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Care workers and home carers attend to the personal needs and comforts of children, the elderly, the infirm and others with care and support needs (‘service users’) within residential care establishments, day care establishments or in their own homes.

Main tasks

  • Liaises with professional staff in carrying out care plans etc..
  • Monitors service users’ conditions by taking temperature, pulse, respiration and weight, and contributes to record keeping.
  • Undertakes light cleaning and domestic duties including meal preparation as required.
  • Helps with daily activities such as letter writing, paying bills, collecting benefits.
  • Provides interest and activities to stimulate and engage the service user.
  • Assists with service users’ overall comfort and wellbeing.
  • Serves meals to service users at table or in bed, and assists with feeding if required.
  • Assists and enables service users to dress, undress, wash, use the toilet and bathe.

Source: Office for National Statistics.

Salary and earnings

Potential earnings

£30,604.29

Average earnings

£18,564.00

Source: Office for National Statistics' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

Skills & knowledge

The top 5 most important skills and knowledge requirements relevant to this career.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

English Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Medicine and Dentistry

Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Psychology

Knowledge of human behaviour and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioural and affective disorders.

Therapy and Counselling

Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counselling and guidance.

What course level do I need to study?

The level of study required will vary with each job, sector and company. The table below shows the level of study achieved by those currently working in this career choice.

Educational requirements: Level 2 NVQ; GCSE at grades A*-C

Source: Office for National Statistics.

Level of study Percentage achieved
Level 0 7%
Level 1 10%
Level 2 28%
Level 3 30%
Level 4-5 (Higher Education) 9%
Level 6 (Bachelors) 14%
Level 7 (Masters or equivalent) 2%
Level 8 (Doctorate) 0%

Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) data.

Economic data for careers is provided by Lightcast and also available through our Career Coach app. Job postings, employment and earnings information is represented at the regional level for the East Midlands.