to university level (compared to 31% of the working age population) 2.19 These differences in the core demographic characteristics of the differing samples should be considered when interpreting any differences that they might have in perceptions of jobs in the SFC&D sectors and/or in terms of their own career fulfilment. Other relationships with the SFC&D sectors 2.20 Beyond establishing whether respondents were currently employed in the SFC&D sectors, the survey also asked whether respondents had: ever personally previously worked in the sector (if not currently employed there) a member of their household who is currently employed in the sector ever used the kinds of services offered within the sector (either personally, or via someone in their immediate family)... in order to establish whether / the extent to which such factors have an impact on people s perceptions of the sector. Previous employment in the sector 2.21 As described above, 8% of the working age population were employed in the SFC&D sectors at the time that survey fieldwork was conducted. In addition, a further 18% had been employed in the sectors IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 14

15 at some stage in the past: 8% in early years, 9% in care services and 5% in social work. This means that a quarter of all respondents had been employed in the sector at some point in their lives (N.B. the survey did not ask respondents how recently they had worked in the sector or for how long). Figure 2.1 below compares the profile of current and previous sector workers. Figure 2.1: Comparison of profiles of current and past sector workers Population profile: Current sector workers vs. previous sector workers Gender 83% Age Ethnicity Level of education 92% 88% 72% 56% 52% 38% 40% 28% 30% 30% 32% 25% 29% 18% 13% 7% 12% 2% 13% 10% 10% 11% 7% Current sector workers (449) Previous sector workers (391) 2.22 Comparing the profiles in this way hints at groups of the workforce among whom the sector may have retention issues. For example, workers who have left the sector are more likely to fall into the oldest age bracket (which one might expect given the nature of much of the work) but also more likely than current sector workers to fall into the youngest age group. Former sector workers are also more likely than current sector workers to be men, to be non-white, to have no qualifications and conversely to have a university level education. Although the survey doesn t establish when these workers left the sector, or why, or how long they worked in it, these differences may nonetheless suggest groups of workers whom the sector might need to work harder to retain. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 15

16 Experience of using sector services 2.23 Respondents were asked a series of questions about their use of services in the sector(s). Reflecting the fact that the sectors are wide-ranging and that people might not necessarily recognise the terms early years sector, care sector or social work sector (even if they had encountered them), and that people might understand these descriptors differently, the questions asked included a description of three groups of services, as follows: (B1) The term social care covers a huge variety of services, ranging from care homes and meals on wheels to drop in centres for disabled people and community support such as care in your own home and support for carers. Do you or anyone in your immediate family have any experience of using or contacting such services? (B2) There are a wide range of services that some parents use for pre-school children such as nurseries, reception or nursery classes attached to primary or infants school, playgroups, registered child minders, nannies and au pairs. Do you, or does anyone in your immediate family, have any experience of using or contacting such services? (B3) Local Councils provide a range of services to help vulnerable adults, children and families. For example, counseling or advice for people with drug and/or alcohol problems, services for older people, help for families with disabled children and adoption or fostering services. Local councils are also responsible for child protection and education welfare. Do you, or does anyone in your immediate family, have any personal experience of using or contacting such services? 2.24 As one would expect given how fundamental the sectors services are to so much of daily life, a very high proportion of people have had some kind of connection with the sectors services (N.B. the survey did not ask how recently or to what extent). Those with no personal or immediate family experience of using the sector are in a minority, constituting only three in ten (29%) of the working age population. More than two in five of the working age population (44%) have personally used at least one of the services that the sector provides while around a half (49%) have a service user in their immediate family. People have most experience of early years services (49% have used them either directly or through family), with care services following closely behind (43%); still almost as many as three in ten (29%) had used social work It is common for people who have experience of the sector to have used more than one of its services. Around a half of people who have some experience of the sector s services have experience of more than one service, with as many as 17% having experience of all three. This is shown in figure 2.2. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 16

17 Figure 2.2: Overlaps in the sub-sector usage Use of sector services 15% Care services (used by 60%) 10% Early years services (used by 68%) 17% Social work services (used by 39%) 7% 2.26 Throughout the report the term sector users refers to all those who have used sector services themselves or who have an immediate family member who has done so. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 17

