Changing employment policy, practice and conditions in Social Care (Professor Ian Cunningham)

Essential workers in the UK Social Care sector are some of the lowest paid, with some of the poorest terms and conditions of employment. Professor Ian Cunningham has conducted several research projects that have initiated change in employment policy, practice and conditions. This research included benchmarking research on pay and conditions and research on personalisation at UNISON (one the UK’s largest unions, with 1.3 million members). Professor Cunningham also investigated the management of change at Cornerstone, a leading provider of care and support services for adults, children and young people with disabilities and other support needs, supporting approximately 3,000 individuals and their families and employing 1,700 staff.

In collaboration with key bodies in the sector, this research has produced longitudinal data that has been recognised as driving system-wide changes to recruitment and retention. Working with UNISON and four Voluntary Sector (VS) providers, the research raised the profile of the VS workforce in the union and led to improvements in recruitment. The research also led to increased pay and improved conditions for front-line care staff, and more open and inclusive dialogue in the change management process. It has influenced sector-wide policy in Scotland and improved terms and conditions for essential workers, specifically 600 workers at ARK Housing, a not-for-profit charity and registered social landlord employing over 900 staff across Scotland.

Selected Publications:

• Cunningham, I., Baines, D., & Charlesworth, S. (2014). Government funding, employment conditions, and work organization in non‐profit community services: a comparative study. Public Administration, 92(3), 582-598.
• Cunningham, I. (2016). Non-profits and the ‘hollowed out’ state: the transformation of working conditions through personalizing social care services during an era of austerity. Work, Employment and Society, 30(4), 649-668.
• Cunningham, I., Lindsay, C., & Roy, C. (2020). Diaries from the front line: formal supervision and job quality among social care workers during austerity. Human Resource Management Journal.