A new report on volunteering in social care
We’ve published a new report exploring how social care volunteers transition into paid work in the sector. The research was carried out by a team at the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School and the University of South Wales.
Volunteering journeys: findings
This new report sets out the findings from a study on how volunteering can be a pathway to paid work in social care.
Volunteers in social care can build connections, gain experience and skills. Where volunteering is a successful pathway into paid work, there are supportive practices and initiatives in place.
However, the research also shows that there are limited opportunities for volunteering in general within regulated social care. This means there aren’t many examples of where volunteering provides a pathway to paid work in these settings.
According to Care Inspectorate Wales data for 2024 to 2025, there were only 89 recorded volunteers in a regulated workforce of more than 70,000.
The findings set out in the report help us understand more about things like:
- the different ways people move between volunteering and paid work
- the skills and experience volunteering can help build
- what can help make the transition from volunteering to paid work successful
- the potential barriers to volunteering leading to paid roles.
Background
The current report builds on a previous research study we commissioned to look at how volunteering contributes to social care in Wales.
The focus of the earlier research, also funded by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) was volunteering in residential care homes supporting older people in Wales.
You can read more about that research here: Understanding the role of volunteering in social care.
Find out more
You can access the full report here: Volunteering journeys.
There’s more information about volunteering in social care here: Understanding the role of volunteering in social care.
