What do support workers do?
What do you think a support work job involves? Does it involve horse riding, go karting, kayaking or rock climbing? It does here!
When looking at career options, people sometimes dismiss support work because they don’t have a true perception of what it actually involves. Many think it’s just about personal care, but support work has so much more to it than that.
As a support worker at Home From Home Care you could be supporting individuals at a music festival, a wildlife park, going swimming, cake baking, trampolining, or even going on trips to Disneyland Paris.
We’re not like most care providers, so throw away everything you think you know about working in care!
So you’re wondering, “what is support work?”
Support workers help people who require care to live their life as independently as they can. But if you speak to our colleagues, they’ll tell you that it’s so much more than this.
They play a huge part in making a real difference to the lives of adults with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs, working as part of our ONE TEAM to deliver exceptional care and support.
A big part of a support work role at Home From Home Care is to help individuals gain new life skills, connect with their communities and live a fulfilled and meaningful life, on their terms.
For example, one individual had an aspiration to experience go karting and our colleagues made it happen, from the detailed planning through to going with him and even having a go themselves! Now, he’s become a regular racer and our colleagues are helping him try even more new things.
Improving the lives of others
Everything we do is about improving the lives of others and our colleagues play a vital part in this.
Whilst they support individuals with the ‘ordinary’ aspects of life – like getting ready in the morning, shopping and cooking – they also support them as they pursue their aspirations.
For example, one individual wanted to organise a neon rave party with all his friends – so our colleagues supported him to do just that!
Our colleagues also get to experience new places and make memories with the individuals they support when they go on holiday. Earlier this year, some of our colleagues supported an individual to achieve his dream of going to Disneyland Paris and seeing the Princess Parade – how many people can say they did that at work?
By supporting individuals on fantastic trips like this, colleagues get a real sense of purpose and belonging as they continuously help to improve the lives of others.
What are the different types of support work?
Support work is very varied so when colleagues join Home From Home Care, we help them unlock their true potential, and part of that means finding ways that people can put their experience, interests and passions to the best use.
There are over 100 different career roles at Home From Home Care, including personal support worker, residential support worker, positive behaviour support worker, and so much more.
You don’t have to have previous support work experience, or any other experience in social care. We welcome colleagues with a range of qualifications and experience and who share our values, so when you join our team, you’ll experience a shared sense of purpose and belonging, whatever your background.
And you don’t have to choose one role and stick with it – lots of our colleagues have become more specialist during their time with us as they discover new interests that lead them to exciting new opportunities.
For example, Kelly joined us in 2019 as a support worker and, through lots of training and support, has progressed through four roles. She has been a TRACs partner, assistant manager, registered manager and is now assistant locality manager.
She said: “I love making a positive impact at work, the team here are amazing and it’s like one big family.”
Similarly, Ben joined the team in 2017 after pursuing a career change from event catering and hasn’t looked back. He started as a personal support worker and has recently been promoted to mentoring manager.
He said: “I love my role – every day is different and you’re really supported to progress. I find it really rewarding helping others to develop their careers here.”
Helping to deliver confident and dynamic care is also a big part of being a support worker at Home From Home Care. Our colleagues are encouraged to be creative and are empowered to always give solutions and improvements that will shape our care delivery.
If you’re looking for your first role after education, or are considering a career change, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with the team today to take the first step towards your new future – the sky really is the limit!
