Demand for home care staff has never been higher, so if you’re looking for a career change, this might well be for you! 

Here’s the skinny on the top 10 reasons to consider care as a career … (and yes, we’re hiring at Social Care Alba!) 

1. It’s Rewarding! 

Of course, job satisfaction is crucial to a happy work-life! And as a care worker, you are supporting people who will often really appreciate your help and your presence. For the majority of people, you are working to provide them greater independence to live a better quality of life, and knowing that you are really making a difference for those you support, can make care work an immensely satisfying job.   

2. Offers Flexibility  

Whatever your commitments, whether that’s family, lifestyle activities or simply a better work-life balance, a job in care can allow you to work around them. In fact, whilst many people take up social care to work around their families – many never leave the profession, enjoying as they do, the flexibility to work reduced or changing hours to suit their needs! At SCA, we strive to ensure that our staff have the flexibility to work hours that accommodate their commitments, with guaranteed hours for job security. 

3. A Sense of Belonging 

You are one of the key people in the lives of those you support, so you’ll get to know them well. But there’s also a sense of belonging within your team, as you work with, and support, each other. As an employer, Social Care Alba knows how important it is to feel ‘a part of something’; that’s why we put a lot of emphasis on growing strong, supportive teams, with mentoring, training, and social activities, including the occasional night out! 

4. Personal Development  

Working with vulnerable people, you will learn so much about others – and yourself!  There will be difficult situations and decisions that you will be part of, and this will test your strength and resilience. However, you will also gain a deeper understanding of the difficulties that vulnerable people face on a day-to-day basis, and, with that, a greater sense of empathy, responsibility, self-awareness and frequently – diplomacy!  

5. The Perks  

These vary between care companies, but can really make the difference between a good job and a great job! Alongside our in-depth professional training, SCA also offers a £500 Welcome Bonus, enhanced overtime of 20%, and access to our Mentorship Programme, as well as a 3-year career plan, guaranteed hours and permanent contracts to boot!. Our belief is that valued people make the best care staff, so our ‘perks’ are our way of giving back to our team for the hard work they do. 

6. Training Opportunities  

As a profession, care work requires first-class training to ensure that staff recognise and can effectively implement the standards required by a whole host of professional bodies. This is a huge plus for those who undertake the training, providing many transferable skills as well as a pathway to advancing their career. Everyone at SCA benefits from an annual learning and development plan, and can take part in many additional practical and online courses. These range from workshops and courses in dementia technology, to SVQs and support for an MSC in Social Work. Many of our staff are also working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – so there are opportunities abound for those who want to get ahead in their care career!   

7. Community  

Being an active part of supporting your community is rewarding in itself, but there’s a bigger picture here. Our care staff act as a vital link to other groups and support systems that may be able to provide further help to those you support. As part of your care role, you will be out in the community on a daily basis, and get to know many people whom you might not otherwise meet. This can bring forth many other opportunities to get involved in your community in ways you would not think of! At SCA, we keep abreast of events and activities that could benefit those we support – and our teams! 

8. Practical Hands-on Role 

Love being hands-on? As a care worker, you will be providing a wide range of support, from personal care and medication administration to housework, shopping and assisting with specific social needs of the individual. That’s why a practical mindset and a ‘can-do’ attitude is key in care work, and if you have that on your Work Wishlist, this role provides the perfect opportunity to utilise your skillset – and thrive in your job!   

9. It’s also Challenging!  

There’s no question that care provision can be supremely challenging at times; however, that’s exactly what can make the job worthwhile, with no two days alike, as one of our staff explained;  “As a personal assistant, I enjoy the day-to-day tasks, but it’s the difficult situations that really bring home how important my job is – that’s what gives me a real feeling of accomplishment”.  Wise words indeed! If you’re up for a challenge, don’t mind late or early shifts, and can keep your cool when things get tricky, this job is for you!  

10. Career Advancement  

Of all the great reasons to consider working in home care provision, the security of embarking on a long-term career is definitely ‘up there’! Over time, your skills, expertise and experience makes you an invaluable part of a team, able to manage, mentor and motivate others as they learn the ropes, or struggle with challenging parts of the job. From Personal Assistant to Senior Personal Assistant – right through to Team Leader, you can maximise your skillset, knowing that you have a ‘job for life’ and the security that comes with it. 

So, now that you have some of the key incentives that propel so many to work in the care profession, why not get in touch with us at Social Care Alba? Let us help put you on track to a rich and rewarding career in care.

Contact us today.

As Christmas approaches, Stephen Wilson, CEO and founder of Social Care Alba, has little time for festive preparations. Demand for home care has rocketed; due, in part, to rising post-Covid care needs and a backlog of pending hospital treatments.

However, running alongside this rising demand is a UK-wide shortage of care staff; with Covid and Brexit, the key culprits. Consequently, increasing numbers of vulnerable people are struggling to receive the home care they need.   

To help tackle this shortfall locally, Social Care Alba has launched an online campaign, ‘Caring is not Just for Christmas’, which aims to encourage more people into the care profession. 

“There will be those who have worked in care before, or who are currently in related roles and are looking for a change.” explains Mr Wilson; “Our campaign is appealing to people who already understand the vital role that care staff play for those needing support, and who have the skills and mindset to make a real difference.”  

Exploring the Benefits of a Career in Social Care 

One of the issues around recruitment, suggests the CEO, is that many are unaware of the benefits of working in social care: 

“Of course, working with the community brings its own rewards;  but on a practical level, we offer long-term career paths, job stability and flexibility, first-class training and a competitive salary. At Social Care Alba, we work hard to ensure that our staff feel safe, happy and valued – they expect that of us for the hard work they do, and it shows in the high standard of care they provide to our clients”. 

