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Social care in the community
Social care in the community

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2.1 What is the job?

Going into someone else’s home demands a range of skills in order to work with different people. Some home care clients are seriously ill and need skilled care, including the use of sophisticated equipment. Others need help only with personal care, such as washing, dressing or shopping. The needs of others may involve countering isolation by helping them to maintain social contact with people.

Underpinning these different tasks is the need to establish the right kind of relationships with the client. Home carers have to balance being friendly and providing company with professionalism and doing the job within the time allowed in the care plan.

This is a challenge for many people who work in health and social care, but it is particularly acute for people who work in home care, because their job involves going into people’s homes. They are not working in their own workplace where they can be in control. Rather, they have to adapt to each person in their home.

In the next activity, you will look at how this role plays out in practice.