Care Roles -

Working in care is about giving someone personal and practical support to live their lives.

There are lots of different roles in social care depending on what you want to do, who you want to work with and where you’d like to work.In Staffordshire, we really need more care workers to support people to live well in their own homes and to help people return home after a visit to hospital.

Care Worker

As a Care Worker, you support people with all aspects of their day to day living, including social and physical activities, personal care, getting around and preparing food at meal times.

You can work in someone’s own home, in the community or in a care home.

You can search for current care worker opportunities in Staffordshire over on the Find a Job pages.

Your role might include:

supporting people with social and physical activities
booking and going with people to appointments
helping with personal care such as support with showering and dressing
supporting people with eating and drinking
monitoring peoples’ conditions by taking their temperature, pulse, breathing and weight, and by helping with medication.

What skills do I need to become a Care Worker?

Everyone working in social care needs English, number, digital and employability skills including team work and problem solving skills.

There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role. These include:

the ability to work on your own initiative and prioritise your workload
good listening and communication skills
the ability to understand and follow policies and procedures
good writing skills to fill in care plans.

What experience and qualifications do I need to be a Care Worker?

You don’t necessarily need any qualifications to become a care worker. What’s really important is that you have the right values and behaviours to work in care.

How do I get started as a Care Worker?

If you’re interested in being a care worker, take a look at the Staffordshire care companies page and get in touch with your preferred organisation to find out more. You can also search current care jobs in Staffordshire and start your application.

When you start in your role you’ll do an induction which should include the Care Certificate; these are the minimum standards that everyone working in care needs to know.

It might also include training necessary for your role such as health and safety, first aid, moving and handling, managing medication and recording and reporting information , or specific training such as autism awareness, communication skills or working with people with dementia.

How do I progress my career as a Care Worker?

When in your role you could do a vocational qualification such as a Diploma in Health and Social Care or a continuing professional development qualification such as dementia, end of life or autism care.

Your employer might pay for you to do these qualifications (they could apply for the Workforce Development Fund to help), or you could apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to pay for them yourself.

There may be opportunities to progress into management roles or you might choose to go into other roles such as an advocacy worker, personal assistant or rehabilitation worker. You might also choose to go to University to become a social worker or occupational therapist.

There’s more information on progressing your care career on the Skills for Care website.

Rehabilitation Worker

As a Rehabilitation Worker, you’ll support people to live independently in the comfort of their own homes, often following an illness or accident, and help them access support with housing, finance, social activities and life skills such as cooking or budgeting.

You can search for current opportunities to work as a rehabilitation worker in Staffordshire over on the Find a Job pages.

Your role might include:

carrying out assessments within the community to identify what care and support people need
working with other professionals such as social workers and occupational therapists to make sure people get the right help
providing advice about how to use specialist equipment
teaching people daily life skills such as making a cup of tea, or reading braille
organising activities such as sports, drama and educational activities.

You could work with lots of different people including adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities including sight or hearing loss, mental health conditions and drug or substance abuse issues.

What skills do I need to become a Rehabilitation Worker?

Everyone working in social care needs English, number, digital and employability skills including team work and problem solving skills.

There are also some specific skills needed to work in this role. These include:

good listening and observational skills
the ability to communicate with other care professionals at all levels
being sensitive to the needs of the people you’re working with
digital skills to do online research
be able to work under pressure in emotional situations.

What experience and qualifications do I need to be a Rehabilitation Worker?

You don’t necessarily need any qualifications to become a rehabilitation worker. What’s really important is that you have the right values and behaviours to work in care.

How do I get started as a Rehabilitation Worker?

If you’re interested in becoming a Rehabilitation Worker, take a look at the Staffordshire care companies page and get in touch with your preferred organisation to find out more. You can also search current care jobs in Staffordshire and start your application.

How can I progress my career as a Rehabilitation Worker?

When you start in your role you should do an induction which includes training necessary for your role such as health and safety, first aid, moving and handling, recording and reporting information and managing medication. You might also receive specific training depending on your customer’s individual care needs.

When in your role you could do a vocational qualification such as a Diploma in Health and Social Care or a continuing professional development qualification.