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Why adult social care could be the rewarding next stage in your career

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Have you ever thought about switching up your career towards something more rewarding? Or have you considered supplementing your salary with a role where you get to choose the hours and the shifts to work around your schedule? 

If that chimes with you, there are thousands of jobs available in Adult Social Care (ASC), a field where you can turn qualities such as kindness, organisation and being a good listener into a fulfilling career.

Becoming a care worker is an opportunity to enter a field that is more varied and enriching than many people realise, with no two days the same.

It’s also a career that holds a vital importance to the country, with ASC jobs critical to meeting the care needs of the population. Care workers support to reduce pressure on the NHS, by providing the care and support that people need to recover at home.

In 2023 the vacancy rate in adult social care jobs was high, reaching almost 10 percent, equivalent to 152,000 unfilled roles, higher than the NHS at eight percent and the wider UK economy at 3.4 percent.

To address this, the government has a strategy to support the adult social care sector to ensure we have a qualified and skilled workforce that is rewarded and feels valued, something that’s essential for high quality care that is sensitive to individual needs. The commitment extends to making care work more rewarding and introducing reforms to improve recruitment and retention.

The government recently announced a package of measures that will reaffirm care work as a career as well as providing new accredited qualifications, digital training, and funded apprenticeships.

The launch of a new Care Workforce Pathway will for the first time create a national career structure for the adult social care workforce, covering the breadth and complexity of care.

Over £50 million of funding for a new level 2 Care Certificate qualification will support up to 37,000 individuals in direct adult social care roles to enrol on the new qualification between June 2024 and March 2025.

There will also be an investment of over £20 million for apprenticeships, with local authorities and adult social care providers able to use the money towards training and supervising hundreds of new social work and nurse apprentices.

At the heart of ASC is supporting other people, whether that’s visiting someone in a care home environment or meeting them in or around their home to support with elements of daily living. This could include a whole host of tasks from cooking, shopping, washing and dressing, to administering medication, taking them to appointments or even organising fun activities and days out.

There is sometimes a perception that adult care work is “not for me” but if you have the right drive and enthusiasm, it can be a rewarding role for everyone from students who need shifts to work around lectures, to full time staff who want to support people during the evenings or weekends. Diversity is also crucial to ASC, with care workers of all genders, ethnicities and backgrounds in demand. 

While there is sometimes a perception this is a career dominated by women, there are a lot of men who also work in ASC so don’t be put off applying. There are also opportunities at all kinds of organisations, both public and private, and varying in size from small SMEs to organisations with a wider reach.

One of the great things about ASC is that it hinges on qualities rather than qualifications. It requires compassion and the ability to see things from the perspective of others, especially those you’re providing care for and support to. Moreover it’s a great career for people who love sharing social experiences, communicating with people from a diverse range of backgrounds, and knowing when to simply listen when people feel unheard.

Other skills that will stand ASC workers in good stead are a great sense of organisation, being quick to learn so you can give the people the specific support they need, and being attentive, observant and vigilant of things happening around you to ensure the needs are met of those you support.

Search for a role in adult social care today at adultsocialcare.co.uk    

Tracey – a team Leader working in London

I’ve been with my company for five years. I saw an advert at the time, and wondered about the role.

I didn’t know if I’d have the right qualifications. But what I did know is that I had the right sort of qualities and lots of life experience. I’m competent, compassionate, I’m very ‘hands-on, I’m good at putting the effort in, I’m definitely a ‘people-person’.

 My role is to support adults with complex disabilities. I’m responsible for making sports activities available and accessible to those who attend the centre. I’m passionate about the benefits of bringing sports to disabled people. I want to support these individuals to be independent and to make their own decisions. 

My job is to ensure everyone feels safe. It’s definitely a learning curve.

It’s about building an ‘I can’ attitude.’ I like being able to support people so they can find their way around a problem – and to be proud of themselves for having done that. 

“There’s lots of training available on the job. I learn new things every single day. There’s loads of variety, too. No two days are the same. We support a different person every day, and we are always trying new activities. It’s a case of exploring things together.

There are challenges, too. There are times when the person I’m caring for is having a bad day and there might be some challenging behaviour. But it’s all about staying calm and making sure you know that individual well so you know how to respond. Building relationships and trust with the adults I look after is key.

My job is to ensure everyone feels safe. It’s definitely a learning curve. Since I’ve become team leader and started managing sports, the centre has been able to offer lots more activities, including yoga, dance, bowling and tennis, and we have plans to introduce athletics further down the line, too.

Thanks to the work we’re doing, the adults have improved in confidence. They are also getting stronger. There are so many benefits from getting to be active every day.

We urgently need more people working in the adult social care system. I’d really urge you to apply. If you’ve got a desire to support people, to go above and beyond, then have faith in yourself – you’ll be amazed at what you learn and proud of what you do.