The West Midlands Care Association has been the voice of the care industry within the region for over thirty years. The Association offers the crucial support care providers require to deliver sustainable excellence within community, nursing, special needs and residential home settings.


Quick Links


Membership of the West Midlands Care Association offers a raft of advantages to all types of care providers. We offer a comprehensive suite of support services that allow you to concentrate on providing top quality care. Find out more about what we do, or join our membership by clicking the buttons below


WMCA Excellence

in Care Awards

2025

www.excellencein.care

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The Nomination Window has Opened!

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We are pleased to announce that this years WMCA Excellence in Care Awards are now open!


We have 12 categories this year, and each winner will win a personalised trophy and £500 in cash!


Anyone who nominates will also be entered into a prize draw to win one of five £100 Amazon vouchers


The nomination window will close on 1 August 2025 so get nominating!!!!

FIND OUT MORE

STOP PRESS

We've added a new award category to recognise the contribution that our sponsored workforce have made.

More details by clicking in the button above.

WMCA Autumn Providers Conference:

Taking your social care business forward in an uncertain world


2 October 2023

9.30am - 3.00pm


Portway Lifetsyle Centre

Oldbury


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Discover strategies to elevate your social care business in an ever-changing landscape.

Join us at "Taking Your Social Care Business Forward in an Uncertain World" to gain insights, best practices, and networking opportunities that will empower you to navigate challenges and seize new opportunities.


Don't miss this chance to future-proof your organization and make a positive impact.


Register now!


FIND OUT MORE AND BOOK

West Midlands Care Association DBS Service


Fast online criminal records checks


West Midlands Care Association DBS System

The WMCA DBS System allows employers to submit electronic applications and quickly receive the results.

WMCA offer Care Providers a self administered system which can be accessed 24 hours a day. Users have their own secure control panel from where they can add new candidates, monitor the progress of their applications a more importantly see the results as they come in.


Most importantly our staff understand the Care Industry so can answer your DBS questions in a way generic services cannot


WMCA members receive a substantial discount on each search compared to our standard prices

For more information click the buttons on the right

Members Area


Our exclusive members only area of the website includes lots of resources only available to our members including how to access the FREE member HR and Legal Helplines and other supplier discounts (password required)



WMCA Members WhatsApp Group

We have set up a members Whatsapp group, which will enable us to update you with:


  • Our latest events
  • Our latest updates, including added membership benefits and new partnerships that you can benefit from
  • Latest sector news
  • Announcement of the 2025 Excellence in Care Awards nomination window opening
  • An opportunity to network with other members and get support

 

If you would like to be added to this Whatsapp group, click on the button below, read the Terms of Reference and fill in the details on the form (Requires Members Password)

The Care Association Alliance

The national voice of local care provision


The Care Association Alliance (CAA) is a collective of local care associations - including WMCA - from across England representing nearly 10000 care providers.


Established to strengthen the voice of independent adult social care providers, the CAA serves as a vital link between local services and national policy-makers.


West Midlands Care Association was one of the founding members of the CAA, and through it our own members benefit from being part of a nationwide collective network and having their voice heard by national government.


For more information about the CAA,  and how through your WMCA membership you have a national voice , please click
here


Latest News and Useful Information


We're recruiting!

Marketing and Events Manager

Permanent

37.5 hours per week (negotiable),

Between Monday - Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm

£31000 - 33000pa dependant on experience

Share this opportunity



More Details

WMCA News

Latest news from the DHSC

July 29, 2025
Published July 2025 (data correct as at 2024/25) Skills for Care have launched their annual report on the size and structure of ythe care workforce This provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England. A short, written report is available: download a copy of the report here. The methodology for this year’s report has changed from previous years. Adult social care related roles employed by the NHS are no longer included in the headline statistics for the size of the adult social care workforce. This change has been applied retrospectively to previous years, so the trends in this report are consistent. Comparing figures from this report to previous reports will not produce a valid trend. Also, our estimates for the number of filled posts in the independent sector now come from our automated data pipeline. This has resulted in substantial improvements to our estimates over time and some figures have changed as a result from previous versions of this report. For further information, see our statement.  To download the data behind the visualisation below, including trended information, please see the Workforce estimates page.
July 24, 2025
Student nurses set for skills boost through new adult social care placements
July 23, 2025
What is happening with the Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care webinar On Tuesday 15 July 2025, Skills for Care was joined by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to share an overview of the Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) for adult social care. During the webinar, colleagues at DHSC explained what a FPA is, why it is being introduced and what this means for the sector. Details about the Employment Rights Bill and how this provides the legislative framework for FPAs were also shared. The webinar explored how the Government has been engaging with the sector so far, and ways in which those working in adult social care can get involved, including plans for a public consultation later this year. The event concluded with a Q and A A recording of the webinar is now available for you to view.
More News

