Partners across East Berkshire have joined together to develop this local campaign to promote the varied and rewarding work opportunities within the Adult Social Care sector. This film features staff and service users from across Bracknell, Windsor, and Slough.
Through this campaign we hope to:
- Increase the number of entrants to the Adult Social Care workforce by inspiring people with the right values and attitude to consider a career in it
- Emphasise the rewarding nature of the work offering flexible opportunities to fit in with family commitments, career progression and training available.
For local opportunities in Adult Social Care please visit: Berkshire Opportunities
You can go to the YouTube site to access the "Career to make a difference" video with an interactive transcript - select the 3 horizontal dots icon and choose "Open transcript". Please note the video may autoplay.
Transcript
Do you want a career to make a difference?
[grid of lots of silent talking heads with music]
Partners across East Berkshire have come together to produce this film promoting the rewarding and varied careers in social care.
[logos for Department for Work and Pensions, borough councils of Windsor and Maidenhead, Bracknell Forest and Slough, Berkshire Opportunities, Optalis]
What attracted me to work in social care?
Bethany, Community Care Worker
So I came into social care because I wanted to make a difference within my community.
Koume, Support Worker
While I was growing up, I always loved to help people to support people. So in my family I have supported quite a number of them. In terms of, you know, helping them with their daily living skills and all that. So at some point I decided that I would choose a career in social care. And you know that will help me to support a number of people, not just people who are related to me.
Muryum, Business Manager
To understand why people became unwell. Why... how I could help them. To maybe make their lives better and also to sign post them to the appropriate services that they needed in order for them to improve their lives.
Jack, Newly qualified Social Worker
Well I started to work with a charity in my local area after I finished my first undergraduate degree, which is in Psychology and Criminology. While I was working there I had some interactions with social workers. And it sort of runs in my family. My Dad was a social worker. And my sister's also training to be a social worker. So it was at that point that I decided it's probably something that I could, I could get on board with doing. So I decided to do the Masters in Social Work
Michelle, Assistant Community Service Manager
When I first started in social care, which was many years ago, I was a residential social worker in a children's home. From there I then leap frogged and worked in day centres, respite centres, old people's homes, until I got qualified. And I became a social worker in the adult social care field working with 18 to 65 year olds. And then I found the hospital work, which I thoroughly enjoy and I've stayed with, the last 12 years. And that's the area of work I find that I'm most drawn to.
Bethany, Community Care Worker
It's knowing that it makes a difference within your community.
Michelle, Assistant Community Service Manager
I've had lots of jobs in my lifetime: I've worked in bars, in restaurants, I've been a cleaner, worked in an off licence, sold kitchens over the phone, worked in men's retail, sold shoes.
And I think what happened was I got into IT, and made a very successful career in that. But being undervalued, it upset me on a daily basis. So I quit and I found a job in residential child care, and I just never looked back.
How does my social care worker help me?
Karen, service user
My support worker helps me by encouraging me to be more independent. Supports me how to clean and cook, provides emotional support, and encourages me to be independent.
Sebastian, service user
Supporting me to put together an independent living plan, so I can live on my own and not mess the place up. Offering advice and guidance, emotional support and supporting me to live with daily living skills.
What’s the most rewarding part of my job?
Koume, Support Worker
I recently I supported a service user to acquire a very important document that he needed and he was so happy about it. And that's what gives me a lot of joy.
Jon, Community Care Worker
I think anybody looking to go into the care profession, or even considering it, I think you've got to go outside your comfort zones. Try something different. It's certainly rewarding.
Bethany, Community Care Worker
So I enjoy going to each client's home, giving them a friendly face and seeing them light up.
Koume, Support Worker
You know all the people we support have got goals and some of them will tell me: "We want to be independent, we want to have our own flat, we want to live independently"
And so the support we give them makes a change. It changes their lives, it improves their lives. And so when we see them like that, that is satisfying for me.
Jack, Newly qualified Social Worker
I think the most rewarding part is probably when you put in a package of care. Or you've been working with someone for a very long time, and you've supported them and you can see that they've either got back some of their independence. Or you're empowering them to be uh, feel better within themselves. And they're always very appreciative and it makes you feel really good inside when you've done that.
Jon, Community Care Worker
The best thing about doing care work is for me I'm mobile. I go and visit many people. From 5 to 13 on a shift. And putting that smile on someone's face, from the littlest of things: asking how their day is, talking about football.
And you get some customers that love football. So you could spend your half an hour, 45 minute visit talking about football, while preparing them something to eat. So it's that little chat or a big chat with, with your customer that can make the difference to them and leaving them feeling happy.
Muryum, Business Manager
I think the most enjoyable uh and rewarding part of my job is knowing that we've made a difference to many people's lives in many different ways. And it can be a small step of being able to make a cup of tea, to actually pursuing a career in accountancy.
What qualities do you need to work in adult social care?
“It’s really important that workers show empathy and understanding, to be able to feel what it must be like if one of their family members needed help. To treat people as they would like to be treated themselves”
Shahnaz, supported her family members
Muryum, Business Manager
I think the qualities people need to work in social care is to be honest, is to have passion, is to have empathy, and to be able to help people reach their goals.
Bethany, Community Care Worker
I think that to become a successful care worker you'll need to be resilient, have compassion, and be able to work independently.
Jon, Community Care Worker
You've got to be adaptable, you've got to be willing to listen.
Koume, Support Worker
The qualities that people need, I believe is just being passionate about what you're doing.
Michelle, Assistant Community Service Manager
I would say, if you're somebody who likes a challenge, is resilient, can communicate and both written and oral. And you are persistent and a little bit nosy, social work is the job.
Karen, service user
It's to get to know the service users likes and dislikes, having mutual independence and respect for one another. Good listener. Most of all, patience.
Zhora, Carer for family member
They gave us a lot of support when I needed it. And we had their support until my husband died last year.
Sebastian, service user
They're funny, they're caring, they're honest, they're enthusiastic about their job.
Karen, service user
The support that helped my Dad at the end of his life would be to be helpful, kind and compassionate.
Zhora, Carer for family member
In my experience a good social care worker should be kind. I think it's very rewarding. And I think, yeah, I think they should actually just go for it. Why don't you go for it guys? Because it's really rewarding at the end.
[music]
Thank you to all who took part in this video!
For local, varied and rewarding roles in Adult Social Care visit Berkshire Opportunities website.