Values Based Recruitment and Retention Toolkits

Welcome to the Values-based Recruitment and Retention toolkits. These toolkits were designed and developed to support employers to use and embed a values-based approach to the recruitment and retention of their workforce. The development of the toolkits received funding from the Department of Health (DoH).

The first toolkit – Values-based Recruitment was launched in 2019. The Social Care Council worked in partnership with Northern Ireland social care employers including Mindwise and Priory Adult Care Group and people who use social care services to co-design and develop the toolkit. It includes links to explainer videos alongwith guidance to support employers progress through the four stage approach. This includes links to A Question of Care – A Career for You – an online interactive video challenge based on real life scenarios from the social care sector that can be used as part of employer recruitment processes.

The video below introduces the four-stage approach to values-based recruitment to get you started using a values-based approach.

A second toolkit – Values-based Retention toolkit – What works in valuing and keeping social care practitioners was launched in 2024. The Social Care Council commissioned Julie Hill, Cedar Training and Consultancy to write the content in collaboration with a content reference group which included representatives from social care employers; MindWise, Southern Health and Social Care Trust and Domestic Care NI; the Centre for Independent Living; Gerard McWilliams, Service User and Dr. Shirely Boyle, Academic.

The content of the second toolkit was based on research undertaken by Dr. Shirley Boyle, Academic whom the Social Care Council had commissioned to develop. She produced an evidence review report which was presented to the Social Care Managers Forum in May 2023. Click on the buttons below to review the report and presentation findings.

The second toolkit provides employers with a number of approaches or strategies that they can use and tailor to suit their own organisational and workforce needs.

You can access the toolkits below: