There are numerous roles within the social care sector, each requiring different skills and qualifications. We’ll look at the main types of care roles in this blog.
But first, let’s explore the different types of care provided in the UK. These include:
Domiciliary care: Looking after people in their own homes/community.
Clinical/complex care: Providing more specialised levels of care for people with specific medical conditions. At Cera our nurse-led care provides specialised clinical training to carers looking after service users with complex care needs.
Extra care: A more intensive type of residential care. Service users are still in their own home, but it is within a unit or building dedicated to providing care for a number of individuals. Often they will have communal areas to allow people to socialise.
Assisted living: These facilities are much like Extra Care Units in that they provide housing and support for adults with disabilities and additional needs who cannot, or choose not, to live alone.
End-of-life care: Providing care to those who are at the end of their lives either due to age or illness, but wish to remain in their own or a family home, or within a hospice.
Care for children: Offering supportive care for children who are living with illnesses or disabilities and their families. This type of care often has a cross over with clinical care due to the types of care some children may require.
At Cera we look after people with a wide range of needs, including the elderly, dementia patients, or adults and children with complex or additional needs.
Now let’s explore some of the most common jobs in the social care sector in the UK.
Care Assistant
What do Care Assistants do?
Care Assistants provide direct support to service users, assisting with:
- Personal care
- Medication
- Meal preparation
- Housework
- Mobility
- Companionship/emotional support
For a more detailed overview, read our blog Key Duties of a Carer
Care Assistants need to be warm, friendly and patient.
What qualifications are needed?
No qualifications are necessary to begin work as a Care Assistant, training is given before care assistants start working in the role and shadowing and mentoring is provided when care assistants are new in post.
Even without formal experience, many applicants possess the essential skills for care worker jobs:
1. Communication: Vital for interacting with service users, families, and healthcare teams.
2. Teamwork: Crucial in collaborative care worker job roles.
3. Problem-solving: Needed to navigate daily challenges in care jobs.
4. Time management: Ensures punctuality in client visits.
5. Adaptability: Critical in ever-changing caring environments.
Some people enter care work after having cared for a loved one or volunteered, or after raising a family. Others bring transferable skills from other professions.
Where do Care Assistants work?
Most Care Assistants work in their service users’ own homes, sometimes referred to as Community Care Assistants. Other care workers might support people in care homes, hospices, sheltered accommodation or other settings.
Community Care Assistants looking after people in their own homes travel between different locations over the course of their working day (or night!). They work within a certain geographical area, travelling quickly between homes.
Due to the amount of travel involved many Care Assistants at Cera need to have a full driving licence and have their own vehicle.
Complex Care Worker
Complex care typically refers to an integrated approach to healthcare that addresses the needs of individuals with complex medical conditions, often involving multiple chronic diseases or conditions.
What do Complex Care Workers do?
A Complex Care Worker is similar in some ways to a care assistant, in that they provide direct support to service users, assisting with personal care, medication, meal preparation, mobility and companionship.
As a Complex Care Worker you will also support individuals with clinical needs such as medication administration, ventilation, PEG feeding or seizure management - our team of nurses provide additional training and support for carers working in this field.
Complex Care Workers often work as part of a team of healthcare professionals from different specialties working together to provide coordinated care. This team may include doctors, nurses, support/care workers, social workers, psychologists, and other specialists.
Support Worker
Often working with individuals with specific needs, support workers focus on promoting independence and well-being. The role is incredibly varied, where no two days are the same.
What do Support Workers do?
A Support Worker helps vulnerable people to live happy, independent and fulfilling lives through providing practical and emotional support. This may include:
- Helping with household tasks like tidying or paperwork.
- Monitoring healthcare needs (medication, temperature).
- Assisting with everyday tasks (meal prep, shopping).
- Liaising with professionals (doctors, nurses).
- Providing personal care (where needed).
- Adapting communication to individual needs.
- Encouraging skills through hobbies and interests.
- Supporting employment goals.
- Providing emotional/behavioural support.
- Teaching life skills (budgeting, bills).
- Delivering individual support plans.
- Encouraging access to community facilities.
Specific duties can vary significantly depending on the needs of the service user.
There are also different types of Support Workers, such as Domiciliary Support Workers, Clinical Support Workers and Children’s Support Workers. Their responsibilities can vary depending on the specific job or setting.
A Domiciliary Support Worker focuses on household tasks and life skills, whereas a Clinical Support Worker might manage medication and personal care alongside nurses. A Children’s Support Worker supports the child and family.
Where do Support Workers work?
Support Workers can work in a variety of different settings. They may work within service users’ homes, within a care home or a day centre, or out in the community. They may work independently or as part of a team of support workers.
Read our blog about the skills you need to become a Support Worker
