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?

Having been a carer until recently, pay is only part of the issue.

Zero hours contracts need to go and all carers need guaranteed hours. We need to move away from a carer losing hundreds of pounds a month because Mrs Maggs goes into hospital and comes home with free enablement care.

The only way to take this forward is to follow the childcare model and charge a retainer whilst the client is in hospital. No retainer, no guarantee of care when you come out.

Also add to this opportunities for progressing and monitoring of hours to avoid illegally long sessions and shortened rest breaks.
And maybe we will get somewhere.
We can at least dream..

I think people are drawn to care roles/jobs because they want to care/help/support/ect ... To get the best people business should support staff, offer good rates of pay and working conditions. What one person needs or wants from an employer will be different from the next

Yes but I think you would have backlash from the staff with no children. And who will do their job during the holidays? It seems unfair not to share the holidays out for example Xmas and new year etc. No one should have to work all of them.

Better pay is what is needed. At the moment you can get paid better on nights at a supermarket (at least where I live) what is the incentive for all the responsibility?

A good shift pattern also helps so that there is a work/life balance but this is reliant on a good team who will work the opposite shift.

Small things like free meals and being able to wash your uniform at work (one place I have worked even let you do all your laundry) also make a big difference to staff.

For me (as an ex carer) better working conditions would be top of my wish list. Mainly more staff. Whatever the "legal safe limit" is isn't enough. We need to have time to pee. We need to be able to take our breaks. And the residents/clients should be able to have a cup of tea and a chat with the carers if they want.

I mean. The pay is shit. But I do wonder if it became well paid if it would then attract people who are only there for the money. Not saying carers shouldn't be paid more, but as it's seen as "unskilled" and you don't need any qualifications to do it, it might attract people who don't actually care.

9.30-2.30 tearm time only would make it appealing to me even at low pay, as I currently unable to work outside school hours due to DS's SEN not being compatible with paid childcare. There are probably other people who have similar limitations for various reasons, so might be willing to accept.

However, you can't just not provide care to your clients for weeks at a time through the year, what's your plan for school holidays?