CARE WORKERS
Care workers assist people in their own homes, or occasionally, residential care homes, extra care housing complexes or sheltered housing units, or day centres.
The type of care will vary from person to person, but may include:
Personal Care
The services offered by Domiciliary Care Agencies often include help with bodily functions such as feeding, bathing, help with the toilet etc. This may also include physical and intimate contact, such as help into and out of the bath, or dressing.
Our carers’ will often offer advice, motivation and supervision to clients who are capable and self sufficient enough to perform small tasks and allowing them to retain their independence.
Practical Support
Domestic tasks include laundry, cleaning, shopping, taking people out to the shops, doctors or other social events.
Family Support Workers
Family support workers provide emotional and practical help and advice to families and individuals who are experiencing long- or short-term difficulties.
You may show parents how things can be done and then support them until they can carry out the tasks on their own.
You would work with a range of health and social care professionals and you would keep accurate and up to date client records.
Most employers will want you to have experience and qualifications that demonstrate your ability and potential for this work. You could get the experience you need through paid or voluntary work; For example:
- children's homes
- nurseries
- family refuge centres
- probation services
- family community centres
- Rural Comunities
- Health Agencies
Enhanced CRB must be in place before you can commence working.
Within each of these areas, there are qualifications you could take that may give you an advantage when applying for a specific support workers job. These include:
- NVQ levels 2, 3 and 4 in Children's Care, Learning and Development
- NVQ levels 2, 3 and 4 in Health and Social Care
- Mental health services
- Youth work projects.
Support Work
Do you think you could:
- cope with people who might be schizophrenic, depressed or have some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder?
- be non-judgmental about people in difficulty, whether or not their difficulties may be perceived as being self-imposed?
- think and act calmly under pressure?
- offer someone emotional as well as practical support, by just listening to them and ‘being there’ for them?
If so, then being a support worker might be the job for you. You could make a real difference to people’s lives by helping them achieve some degree of personal independence within the community. Support workers may be called community support workers, home care support workers or support workers (mental health).
A Support Workers role is to help people with mental health/learning disability problems overcome everyday difficulties. Support workers encourage and give practical support to such people who on being discharged from hospital want to live independently.
Work Environment
Some support workers work in residential homes with long or short-term care residents. Others offer a support service within the local community for those clients who are in supported housing. Their work might include shopping with the client, taking them to appointments or simply being with them in their home environment.
Support workers usually have a number of clients that they get to know very well.
They have meetings and training courses with other colleagues.
Hours can vary and are often flexible, including evening and weekend work and sleep-in duties (to provide support in case of emergency). Support workers might work on a rota or shift basis to ensure a 24-hour a day service to clients.
Other Support Officers role that you could apply for include:
- Intervention Support Officers (Bail Hostel Officers)
- Supported Housing Workers / Officers
- Floating Support Workers / Officers
Supported Housing - typical responsibilities
- You will be asked to advise on housing and welfare benefits
- You will need to demonstrate an understanding of working directly with vulnerable people; this can include tenants with ill health, elderly, behavioural issues, domestic violence and homeless.
- Participate in the selection of new tenants through interviews and applications
- Review and enforce tenancy agreements
- To provide on-going help and support to residents wishing to enable them to successfully manage their move-on tenancy or ensure tenancies are renewed
- To assist residents in accessing education, training and employment opportunities and to support them in their placements
- To prepare residents for independent living by offering advice and support on practical issues such as budgeting
- You will need to be IT literate with good verbal and writing skills
- Many roles require you to have flexible working hours as weekend and sleep-ins are part of the working hours. You may also be required to attend local meetings
- Some jobs require you to have a car
Floating Support Worker / Officer
As Floating Support Worker your main responsibility is to provide a support service to a caseload of generic client group who have previously been in supported housing. You will be required to maximise their Independence in the community, aid re-habitation and avoid re-admission into supported housing.
You will provide support on setting up their home, welfare benefits, budgeting, equipping their home, health issues and independent living skills.
Candidates are required to have previous experience supporting clients within a vulnerable client group and have a working knowledge of Welfare Benefits and the Supporting People Contract. Access to own transport is essential due to location traveling and an Enhanced CRB must be in place.
Entry Requirements
There are no specific minimum entry requirements, although a GNVQ in Health and Social Care is an advantage and entrants need to be literate and numerate.
Previous experience of working with people in a social care/support setting can be very useful.
Some authorities might offer the opportunity to work towards NVQ/SVQ in Care (e.g. Certificate in Mental Health) modules.
They also need to hold a valid, clean driving license.
INTERESTED IN TRAINING ?
Our Training Company can provide you with the necessary training to get you on your way to being a Support Worker / Care Worker.
We can provide you with training for:
- Health & Safety
- Manual Handling – Moving of people
- Food Hygiene
- First Aid
- Child Protection
- Protection of Vulnerable Adults
- Challenging Behaviour
- Basic Theory in Care
- Risk Assessment
Register your interest by emailing:
michael@picknmixrecruitment.co.uk
josie@picknmixrecruitment.co.uk
GETTING THE NECESSARY EXPERIENCE
Whilst acquiring your training into the health sector, why not get direct experience by volunteering in your chosen field of learning.
You can get more information from your local authority by calling and asking for their local voluntary groups that provides a service in Health & Social Care. Or
Suggested Websites:
www.stonewall.org.uk. – Youth / Young People
www.volunteering.com.au – Care Worker
www.communityni.org – Support Worker
Alternatively Google local voluntary groups.
Criminal Disclosures
CRB (Criminal Record Bureau)
If you would like to apply for a CRB contact Pick N Mix Recruitment.
Documents to bring with you when applying for a disclosure. You will need two forms of identification to go in with your form. You can supply 2 from group 1, or 1 from group 1 and 1 from group 2.
Group 1
Passport
Identity Card
Birth Certificate
Driving license with photo card
Group 2
Utility bill (gas, electricity, water, telephone)
Council tax book / letter
Correspondence from Inland Revenue
Bank Statement
Correspondence from Job Centre / Inland Revenue
P45 / P60
Pay slip
College letter
Workers Registration Scheme letter (WRS) correspondence
Previous CRB / CRC disclosure |
