What is a Support Worker?
A Support Worker is someone who looks after the well-being of vulnerable people. They help people living with different disabilities such as mental health needs, learning disabilities, medical conditions or physical disabilities to live their lives more independently and support them to reach their potential by providing both physical and emotional support.
How to become a Support Worker?
You’ll need a mix of accredited qualifications, practical skills, and personal qualities to become a support worker. There are no specific qualifications needed to be a support worker – beyond a good attitude and willingness to learn, which are essential – but experience in the care sector is definitely an advantage.
You can get into this job through:
Support Worker Duties
The duties and responsibilities of a support worker, including:
- Compassion and empathy
- Supporting and helping with health care needs, including routine checks or administering medication
- The ability to show initiative
- Helping to administer basic care and ensuring that standards of hygiene are adhered to
- Encouraging and supporting the development of personal skills through hobbies and interests
- Flexibility in work patterns and schedule is of great importance
- Ability to understand and be patient irrespective of provocation from patients being cared for or supported
- Communicating frequently with the patients so as to be able to identify their needs and attend to them accordingly
- Help clients participate in leisure activities
Support Worker Skills
- Good listening skills
- Excellent verbal communication skills
- Good time management skills
- Socially savvy
- Strong organisation and time management skills
- Excellent organisational skills
- Flexible and open to change
- The ability to carry out practical and domestic duties
- An interest in people and a commitment to helping others
- Counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- Many support worker roles require a full driving license
How to find Support Worker Jobs
When you search for Support Worker jobs online, be aware that the jobs might be advertised using a different job title. Popular job titles for Support Worker jobs include;
- Care Assistant
- Health Care Assistant
- Healthcare Worker
- Relief Worker
- Care Worker
How to apply for Support Worker jobs
These jobs are advertised online, in local newspapers and at your local Jobcentre. To find all the Support worker jobs near you, you need to:
- Search for support worker jobs on popular job websites such as; Indeed, Total Jobs and CV Library
- Use the DWP’s Find A Job Service
- Check local newspapers and local Facebook groups, especially groups dedicated to local jobs
Support Worker Qualifications & Experience
Employers will expect you to have:
- Experience in working with children, young people and their families
- A minimum of a level 3 qualification in childcare, social work, social care, counselling, youth work or education
What does a Support Worker do?
The day-to-day tasks of a Support Worker include;
- help patients to use the toilet
- help patients shower and get dressed
- tidy the ward or patients’ homes
- attend meetings with other healthcare professionals