Social Media



Our Social Media feeds are updated daily with the latest news from the association and from around the care industry

To get the latest uptodate news and notifications of our events, follow us on Facebook, Threads, Linkedin and Instagram by clicking the links below. If you are a WMCA member you can also join the members WhatsApp group by clicking the WhatsApp logo.



Newsletters



WMCA publishes a weekly members newsletter with government updates and whats new in the industry and the Care Association. 


You can access the archive by clicking on the button below (requires members password)


WMCA Newsletter Archive

Facebook Feed


Advice to Care Providers

At WMCA we try to keep our members up to date of new developments in the industry on a regulatory level or just general advice on business matters



Advice to New Providers

Setting up a new care service can be daunting. Once you've completed your CQC registration, what do you do next?

Click on the button below to access some advice for new adult social care providers, which we hope is useful.


NEW PROVIDERS

Advice on Business Issues

Whether you are setting up a new business or running an established one, the care sector presents a unique set of challenges


We have produced information pages which are designed to help you with numerous business challenges, such as marketing, cost control and business continuity

BUSINESS ADVICE

Advice on Recruiting

Recruitment and Retention are perennial issues for the care sector


The Care Association has been advising its members for many years on various elements of recruitment and we also work with trusted partners who can help you.


We have produced  information pages which are designed to help you with numerous recruitment challenges.


RECRUITING

Advice on Regulation

Adult Social Care is one of the most heavily regulated sectors of industry and the legislation can be a minefield.


We operate Free helpines for members on HR and Legal Matters.


We have produced information pages which are designed to help you with numerous challenges.


REGULATION

International Recruitment Support

www.wmca.international



The West Midlands Care Association is working in partnership with other care associations,  West Midlands ADASS, West Midlands Employers, Local Authorities and the independent provider sector, to provide international recruitment support across the region

STOP PRESS - Care Worker VISAs for new out of country applications to end 22 July 2025

Following the publication of the Government's white paper on changes to immigration rules, it was formally announced by the Home Office on the 1 July 2025 that new out of country Care Worker Visa applications will end on the 22 July 2025.  This means you can no longer recruit carers from overseas.   You can still recruit sponsored workers who are already here, but you will not be able to bring new applicants into the UK.  More details here

INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT ADVICE MAIN PAGE

Regional Recruitment Hub

This Hub has been developed to provide information, advice and guidance on international recruitment to the adult social care sector. It has been developed for both providers of adult social care and councils operating in the West Midlands and offers Free advice including legal and HR

WM HUB

Webinars

This Hub is delivering a program of International recruitment webinars which are free to attend for West Midlands based care providers. Details are available on our events pages or by clicking below


Looking to recruit?

Are you a care provider with a valid sponsorship license who is looking to recruit? There may be people already here looking for alternative employment


We are working with displaced individuals who are looking for work. If you are interested in potentially employing any of these individuals then please register your details with us


REGISTER

Additional Advice

We have pulled together additional international recruitment advice for our members. details of which can be accessed below (requires members password)







OTHER ADVICE

Digital Care Support and Security

www.wmca.digital

Care is becoming more digital and it can be confusing when you are a provider what each system does and how it can benefit you.


We've pulled together information on some of the more popular digital solutions, what they mean and if there's any support to help you adopt them.  Click the button for more details



Need Help with the DSPT?

B
Better Security, Better Care is a national and local support programme to help adult social care providers to store and share information safely. It covers paper and digital records and focuses on helping care providers to complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) – the annual, online self-assessment.


West Midlands Care Association is your local support organisation, and offers a raft of online resources, workshops and one to one support, all of which is FREE  to CQC registered providers. 





