South Gloucestershire Council has joined authorities across the South West in supporting a new campaign that raises the profile of care, and the positive role of care workers, in a drive to recruit the right people to the sector.
A Proud to Care website has been created for each authority area involved in the campaign to provide information for potential care workers and to help with recruitment. Social media is also being used to support the campaign, with a big push planned for Thursday 20 July – add your support by sharing http://thndr.me/40SFIn
The campaign focuses on the positive role of care workers, and is designed to support care providers across the region, as they can experience difficulties in recruiting. This can in turn affect the availability of care to people who could be living independently at home, or in care homes.
It’s a challenge that local authorities want to address by making people aware of how rewarding and worthwhile care work is as a career choice, and encouraging the positive image that care deserves.
16 local authorities across the South West, and Health Education England, are supporting the campaign (see note to editors), establishing for the first time a regional approach to raising the profile of care.
The campaign website www.proudtocaresouthglos.org.uk features interviews with care and support workers, and links to recruitment opportunities. The campaign also features first-hand personal accounts from real care and support workers, who talk passionately about their love for care work.
South Gloucestershire Council is one of the local authorities supporting the campaign. Cabinet Member for Adult Care in South Gloucestershire Cllr Ben Stokes said: “This campaign hopes to inspire more people into a rewarding career of care work, and it makes perfect sense for us to team up with our neighbouring authorities to ensure that there is a consistent approach across the area. It aims to help create career pathways in care and health to attract, retain and develop high quality people into the sector.
“We recognise the value and commitment of our carers and care workers, and it’s important that they are recognised for the contribution they make to society.”
The campaign wants to reach all potential care workers, but is specifically targeting key audiences including younger people and those who have studied for a health and social care qualification; parents considering a return to work; people aged 50 plus who, with more life experience might want to give something back to their community; and students seeking employment over holiday periods.
The Proud to Care campaign originated in Devon where care providers have seen marked improvements in their ability to recruit high calibre applicants to caring roles.
Devon County Council’s Principal Social Worker Geraldine Benson and Torbay Council’s Head of Integration and Development John Bryant are the two joint leads for the Proud to Care South West campaign.
Geraldine Benson said: “We want the incredible people who work in the care sector to feel proud of their vocation and for others to see it as an enormously rewarding area of work that they can become involved in.
“We want people to see that it has great career prospects, with many opportunities for progression in care and health including nurses, social workers and registered care managers.”
John Bryant said: “Working in the care and health sector is very rewarding, helping people at a time of their lives where that support can have really positive consequences and can go a long way in enhancing a person’s quality of life.
“This campaign recognises the value and commitment of care and support workers across the South West.
“We hope that people everywhere will take a moment to visit the campaign website, listen to the real stories and be inspired to apply for any of the vacancies now available.”
