Essay preview
Your guide to a career in
social care, social work
and healthcare.
It’s hard work,
demanding and
challenging. It’s also
rewarding, satisfying
and worthwhile.
contents
c o n t e n ts
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
your future starts here
job roles
qualification grid
career routes
frequently asked questions
your next step
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your future starts here
1. your future starts here
Are you interested in a challenging and
rewarding career? Do you want to make a
difference to people’s lives? Then consider
working in social care, social work or in the health sector. This booklet describes the training you can do to support
your chosen career path.
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your future starts here
are you ...?
A good communicator
Keen to learn
Compassionate
Positive
Patient
Cool under pressure
Interested in people
Keen on being part of a valued
service
do you want a career
that offers ...?
Job satisfaction
Good long term employment
prospects
Good training leading to
recognised qualifications and
career progression
The chance to make a real
difference to people’s lives
Working environments to suit
your preference
A range of opportunities and a real
future
A job where every day is different
If all this is you - then a career in
health and social care may be just
what you're looking for.
There is a huge range of jobs open to you,
with many offering flexible hours that might
suit you better than the conventional nine to
five. You could also choose to work part
time. But however you choose to work you
will be doing a job that is varied and
worthwhile. There are entry routes available
for people of all ages and all levels of
experience. Entrants to the workforce
include those starting work for the first time,
those returning to work after a break and
those looking for a change of career. The
most important qualities you need are an
interest in people and a respect for what
makes them special.
Jeff Wheelwright
Social Care
Broker
Jeff helps employers
to invest in their
staff by giving
advice on training
and development.
Employed by the sector
skills council, Skills for Care, his job
is to work with all agencies to achieve
a competent, qualified workforce.
Jeff started work in the care sector 29
years ago after completing a BA Degree
in Politics. He explains: "I was drawn to
residential care after a holiday job in a
geriatric hospital. I thought there were
things we could do better to improve the
quality of life for service users. I still think
that today – we can always improve, but I
am proud of many of the changes I have
seen over my working life.”
After working as a care assistant in a
residential home Jeff moved into
fieldwork. He was paid by his employer to
train to be a social worker and has since
worked in a wide variety of care settings
and roles, including direct work,
management & teaching.
Jeff explains: “There are always
opportunities for people who want to
work in the care sector. You can develop
both your career and your lifestyle in line
with your own interests. Experience &
qualifications are in demand throughout
the UK - my own family has enjoyed
living in Scotland and Northumberland
before settling back in East Yorkshire.”
Jeff concludes: “What’s great about
working in social care is that you can
make a real difference to someone’s
quality of life. It’s a big responsibility and
the rewards, in terms of job satisfaction,
are second to none.”
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job roles
2. job roles
about social care
Working in social care will give you the
opportunity to help many different people
lead fulfilling lives. You could choose to
support older people and work as a home
care assistant or in a residential care home.
Other jobs include working with children,
families and young people and people with
physical or learning disabilities.
Home Care Assistants give the practical
support and regular human contact that
matter so much to older people, or others
who rely on help to live at home. Providing
someone with care in their own home gives
them dignity and independence. Home
carers provide assistance with a wide range
of tasks including washing, dressing and
making meals.
Residential Care can become the best
solution for people who, because of age or
physical or learning disabilities are no
longer able to cope in their own home.
Sometimes children also need to move into
residential homes. Staff work to create safe,
clean and homely environments where
people can live in comfort and are treated
with dignity.
Binoy and
Syamkumar
Senior Care
Officers
Binoy and
Syamkumar
are senior care
officers at The Old School House
and Courtyard Nursing Home in
Gilberdyke. They came to England
from Southern India approximately 3
months ago.
Binoy explains: “We completed a 3 year
general nursing course in India and have
over 4 years practical experience of
nursing. We came here to experience the
lifestyle and to earn money.”
Binoy and Syamkumar work full-time
looking after elderly residents with
dementia.
Syamkumar says: “The job is very
rewarding, everyone is different and you
finish your day knowing you have made
a difference to someone’s quality of life.
The important thing is making sure
people have as much dignity as
possible.”
Working in the Community can mean
working as part of an outreach team, for
example, visiting homes where parents are
finding it difficult to cope with their children,
helping people who are involved in drug or
alcohol misuse or helping someone with a
learning disability who is living
independently for the first time.
Useful Weblinks
www.socialcarecareers.co.uk
www.skillsforcare.co.uk
Binoy and Syamkumar are in England on
a 2 year work permit after which they
hope to return to India.
Binoy concludes: “This is a great place
to work. The job is very good and we
enjoy working here. The most important
part of the job is knowing that we are
helping to improve the quality of people’s
lives.”
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job roles
about social work
about health
As a social worker you are a professional
doing a varied and worthwhile job which
focuses on improving people’s well-being.
Your daily activities can be extremely
rewarding because you spend much of your
time helping vulnerable people to make
crucial decisions and to regain control of
their lives. Social work involves engaging
not only with clients themselves, but with
their families and friends as well as working
closely with other organisations including
the police, the health service, schools and
the probation service. Social work offers the
opportunity to work in different settings with
different client groups.
The health service offers a wide range of
employment opportunities for many people.
Adult Services can include working with
people with mental health problems or
learning disabilities in residential care;
working with offenders, by supervising them
in the community and supporting them to
find work; assisting people with HIV/AIDS
and working with older people at home,
helping to sort out problems with their
health, housing or benefits.
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
work with children and adults of all ages
who are ill or have disabilities or special
needs. Their skills and expertise can often
be a significant factor in helping people to
recover movement or mobility, overcome
visual problems, improve nutritional status,
develop communication abilities or restore
confidence.
The Dental Team includes dentists, dental
nurses, hygienists, technicians and
therapists who diagnose and provide
treatment for a range of problems affecting
the mouth, teeth and gums.
Doctors diagnose, care for and treat
illnesses, infections and diseases. As a
doctor you have to examine the symptoms
presented by a patient and consider a range
of possible diagnoses of their cause.
Nurses care for adults or children, or those
Children, Families and Young
People’s Services can include providing
assistance and advice to keep families
together; working in children's homes;
managing adoption and foster care
processes; providing support to younger
people leaving care or who are at risk or in
trouble with the law; or helping children who
have problems at school or are facing
difficulties brought on by illness in the
family.
As a social worker you have scope to
manage your own time and make your own
decisions. It's all about improving people’s
lives and helping them to make choices.
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