The expanded Care Workforce Pathway is welcome, and now it needs legal backing and a place for senior care workers
London, 21 July 2026.
The Care Workers’ Charity welcomes Part 3 of the Care Workforce Pathway, alongside the new Fair Pay Agreement Negotiating Body, and urges government to back the pathway in law, support employers to adopt it, recognise the Senior Care Worker role, and link progression to pay.
The Care Workers’ Charity (CWC) welcomes the publication of Part 3 of the Care Workforce Pathway, which lands alongside the new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body we welcomed last week. Together they are a hopeful step towards recognising care work as the skilled profession it is.
Part 3 adds ten new role categories, extending the pathway to care technologists, activity co-ordinators and, for the first time, care-adjacent roles such as catering and maintenance. Recognising the full breadth of the workforce is welcome, and more people can now see themselves in a national career structure.
There is more to do. The pathway has grown outwards across the sector, but the core frontline ladder is still incomplete. Seniority is partly captured by the enhanced care worker and supervisor or leader categories, yet there is still no distinct Senior Care Worker role, one of the most widely used job titles in the sector. Experienced workers who lead shifts, mentor colleagues and oversee medication have no clear place of their own. That matters when progression has stalled: a care worker with five or more years of experience now earns just 10 pence an hour more than someone starting out, down from 33 pence in 2016. Our own Wellbeing Survey finds limited career progression among the reasons care workers most often give for leaving. A career structure only changes lives if its steps are recognised and paid.
A pathway is also only as strong as its uptake, and adoption is currently voluntary and unfunded. To make a real difference it needs legislative backing and practical, funded support for employers to put it into practice, especially smaller providers, and it should be linked to the Fair Pay Agreement so that a recognised role carries recognised pay. As those pay negotiations get under way, we continue to urge that care workers’ own experience informs them directly, alongside the unions and employers at the table.
Karolina Gerlich, Chief Executive of The Care Workers’ Charity, said:
“Expanding the pathway is a step forward, and it is good to see more of the workforce recognised in a national career structure. But care workers keep telling us they cannot see how to progress, and that experience is not rewarded. A pathway with no room for the Senior Care Worker role, that thousands of them already do, is not yet the ladder they need. A pathway that employers are only encouraged to adopt will not shift pay on its own. It needs legislative weight, real support for employers, and a direct link to the Fair Pay Agreement so that progression finally comes with proper pay. Care workers should help shape all of this. There is no National Care Service without them.”
What needs to change
The Care Workers’ Charity is calling for:
- A distinct, nationally recognised Senior Care Worker role within the Care Workforce Pathway, so the most common frontline progression step is clearly defined and visible.
- Legislative backing for the pathway, alongside funded, practical support to help employers adopt it, particularly smaller providers.
- The pathway linked directly to the Fair Pay Agreement, so that recognised roles and skills carry recognised pay.
- Care workers’ direct experience informing the Fair Pay Agreement negotiations, alongside unions and employers, so reform is shaped by those who deliver care.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Interviews available:
- Karolina Gerlich, Chief Executive of The Care Workers’ Charity, available for TV, radio and print interviews. Karolina is a former care worker, regularly briefs MPs and government on social care workforce policy, and has been quoted in national media including BBC News, the Guardian and the Times.
- Care workers with lived experience. The CWC can connect journalists with care workers willing to speak on the record about pay, working conditions, and reliance on the charity’s hardship grants. Case studies available on request.
Sources: Pay progression figures are from Skills for Care. Workforce insights are from the CWC 2025 Wellbeing Survey.
About The Care Workers’ Charity (CWC) The Care Workers’ Charity is the only UK charity dedicated to supporting paid care workers across the social care sector. We have provided over £7 million in crisis grants to over 14,000 care workers. We offer mental well-being support to care workers, ensuring they receive assistance during challenging times. The CWC provides accredited Mental Health First Aid training to care workers and other staff and advocates for policy changes to improve lives and working conditions in the UK. We participate in government roundtables, academic forums, and policy discussions, sharing insights from our grant applicants’ experiences. To learn more about our mission and initiatives, visit www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk.
Registered charity no. 1207208. Registered office: Rushworth Studios, 63 Webber Street, London SE1 0QW. www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk
Broadcast-ready clips, b-roll, photography and care worker case studies available on request.
Media contact: Shanna Wells | shanna@thecwc.org.uk | 07930 992443