Care Worker/Enablement Support Worker

Role: Care Worker (independent/private care homes) or Enablement Support Worker (Bradford Council)

Care Workers and Enablement Support Workers fulfill much the same duties. The titles are just different depending on who you are working for. Bradford Council refer to this role as Enablement Support Workers, private or independent care providers (home care or care homes) refer to them as Care Workers.

This role helps vulnerable people to manage their daily activities and to live as independently as possible. This could include social and physical activities, personal care, mobility and meal times.

Level: 2

Qualifications & skills to access role

This is a values and behaviours based position, with recruits needing to show the right motivations and interests. All Care Workers/Enablement Support Workers will however need to have a Care Certificate – some employers will allow you to complete this short course whilst employed with them. See the adjacent chart for more detail on becoming a care worker for your situation.

Useful experience

Any experience of caring or helping people would be of value, be this through a volunteering role or through personal/family experiences.

Progression

With experience a Care Worker at Level 2, can progress to becoming a team leader also at Level 2. Then with a commitment to achieving their Level 3 adult care qualification, they can take on a middle management role. Bradford council will support staff to do their Level 3 qualifications as part of their job.

A whole range of additional roles can also be accessed, see associated roles below.

Where I can work

Care homes, residents’ homes
More information on where care workers can work

Associated roles

Level 2: Personal Assistant (in care) – can work towards a social care qualification (eg Level 2/3 diploma in health and social care) either on the job or prior to taking on this role; Rehabilitation Worker; Activities Co-ordinator; Occupational Therapy Assessor – requiring level 2 in Health and Social Care or 5 GCSEs; Level 2 Enablement Co-ordinator (Bradford Council will support people in this role to get their Level 3 health and social care diploma).

Level 3: Advocacy Worker – having achieved demonstrable skills through a Level 2 award on Independent Advocacy. Whilst on the job you will then go on to gain your IMHA/IMCA Level 3 Certificate Independent Advance qualification; Community Care Officer – requiring a Level 3 Health and social care diploma or NVQ 3 in social work (Bradford Council will support recruits to get these qualifications whilst in post).

Why Get Involved in One Workforce Hub

This project is important to you because…

If you aren’t already working in the H&SC sector, we hope some of the stories, experiences and general information on this site will inspire you to share your talents with us in Bradford District and Craven. If you are already involved with the sector, we hope this site will support you in developing your skills, knowledge and capabilities, and widen your horizons of opportunity beyond just the organisation you currently work for. The Centre for Workforce Development is here for you, to encourage, support and guide you through a positive working experience in health and social care, but in Bradford District and Craven in particular.

It will bring health and social care organisations together, supported by our further and higher education establishments, to manage and deliver workforce development opportunities locally. We can also maximise the potential of national and regional level opportunities to benefit our local place.

What Is the One Workforce Hub

The Centre for Workforce Development is in development, though we are already working towards some of our shared ambitions.

We are creating a new health and social care Centre for Workforce Development for Bradford District and Craven. We want to support and develop our workforce collectively so that everyone on their journey into or already within the sector benefits from every opportunity.

We therefore want to create a culture of working across organisations as a default, unless there is a good reason not to. We would like all workforce development activity to be commissioned, managed and delivered by Bradford District and Craven as a place, rather than as a range of individual organisations.

Further content to draw from: (language not currently appropriate)

The time has never been more right for us to consider radical workforce redesign. Workforce is becoming the biggest issue facing the NHS and social care in the next decade made even more apparent through the Covid19 pandemic. Nationally there are an estimated 10,000 vacancies in medical posts and 40,000 vacancies in nursing posts and 122,000 more social care staff are required. In Bradford District & Craven, 4,700 additional roles will be required by 2030.

Our ambitions for the Centre will be achieved through strategic workforce planning and redesign, preparing for new models of care, new roles, whilst maximising the use of technology. We will grow our future H&SC workforce (including volunteers and unpaid carers), improve leadership culture, develop our current and future workforce to have 21^st century skills and make our H&SC organisations the best places to work.”