Making care work appealing

[Ilkleymoor]

If an organisation offered term time only contracts for care work do you think that would make the role more appealing?

Possibly. For some people. I’m looking at jobs that fit around children and all I’m coming up with is care work but just don’t think I could handle the personal care side of things.

Regardless of flexible working patterns being offered I would need to be offered £100 an hour to clean bodily functions from a humans backside.

Apart from my daughter

And how would the care home manage during school holidays with fewer staff?

More money would make it more appealing. I e worked in care for years and now the NHS, I can hand on heart say that you soon get used to the personal care!

I think pay that reflects a very demanding job would make it more appealing just like any other job really.

I work in care, I think better pay!
we are not being paid enough and struggling to get staff in.
the personal care bit gets easier once you’ve done it once or twice!
I just think we’ve got someone’s life in our hands and minimum wage or just over doesn’t reflect the job we do.

If they offered 9.30-2.30 term time, it might work!

I'd be very worried that it would attract people who just want the tax credits and all the other financial incentives to be honest, as opposed to people who really do want the job

I can't imagine care homes would manage without staff committed to working all year round. Surely the existing care workers want to take time off in the summer as well, especially if they have kids. It would be unfair to offer it to new staff and not existing ones.

Paying travel time for domcillary care and upping wages so people were earning at least £15ph would help.

Perhaps pay a higher rate for school holidays also.

Having worked in residential special schools which are term time only I can tell you it doesn't! Chronically under staffed like every other sort of care setting. Also I think the bigger issue for staff with kids was the short times- 7am starts and 10pm finishes doesn't fit well around childcare.

The only thing that would make it more appealing is better pay. It's just frustrating that few people can afford to pay more for care. My grandmothers care home cost about £40k per year which is more than I earn. She's doesn't need any personal care, she moved in because she wanted the company and it removed the burden of looking after a house. She's ok for now because she sold her house but we do worry about where they'll put her if the money runs out. She's been joking about moving to a care home in Asia but I think she might really be considering it. She's always had an adventurous streak so it would probably suit her.

More money. Care workers deserve it. We pay £26-28/hr to my mum’s care agency. The workers get £12/hr and nothing in between placements. They never stay long.

Seems a very costly way to get company.

Seems a very costly way to get company.

It is but she loves it there. She's always been very social but friends have passed away or gone to live nearer children. She also doesn't have to worry about shopping, washing, cleaning or the most dreaded task- household maintenance and worrying about being ripped off by tradesmen so she says it's money well spent. Hard to argue with her. she's happy and she can't take the money with her so may as well spend it. There's still a bit of me that worries about it running out. Her house sold for about 350k but she's in her early 80s and showing no signs of slowing down.

I agree

With how expensive everything is becoming minimum wage needs to be at least £14-15 per hours it's ridiculous

All the teachers who work term time only could pick up the slack.

Otherwise they're just lazing about all summer, right?

Riiight

Pay them more money.

Those without dependents would be more likely to apply for the decent wages. Those with dependents would be able to afford childcare that fits in with their working hours.

Better pay. Better working conditions. Offer career progression. Better image.... address why it is seen as the job to do when you have failed to get employment elsewhere.

I take my hat off to carers as they do marvellous demanding job.

It definitely should be better paid.

However, if care homes paid more then fees would go up and some people would struggle to pay them...

Sorry if this is long!!

I’m a ward nurse, but I think in general that they should increase salary for carers and make the working conditions and career progression better. I also think that any travel times between calls (for home care) should be paid.

For carers and nurses/shift workers who have kids, there should be better provision for childcare: childcare places around where I am don’t open until 7:30am at the earliest. Ward shifts (and I’m betting carer shifts) start at 7am. So that screws things for a lot of people who don’t have anyone to help them with childcare. I’m a rarity: when XH walked, my ward allowed me to start later and finish earlier (and gave me set days) to coincide with wraparound childcare times, but that’s bloody rare. And I’m not the only single parent who works in healthcare!!!

There is a huge shortage of carers and nurses. The government need to think fast about how to make things better in order to have good staff retention (and happy workers!). I don’t know if term-time only contracts alone would help things.

Years ago a footwear retailer a business model that was this:
39 weeks contracts for parents (usually mums back then)
13 weeks contracts for Students
worked really well. Never understood why more places didn’t try it tbh.