Care and Support Workers work with people who need direct care and support. This role is responsible for an individual’s overall comfort, supporting them with social and physical activities, as well as promoting their independence and choice.
Social care is provided in several different settings, meaning that a Care or Support Worker could be working in
- Residential Care – referred to as a care home for the elderly as most residents are in this demographic and are finding independent living more difficult
- Domiciliary Care – domiciliary care worker is a paid care professional who visits people in their own homes, helping them to continue living independently.
- Nursing Home – Nursing care is a specialist package of support delivered by specially trained carers and overseen by a qualified clinical nurse.
- Learning Disability Care – When a person lives with a learning disability, a carer can support them with their development, their social and communication skills and any other support needs that may arise as a result of their learning disability.
Shifts can vary between each role and can involve day services, a number of short home visits that could be spread over the day, or 24 hour care.
They work with people who have different care and support needs, including adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, substance misuse issues, people with mental health support needs and older people. Every day is different when you work in social care, but key aspects of the role include supporting with:
- Social and physical activities
- Personal care such as washing and dressing
- Preparing meals or eating and drinking
- An individual’s physical and mental wellbeing
- Helping with administering medication or monitoring fluid intake
- Attending appointments
- Shopping and money management
- Helping people to live as independently as possible
- Enabling people to live a fulfilling life
- Ensuring care plans are followed and kept up to date
- Monitoring an individual’s health and wellbeing and liaising with other professionals where needed.
This role is for you if you are kind, caring and compassionate and want to make a difference. You will need to be able to work on your own initiative, as well as working as part of a team. Good listening and communication skills are essential as well as having the right values, behaviours and attitude.
