In a rut? If you are patient and respectful a rewarding career in adult social care beckons

Lorraine Gray urges people to try a job that makes a difference

There are some common misconceptions about working in adult social care which couldn’t be further from the truth. ‘There’s no career progression if you work in adult social care; ‘I don’t have the qualifications I’d need to become a care worker’; ‘Care workers just do the same thing every day, I’d want a bit more variety.’

In fact, there’s a whole lot more to being a care worker than caring. It’s your values and behaviours that will set you apart in the adult social care sector and for many it’s not just a job, it’s a calling.

It’s time to challenge the misplaced assumptions about adult social care – for many people, it offers a far more varied and rewarding work day than a typical office, hospitality or retail job. Working in social care, you have the opportunity to make a real differencetothelivesofadultsfromarange of backgrounds every single day.

If you’re understanding and patient, a good listener and someone who lives their life treating others with dignity and respect, then you could be doing much more with your natural talents than sitting behind a desk or serving customers in a shop. Adult social care allows people with the right characteristics to flourish in a career with lots of great options for progression at a pace that suits you.

There’s no doubt that to be a good care worker you must be resilient and keep a clear head in challenging situations, but for most it’s a job in which the days fly by and you get the satisfaction of completing your shift knowing that you’ve made a difference to the person you support.

You don’t need any qualifications to start a career in adult social care, with employers focusing more on your attitude and attributes. Patience, respect and the ability to work in a team will help you stand out.

Once you set out on your career path in adult social care there’s a host of training opportunities available and employers invest in their training and development to help staff develop professionally and personally. I’ve heard many stories over the years about people who felt they were going nowhere in their previous career and from people who have changed direction looking for something that gives more personal satisfaction. Since starting in adult social care they have worked their way from entry level up to running care programmes, being in charge of teams and even helping other care workers to develop up the career ladder.

Care workers can have flexible schedules and aren’t chained to a desk or stuck behind a sales counter. You could be going ten pin bowling, into people’s homes to support their day-to-day living, or doing that in a residential setting, enjoying the latest film at the cinema or having tea and cake with the person you support.

Care workers may also need to provide emotional and practical support to help someone who, for whatever reason, finds themselves in a challenging situation. Sometimes care workers will be the only person someone sees in their day and the