18 3 Overall perceptions of sector workers Introduction 3.1 Public perceptions of people and their occupations within early years, social care and social work sectors are often thought to be relatively negative, and these negative perceptions are thought to contribute to recruitment problems in the sector 7. The survey offered an opportunity to explore these assumptions, and asked people whether their views of people working in the three sub-sectors were very positive, more positive than negative, neutral, more negative than positive or very negative. Reflecting the fact that people might not have a natural understanding or familiarity with the types of jobs that characterise each sub-sector and that any individual s perceptions of each sub-sector are likely to be different one from the other, the question asked about each role separately and included a description of the sorts of roles that people work in each of the sub-sectors. In full detail, the question asked: We are particularly interested to explore people s perceptions about the jobs needed to provide these services. I m thinking specifically about people who work in the following jobs or occupations: care or support workers, for example working in a residential care home or who help people at home with things like washing and dressing people who work with pre-school children, for example as nursery nurses or childminders people who work as social workers, for example providing help and support to families wanting to adopt children or working with people who need help with drug misuse or alcohol. First of all, how would you describe your general impression of [OCCUPATION]? Would you say that your general impression is very positive, more positive than negative, neutral, more negative than positive or very negative? Overall findings 3.2 Perceptions of early years workers ( people who work with pre-school children ) and of care or support workers are generally positive: three quarters of people (74%) have a positive impression of early years workers (compared to only 2% who rate them negatively) and two-thirds of people (68%) rate care or support workers positively (with 9% rating them negatively). 3.3 People are less positive in their perceptions of social workers, although they are nonetheless more positive than they are negative: half of the working age population (50%) perceive social workers positively, compared to around one in five (18%) who view them negatively. 7 Improving the Profile of the Social Care, Early Years, Children s, and Young People s Sector, Skills for Care & Development (2008) IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 18

19 Overall impression of sector workers Early years workers 2% 39% 35% Care workers 2% 7% 41% 26% Social workers 7% 11% 31% 19% More negative than positive Very negative More positive than negative Very positive Base: All working age population (2343) Figure 3.3: Overall Impression of sector workers 3.4 There are some differences in perception across different demographic groups, notably: Men and women generally have shared perceptions of people working in the SFC&D sectors, although women have a slightly more positive view of those who work in early years than do men (77% compared to 72%), and are also more likely than men to have a negative view of social workers (20% compared to 15%). In terms of age, younger people (those aged under 35) have more positive views of workers across each of the sub-sectors than do older people. People from a non-white ethnic background regard social workers much more positively than those who describe their ethnicity as white (59% compared to 49% giving a positive rating). There are no differences between ethnic groups in terms of perceptions of early years or care workers 3.5 In the sections that follow, we look to get underneath these sectors differences by exploring the impact that contact with the sector has on perceptions. We also explore whether jobseekers are more or less positive than other sections of the population. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 19

20 Comparing services users perceptions of sector workers with perceptions of the general working age population 3.6 Previous exploratory work by SfC&D has suggested that service users tend to have more positive perceptions of the sector. This does appear to be the case among those who have benefited from early years services who are ten percentage points more likely to have a positive view of workers in the sector than the working age population in general. However, those who have benefited from services offered in the care and social work sectors are no more or less likely to have a positive view of the people working in the sector than those who have no such experience. Figure 3.4: Positive overall impression of sector workers - by user type S e c t o r w o r k e r s Positive overall impression of sector workers - by user type 74% Early years workers 85% 64% 68% Social care workers 68% 68% o v e r a l l Social workers Working age population (2343) Not used services (EY= 1205, C= 1308, SW= 1630) i mpression of people working in early years, social care and social work 3.7 One would probably also expect people who are currently employed in each of the sub-sectors to have a more positive view of those working in the sub-sector (i.e. themselves and their colleagues / peers) than the general public might have and this does indeed appear to be the case as figure 3.5 illustrates. Early years workers have the most positive impression of people working in their own subsector, with 94% positive ratings (compared with 74% among the working age population), and no negative scores at all. Over four-fifths of care workers have a positive opinion of care and support workers, compared to just over two-thirds of the working age population, while only 5% rate their fellow sector workers negatively (compared to 9% overall). Similarly, seven out of ten of those working in the social work sector have a positive impression of their co-workers, compared to 50% of the general public although in contrast with the other sectors, there was also a significant negative score 50% 49% 52% Service users (EY= 1,138, SC= 1,035, SW=713) IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 20