Upcoming DSPT webinars


We run regular webinars on completing the DSPT which are completely free of charge


You can see the schedule on this page


For further support and resources just click the button below



DSPT Support
December 12, 2024
31 July 2025 12.00pm - 1.00pm
By Keiron Broadbent December 11, 2024
31 July 2025 2.00pm - 3.00pm
By Keiron Broadbent December 10, 2024
5 August 2025 10.00am - 11.00am
More Digital Support Webinars
Events and Training

Events and Training
www.wmca.events


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Upcoming Conferences and Workshops - www.wmca.events


West Midlands Care Association runs events and training for our members and the wider care industry throughout the year

You can see a list of our upcoming events and training on the right hand side of this page. Or see the listings for training sessions and digitisation support further down the page.


Workshops

We organise workshops in partnership with trusted suppliers and partners  to cascade information and training about new or upcoming legislation


Conferences

WMCA run several large scale conferences each year, aimed at Care Homes and Domicilicary Care providers. They are a great opportunity to network with other providers and meet representatives from local authorities, health and suppliers from across the West Midlands.



Previous Events

For materials and presentations from previous events, please click the button below

Previous Events

Exhibiting


We are normally able to offer sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities at most of our events. You can find more information by clicking the button below.

Exhibiting
December 1, 2024
7 August 2025 10.00am - 11.00am
November 1, 2024
7 August 2025 10.30am - 2.00pm
August 1, 2024
14 August 2025 10.00am - 11.00am
July 1, 2024
19 August 2025 10.00am - 11.00am
April 1, 2024
8 September 2025 12.00pm - 1.00pm
More Conferences and Workshops

Upcoming Training Sessions - www.wmca.training



West Midlands Care Association has partnered up with various training providers to cover all of your training needs


As well as the workshops highlighted on this page, we are always open to suggestions from our members and if there is sufficient demand, we will organise workshops for you


If you have specific training requirements please get in touch as we can signpost you to one of our preferred training providers (or use the links below)


We run weekly webinars if you need help with completing the Data Security Protection Toolkit (DSPT), details of which are below. Alternatively, check out our DSPT Help pages



Training Portal
July 1, 2023
19 September 2025 9:30am - 1:30pm
June 15, 2023
25 September 2025 9.30am - 4.30pm

Upcoming Digital Support Webinars - www.wmca.digital



Digital Care support


The West Midlands Care Association is the Local Support Organisation for Better Security Better Care - a national program of support to help you with your digital compliance by completing the Data Security Protection Toolkit (DSPT).


Just look for the DSPT logo in the event listings for helpful webinars and workshops.


For further information on the DSPT support we offer click here


December 12, 2024
31 July 2025 12.00pm - 1.00pm
By Keiron Broadbent December 11, 2024
31 July 2025 2.00pm - 3.00pm
By Keiron Broadbent December 10, 2024
5 August 2025 10.00am - 11.00am
More Digital Support Webinars

Registered Managers Networks - www.skillsforcare.org.uk


The Registered Managers networks are administered through Skills for Care.


Details of upcoming network meetings are available on this page. The events are not organised by WMCA and bookings must be made directly with Skills for Care


For further detaills of the networks in your area, click here



December 1, 2023
11 September 2025 1.30pm - 4.00pm
October 1, 2023
16 September 2025 11:00am - 3:00pm
August 1, 2023
18 September 202500pm - 4.00pm
More Registered Managers Meetings

Institute of Health and Social Care Management
FREE Membership for WMCA Members

www.ihscm.org.uk



The IHSCM is a place for social care and health managers/staff/students to learn, share, and create. It's a supportive environment that aims to provide you with the resources you need whilst also empowering you to share your knowledge with other members.


WMCA is a hub for IHSCM, ensuring our members can benefit form IHSCM services and resources

Your IHSCM membership offers you a wealth of benefits:


  • CPD accredited courses
  • Social care resources - Support Guides and more
  • Free access to events - Including all Health and Social Care Chats
  • Networking opportunities - With our partners and industry leaders
  • Exclusive content created with our partners and members
  • Innovation groups - becoming the solution.


The IHSCM is your place to be the voice of, and for, health and social care.


WMCA Members can join and access the IHSCM for FREE. More details here (requires members password)


Upcoming IHSCM events

April 1, 2024
8 September 2025 12.00pm - 1.00pm
February 1, 2024
10 September 2025 12.00pm - 1.00pm
More IHSCM Events

Advice on Finding Care and Legal Planning



Finding care for yourself or a family member can be daunting prospect.


Help Me Find Care has advice on finding care along with a  directory of our member care providers and advice on the steps you need to take to protect yourself and your family legally, including power of attorney and making a will.