Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to some of the common questions people ask
Q. What does the work of a carer entail?
A. Carers might cover a range of duties to include personal care, assisting with washing, dressing and undressing and generally support around the service user’s house. Whilst many of our service users are elderly, there can also be a huge range of underlying medical conditions such as dementia, stroke, MS, Parkinsons disease etc, and no two service users will require exactly the same type and amount of care.
This requires carers to be able to adapt to different situations, circumstances and locations and meet the needs of each service user in each setting. The downloadable job description and person specification contains more detail.
Q. Am I too old to be a carer?
A. There is no age limit for being employed as a carer, although it is a physically demanding job, moving between service user’s homes and also be able to cope with a variety of situations. You will need to be both physically and mentally fit for the role of home carer, and you will need to sign a health declaration to endorse this.
Q. What’s the minimum hours I can work?
A. There is no minimum level of hours of work, as long as the hours of availability are consistent each week. Generally, we do require carers to also assist with weekend cover and therefore if availability is only during the week and very limited, we would be looking for a larger working hour commitment.
Q. Do I need any qualifications to become a carer?
A. No, there is a full training programme which covers not only your initial induction and support through the early days, but also an ongoing NVQ qualification program managed by an external training company.
Q. Will I have the same service users?
A. This depends on your availability. If you are reliable and work regular hours this is what we would aim for.
Q. Will I have to travel?
A. You will need to travel in between service users' homes but this is normally within a limited area.
Q. What can I gain from working for your organisation?
A. Being a home carer is hugely rewarding – the care provided to our service users enable them to remain in their own home for longer with varying degrees of independence, and with dignity and respect to their own lifestyle choices. This is especially rewarding in cases where the service user has no immediate family of their own, and our services become a very important lifeline.
There are also opportunities for career progression with national accredited training in the form of NVQ levels 2 & 3, and the ability to work in a flexible way to suit your family or individual lifestyle.
Q. Is
there a vetting process in place for job applicants? A. We are
an equal opportunities employer and we actively encourage
diversity in the workplace. We do not discriminate on the grounds
of gender, race, ethnic origin, disability,
sexual orientation, religion or belief, age and offences previously
committed that do not create a risk to children and vulnerable
adults. For successful applicants, we do request a criminal
records disclosure from the
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which will highlight ANY previous
criminal record, to assess the suitability of applicants
for employment in positions of trust. Q. How do you ensure
that carers are suitably qualified? A. Our management team is highly skilled in the provision of care and
we have been providing a high quality care service locally since 1982. We
hold the qualifications necessary to support all carers in undertaking an intensive training programme and in achieving the standards required by the Care Quality Commission (see our excellent results by viewing the CQC
Reports for Care at Home Services (South East) Ltd. There is
ongoing training and development to ensure the continued competence and capability of each member of the care staff.
Q. Is Care at Home Services (South East) Ltd
registered with the appropriate bodies and professional
associations?
A. Yes, we are registered with The Care Quality Commission.
We are also a member of the United Kingdom
Home Care Association (UKHCA), and a member of the Kent Community
Care Association (KCCA).
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