21 (comparable with the working age population, and the highest amongst the sector workers at 15%), and a similar proportion (13%) prefer to sit on the fence than to commit either way, in probability reflecting their range of experiences of colleagues. 3.8 More generally, being employed in one of the SfC&D sub-sectors typically leads to a more positive opinion of workers in the other SfC&D sub-sectors. This is the case for perceptions of care workers (81% of sector workers have a positive impression compared with 68% of the working age population), and to a lesser extent social workers (57% compared with 50%). This does not remain true in respect of early years workers, who enjoy a highly positive rating from all sections of the population. This is also shown in figure 3.5 below. Figure 3.5: Overall impression of workers in own sector Early years sector Social care sector Current early years workers (49) 47% 47% Current care workers (362) 1% 3% 38% 44% Current sector workers (449) 1% 1% 38% 40% Current sector workers (449) 1% 3% 40% 41% Working age population (2343) 2% 39% 35% Working age population (2343) 2% 7% 41% 26% Current social workers (38) Social work sector 5% 10% 40% 29% More negative than positive Very negative More positive than negative Very positive Current sector workers (449) 5% 12% 34% 23% Working age population (2343) 7% 11% 31% 19% 3.9 However, the picture is very different for people who have been SfC&D sector workers at some point in their career. This group of people does not have a more positive opinion of sector workers than the working age population. This could indicate either that positive identification with colleagues ceases once one is no longer employed in the sector or that former sector workers believe that things have changed since they were employed in the sector or indeed it may be the case that these less positive perceptions explain why former workers have left the sector. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 21

22 Figure 3.6: Positive overall impression of sector workers among current and former sector Positive overall impression of sector workers - by contact through work 74% Early years workers 78% 87% 68% Social care workers 81% 62% 50% Social workers 57% 50% Working age population (2343) Current SfC&D sector workers (449) Previous SfC&D sector workers (EY= 151, C=182, SW= 58) workers Jobseekers perceptions of sector workers 3.10 The opinions of jobseekers regarding sector workers are noteworthy as these represent a key target group for attracting people to careers in the SfC&D sectors. Jobseekers are more likely not to have used any of the three sectors (35% compared to 29% of the working age population) but more likely to have worked in the sector previously (26% compared to 15% of the working age population). Their opinions about sector workers, however, are largely congruent with those of the working age population and no notable differences can be reported. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 22

23 Jobseekers perceptions of sector workers Early years workers 77% 74% Care workers 68% 68% Social workers 54% 50% Jobseekers (397) Working age population (2343) Figure 3.7: Jobseekers perceptions of sector workers Varying overall impressions amongst different demographic groups Gender 3.11 Many of the occupations covered by SfC&D are traditionally associated with women. While the workforce is still predominantly female (83% of current sector workers are female), women also use all three sector services considerably more than men (50% vs. 37%) This combination of more experience of working in as well as using the sector might suggest a more positive attitude towards the sector by women, but in fact the early years sector is the only one with notably more positive ratings from women (77% compared to 72% from men). Social workers are viewed slightly more negatively by women with negative scores higher by 5 percentage points. Age 3.13 Age also has an impact on overall impressions of the three sectors. The youngest members of the working age population (aged 16 to 34) have the most positive perception of sector workers, exceeding that of the working age population in all cases. Positive perceptions then slightly decrease IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 23

24 amongst year olds across all sub-sectors (with a significant decrease of 10% for social workers) and stay at about the same level amongst year olds. As year-olds are the most frequent users of early years and social work services one might expect them to have slightly better opinions of these workers than the other two age groups. This is however only partly the case for early years workers, who are better perceived by the middle age group (74%) than by those aged (68%). Figure 3.8: Positive overall impression of sector workers by age group Positive overall impression of sector workers by age group 79% Early years workers 74% 68% 74% Care workers 64% 65% 58% Social workers 44% 48% (357) (1174) (790) Ethnicity 3.14 Ethnicity does not appear to affect people s perceptions of early years or care workers. People with a non-white ethnic background regard social workers more positively (59% compared to 49% of white people).this cannot be explained by having more experience of the sector as they are neither more likely to work in any of the sectors nor more likely to use them than the white working population. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 24

