59041National Care ForceClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UKThe social care sector has been especially hard-hit by the recent Covid-19 pandemic with around 250k staff currently sick or self-isolating; meanwhile the users of these services still need to receive the care and dignity they deserve. Staffing in the social care sector will continue to be difficult for many structural reasons; hence, some of this shortfall must be met by bringing volunteers to the sector. This will have extensive benefits, not only for the social care providers and the individuals involved, but also for the wider communities they are part of. Volunteers working in the social care sector must be suitably vetted (ID and background checks) and able to help. Finding such volunteers is traditionally inefficient and time consuming for all involved. These factors often deter organisations from accessing a potentially willing pool of volunteers to help support them in their care settings. To address these needs, the National Care Force is applying for funding to develop an innovative Applicant Tracking System ("ATS") designed especially to support the social care sector in sourcing and communicating effectively with volunteers through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. The system will incorporate: * Dynamic Volunteer ID Verification; * Management of volunteer compliance requirements to meet the Care Quality Commission (or equivalent) standards at scale * Validation of Covid-19 status of the social care provider and its users; * Validation of Covid-19 antibody status of volunteers; * Multi-site support for large scale care providers to manage volunteers at scale; * In-system messaging between providers and volunteers to increase efficiency and speed. This system will help with: * Speed of recruitment of volunteers to the social care sector; * Attracting new groups of volunteers to the sector via tech-enabled solution; * Establishment of ongoing relationships between providers and volunteers; * Effectiveness of volunteer recruitment efforts for already-stretched teams; * Reduction in rates of transmission of Covid-19 within the social care sector; * Safety and protection for both volunteers and providers. The National Care Force was created to connect volunteers wanting to support the social care sector with providers that need help. While it was established to meet the immediate staffing shortages of social care providers in the current crisis, we intend for it to become a sustainable and cost-effective solution to support social care providers in the long-term.