Who works in social care?

What’s it like working in social care as a support worker?

Being a support worker is a challenging but rewarding role. It provides an opportunity to make a real and positive difference to someone else’s life every day.

Support workers make sure the people they support are able to live with as much independence and choice as possible. Common tasks include supporting people to:

• get out and about, and take part in hobbies and leisure activities
• prepare food – and enjoy eating it!
• get ready in the morning, including support with personal care and hygiene
• achieve goals identified in support plans, such as gaining work experience, or learning to use public transport
• take medication or attend hospital appointments
• manage money and bills
• carry out household chores
• plan holidays – and sometimes support people to take them
• socialise with friends, or visit family.

At Hft, we use the Fusion Model of Support to make sure that the people we support stay at the centre of everything we do. This means taking a person-centred approach. We take the time to understand the person we support. This means learning:

• how they like to communicate
• what motivates them
• what frustrates them
• what they want to achieve.

This takes time and patience. But when a support worker has the answers to these questions, the impact they can have is huge.

Browse our current job vacancies

What qualifications do support workers need?

You don’t need any specific qualifications or experience to start work for Hft as a support worker. But having a Diploma in Health and Social Care at level 2 or 3, or an intention to get one, is definitely a positive. We provide full training to all new starters.

What training do support workers undertake?

At Hft, we combine a range of formal training programmes and experiences to allow people to grow. We give comprehensive induction training to every staff member. We also offer ongoing training and support tailored to each person’s needs. For example, if you’re supporting someone who experiences seizures, you’ll have specialist training on how to deal with this. This will often involve shadowing more experienced staff to give you as much practical training as possible.

Hft has achieved ‘Endorsed Provider’ status under the Skills for Care Endorsement Framework. This is a mark of quality awarded to providers that deliver the best learning and development programmes in the adult social care sector.

What development opportunities are there for support workers?

Qualifications

You can work towards a qualification like the Diploma in Health and Social Care (Level 2 or 3), which is a great way to grow your skills. These qualifications are for people already working in social care who want to show they have the right knowledge, values, and behaviour for the job.

You will learn about important topics like:

• putting the person you support at the centre of your work
• keeping people safe and protected in health and social care.

You can take a diploma that follows a generic pathway, or you can choose to specialise in a specific area, such as dementia or learning disabilities.

There are also a range of other qualifications in areas such as diabetes, end of life care and autism. These are useful for people who want to continue their professional development or tailor their learning to their role.

Read more about the various qualification options on Skills for Care’s website.

Career advancement

At Hft, we have a programme called the “Operations Development Pathway.” This programme gives staff training and support to help them learn new skills and move forward in their careers.

Examples of programmes include:

• training to go from Support Worker to Senior Support Worker
• training to go from Senior Support Worker to Registered Cluster Manager.

If you work at Hft and have finished your probation period, you can apply to join one of these.

What skills are important for support workers?

Great support workers are caring, enthusiastic, and patient. They’re clear communicators and committed to supporting people with learning disabilities to get the most out of life.

What kind of hours do support workers work?

Hft and many other providers base rotas around supported people’s needs. Vacancies should show what the working hours will be for particular roles. These vary depending on whether the role is part-time or full-time.

For many roles, evening and weekend work is sometimes needed. This will always be planned in advance to allow support workers as much notice as possible.

Are there different kinds of support workers?

Yes, there are lots of different roles available to support staff.

• Support Workers keep the people they support at the centre of everything they do. They work to ensure that the people they support have every chance to live the best life possible.

• Community Support Workers visit people living in their own homes. They provide support that helps the person to live with more independence and choice.

• Residential Support Workers support learning disabled people in a residential care setting.

• Relief Support Workers carry out the same tasks as Support Workers, and have the same training. The difference is that the role isn’t contracted.

• Senior Support Workers combine support work with managing a team. This is a career progression opportunity for Support Workers keen to develop.

• Registered Cluster Managers are responsible for a ‘cluster’ of services. They make sure these services deliver high quality, person-centred support at all times.

Can I do an apprenticeship in social care?

The apprenticeship programme at Hft is nationally recognised. You will gain a Care Certificate, skills, experience, and a Health and Social Care Diploma. At the same time, you’ll work full time and earn a support worker’s salary.

Paid apprenticeships are a great opportunity if you’re new to the social care sector or if you want to gain formal qualifications.

To find apprenticeship opportunities, browse our current vacancies.

How many people work in social care?

Skills for Care’s ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2017’ report states that there are 1.58 million social care jobs in England. Of those, 820,000 are ‘care worker’ roles and 85,000 are ‘senior care worker’ roles.

Browse our current vacancies to find support work opportunities near you.