Sponsorship for European Nationals 

The social care organisation has also recently been awarded a Sponsorship Licence from UK Visas and Immigration department. This is with a view to sponsoring existing European national care staff to continue – and further – their careers in the UK.  

“There is a serious shortfall in care staff right now, and we must do what we can to ensure that vulnerable people in our communities get the support they need”, Mr Wilson concludes “We are hopeful that our campaign and sponsorship options will help to spark greater interest in the profession and begin to bridge that gap locally.” 

More information can be found by following the campaign on Facebook.

Dementia affects the brain, making it harder to remember things or think as clearly as before. It’s an umbrella term for over 100 different types of illnesses and disease symptoms. Symptoms of dementia may include memory loss and difficulties with day to day tasks, language and problem-solving.

Dementia is not a natural part of the ageing process. It’s caused by illnesses that affect the brain. We do not yet know exactly what causes dementia. Medical researchers all over the world are working to find causes and develop treatments.

Dementia can affect every area of human thinking, feeling and behaviour, but each person with dementia is different – how the illness affects someone depends on which area of their brain is damaged.

In Scotland, over 90,000 people have dementia. It is most common in older people but can affect people in their 40s and 50s or even younger.

Types of dementia

There are many conditions which cause dementia – these are some of the most common. It is also possible to have more than one type of dementia at the same time.

• Alzheimer’s disease: Gradually destroys brain cells and their connections. This affects how the person copes with everyday tasks.
• Vascular dementia: Is caused by problems with the blood supply to brain cells. It can involve tiny strokes which damage small areas of the brain.
• Dementia with Lewy bodies: It isn’t as easy to identify as some other types of dementia, so it can be hard to diagnose. It can include hallucinations and symptoms that are similar to Parkinson’s disease.
• Frontotemporal dementia: Affects the parts of the brain responsible for decision-making, control of behaviour as well as emotion and language.

How technology can help to support dementia sufferers

Now technology is available to enhance the wellbeing, support and independence of people living with dementia.

You’ll be pleased to know that Social Care Alba is working in partnership with Edinburgh Smart Home, whereby we can contact a Digital Dementia Advisor by submitting a referral form to arrange an assessment of your needs and to identify technologies (such as smart speakers, GPS devices) that can help your carer/family to a better support. Also helping you find technology products matched to your needs.

You will receive unbiased, trusted recommendations from the dementia community and from a team of experts. This is a free service funded by Alzheimer Scotland and the Scottish Government.

All of these products have been tried and tested by families living with dementia and the Digital Team at Alzheimer Scotland, using the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Circle testing protocols, which give us insight to their potential usefulness for other families in similar circumstances.

We don’t sell anything, but all the products are available from retailers or on the high street.

Part of care that nobody sees, is what goes on behind the scenes to ensure people are safe.

Office staff on a typical day will be:

• Ordering stock
• Dealing with job applicants
• Organising training, interviews
• Handling visitors to the office
• Arranging rotas and holiday requests
• Doing a return to the Care Inspectorate
• Meeting with social work and Edinburgh Council
• Handling calls from staff, families and service users
• Handling timesheets, expenses and paying wages to staff

Here is what happened over and above, on just one day this week.

NHS call to confirm a staff member is Covid positive.

This triggered our welfare plan. Immediately the staff member is removed from the rota and we have to adjust all rotas to ensure everyone is supported.

Next, 2 office staff take covid tests to staff and service users in the community to check to see if they are positive.

Later that evening the NHS called to apologise that the test was in fact negative. This meant undoing all the changes we had made and informing staff and service users not to worry.

Staff member is unwell

Staff like all of us get ill. When this happens we need to cover their shift, which may mean changes to visits.

Service user is not at home when we visit

When we visited there was no answer, we called the police for a welfare check and found the flat empty. This led to the police looking for the service user in case they were in distress. Later that day we found them well, having forgotten to inform us they would be going out.

Service user passes away

During a visit a service user became unwell, emergency services were called, sadly they passed away. Our priority was the welfare of them and their next of kin.

All these incidents were unforeseen and when they occurred our main concern is the welfare of all staff and service users. As you can see, to protect people we must react quickly. This often means visits need to be changed which can be unsettling for service users and staff. Hopefully you can see that we never change visits unless there is an immediate need to do so, but when we do it is for your welfare.

Finally, at 11pm we stopped for the day.

We know how difficult it has been for you during these past months. We want to let you know we have been working hard to ensure you can have the best support possible. We invested in technology and staff development and we will continue to look for ways to improve even further. And most importantly, we will continue to be here for you.

Read more about our our goals

Supporting your wellbeing

We will continue to ensure you experience compassion, dignity and respect. That you get the right service, your health benefits from the support we provide, and most importantly you the get the most out of life.

Staff are well led

Our vision and values will continue to inform practice and we will monitor this through quality audits we share with you. Our leaders will collaborate to ensure people are supported and well led.

Creating great staff teams

We will work to maintain our best practice recruitment approach, recruiting staff that have the knowledge, competence and skills needed to care for and support our people. We will continue to ensure we have the right staff level and mix of skills to meet people’s needs.

Planning care and support

We will continue to encourage the involvement of family members in the support plan and invest in technology, ensuring our staff has the tools they need to assess our service users’ requirements and wishes.

Our capacity for improvement

Looking back at what we did well and what we can do better, we will continue to improve our development plan and provide support to more people.

Supporting you through the COVID-19 pandemic

We never stop looking for ways to support your physical, mental or emotional health. We will keep you connected, respected and treated with dignity throughout the pandemic. This means doing everything we can to stop the spread of Covid-19. From responsive and flexible staffing to improving your knowledge and skills to stay safe.