25 4 Job Orientation Preferences Introduction 4.1 To understand the impact of the sector job perceptions discussed in Chapter 3 on recruitment and retention in the SfC&D sub-sectors, one needs to look at the extent to which perceptions of jobs in the sector match what different groups of people want from a job. In this chapter we discuss the varying priorities of the working age population, sector workers and jobseekers with regards to job attributes. The working age population was asked to rate the importance of the job motivators and hygiene factors for them. Overall job orientation preferences 4.2 Throughout the analysis the job attributes have been divided, according to Herzberg s two-factor theory, into motivators and hygiene factors. According to the theory, motivators lead to job satisfaction when present, while hygiene factors lead to job dissatisfaction when not present. Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not at either end of a continuum, but work independently from each other. Therefore the characteristics are presented and discussed according to these two groups, throughout the relevant sections. The motivators and hygiene factors covered in the survey are shown in the following table. Table 4.1: Job priorities by gender and age Motivators Work you like doing The opportunity to use your abilities Good training provision A job where you can use your initiative Good promotion prospects Hygiene Factors A secure job Friendly people to work with Good pay Job has status, people respect and value the work Choice and convenience in your hours of work Good fringe benefits beyond basic pay Work is not too physically demanding An easy work load 4.3 In line with Herzberg s theory, the job attributes that people considered most important are broadly the motivators. With the exception of promotion prospects, all motivators were considered essential or very important by over three-quarters of the working age population. People placed significantly less value on promotions prospects than the other motivators, although still over half (54%) rate them as essential or very important. Expectations may also have been reduced because of the poor economic outlook and lack of opportunities for advancement more generally. 4.4 While the motivators were generally the most important factors, there were certain hygiene factors that were given a similar level of priority. Notably, over four-fifths (84%) of the working age population valued job security highly, placing this attribute on an equal footing with the most important motivator (work you like doing). Friendly people to work with and good pay were also highly valued by around three-quarters of the population, as shown in Figure 5.1. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 25

26 Hygiene Factors Motivators Caring Careers: Figure 4.1: Job priorities working age population Job priorities working age population Work you like doing 3% 13% 44% 40% The opportunity to use your abilities 3% 18% 46% 32% Good training provision 6% 17% 42% 35% A job where you can use your initiative 4% 20% 46% 29% Good promotion prospects 15% 30% 38% 16% A secure job 3% 13% 45% 39% Friendly people to work with 4% 20% 45% 30% Good pay 4% 25% 42% 29% Job has status, people respect and value the work 16% 25% 39% 20% Choice and convenience in your hours of work 12% 35% 35% 17% Good fringe benefits beyond basic pay 21% 37% 29% 12% Work is not too physically demanding 38% 33% 19% 8% An easy work load 45% 31% 15% 8% Base: all working age population (2,343) Fairly important Not very important Very important Essential 4.5 While the attributes discussed above were considered the most important, this is not to suggest that other factors are unimportant. Over half the working age population also valued status/respect and choice and convenience in working hours highly. The only factors which were considered less important by the majority were fringe benefits, work that is not too physically demanding, and an easy workload. The high percentages shown across the range of attributes suggest that for most people, a variety of factors are important for overall job satisfaction (e.g. achieving work life balance was not specifically addressed as part of the survey). Demographic differences 4.6 In general, men and women expressed similar priorities regarding job characteristics; however there were certain notable differences. Women were considerably more likely to value choice and convenience in working hours (61% compared with 44% of men) and were also more likely to value work that is not too physically demanding (32% compared with 23%). These findings are unsurprising, given typical family arrangements and physical differences respectively, however women also placed a higher value than men on training provision and job security. By contrast, men were slightly more concerned with promotion prospects. IFF Report Prepared for SfC&D 26