Dawn Arnold, a care co-ordinator working at Alderman Clarke House Residential Home for Older People.

Carer

Answers supplied by Dawn Arnold, a care
co-ordinator with Norfolk County Council Adult Social Services working at Alderman Clarke House Residential Home for Older People. Norfolk County Council has positions
within residential care homes and housing
with care units. It also operates a
home care service staffed by home
care assistants.

What does the job entail?
To support residents’ independence by helping to meet their physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs. Care assistants are front line staff and undertake a number of different duties including helping with dressing, washing, personal laundry and personal hygiene and care. Care co-ordinators lead a team of care assistants and senior care assistants to ensure clients’ needs are met. This involves developing a care plan for all clients as well as looking after staffing issues and assisting with care tasks. Home care assistants perform much the same tasks as care assistants within residential homes, except they need to visit clients in their own homes.

What skills and qualifications are needed?
No specific qualifications are needed on entry — training is usually provided.

What type of person will fit in?
You need to be a people person with a good sense of humour and not be afraid of hard work. It is also important that you can work well as part of a team and use your own initiative when supporting different people with different needs. You need a caring nature if you are going to give older people a quality service.

What are the pluses and minuses of the job?
Job satisfaction is a real plus as you will be making a real difference to the quality of people’s lives. Shift work can work in very well with family life and regular work is available. It can also be varied and interesting. The training and support is well regarded and you may also be eligible for pension benefits. On the downside, it can be a demanding job and it is certainly not glamorous.

What opportunities exist for career progression?
You will need to undertake National Vocational Qualifications. All the
required training is usually provided as part of a well thought out package.
There are lots of different training courses on offer. With experience and development there are opportunities to progress further and this can lead to many different career pathways within the vast social care field.

What can I expect to earn?
Care assistants earn from £6.03 to £6.55 per hour. Night care assistants earn from £6.55 to £7.31 per hour. Senior care assistants earn from £6.42 to £7.12 per hour. Care co-ordinators earn from £17,922 to £19,656 per annum.

Any hints on getting a job in this area?
Keep an eye out for adverts in the recruitment section of the local paper
or join Norfolk County Council's care jobs bulletin by phoning (01603) 223321. It’s also worth getting in contact with your local adult social services residential home to inquire if they have any vacancies. Also try the internet — www.norfolkccjobs.com or e-mail jobs.socs@norfolk.gov.uk. Also look out for City College Norwich and careers fair days.