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Current job title
Home care co-ordinator for Chameleon Care in Dartford
How did you come to be working in Social
Care?
When I left university I was unable to find a job relating to my
degree in Archaeology so took a job as a support worker supporting
people with learning disabilities. I have done other jobs between
that and my current job but basically realised that I get huge
satisfaction from being able to help people on a daily basis and so
returned to care work.
What is your working pattern?
Full Time
How long have you been working in this
role?
6 months
Could you briefly describe a "typical"
day?
I might start with visits to clients homes in the morning to assist
them with personal care, breakfast etc. I then go the office where
I work on the rota, deal with enquiries and problems from clients,
carers and care managers. I visit new clients to assess their
needs, monitor staff and complete client reviews to see how their
service is going.
I am on-call once every couple of weeks to deal with emergencies
out of hours. I am also the Moving and Handling, Health and Safety
and working with Dementia Trainer, so I might be working on my
PowerPoint presentations or presenting a course for staff.
What is the best thing about your job?
You never know what you are going to do each day and every client
is different: each day is a challenge, but you feel great knowing
that you have helped someone.
My ambition for the future
To complete the NVQ Registered Managers award.
How would people get into this sort of
work?
It is really helpful to get some experience through volunteering
with local care groups or residential homes to see if you like this
sort of work. It is also a good idea to see if you can do some work
experience in this area. Often no qualifications are needed to
start work in a care role - all companies will give you induction
training and most companies will support you to complete an NVQ in
care once you are working for them.
The Facts and Figures
Salary: Salary will depend on the organisation
that you work for but a Homecare Co-ordinator in the private sector
could expect to earn around £18,000.00 pa
Hours: 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday
Annual leave: 4 weeks per
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