Caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, both in terms of physical care and emotional support, is massively important and cannot be underestimated. As the coordinators of this care, it’s critical that we at Ensure Care do our utmost to make sure we recruit only the very best candidates. This doesn’t necessarily mean picking people with the highest qualifications. It means getting to know the people who apply and finding out whether they have the right temperament and skills to succeed as a carer. Below you can find out what we look for and the process behind recruiting and training new starters.
Skills and Personality
As mentioned above, starting your career as a carer with Ensure Care doesn’t rely upon your qualifications or professional skills. We look at the person’s all round skills and personality. Obviously we look for caring individuals but we also look for people who are conscientious, reliable, responsible and compassionate. As well as being generally kind, you’ll need to be a good communicator and be able to remain calm in the pressured situations that sometimes arise when caring for another person. If this sounds like you, then there’s no need to worry if you’ve not gained any formal qualifications yet. If we think you could be a great carer, we’ll train you up and help you succeed.
Recruitment
We need to really get to know everyone we hire, so our recruitment process is very thorough! We’ll start by interviewing you and, if you’re successful in the interview, we’ll then need to carry out enhanced background checks. Providing the results of these checks and of your references are okay, (you will be given induction training) then you’ll begin shadowing one of our experienced team members. We’ll then move on to practical assessments and your essential training. You’ll be able to continue working alongside one of our experienced team members until we, and you, feel you’re fully confident and competent to work alone.
Training
While you will be working on your probation period you will get trainings named ‘Care Certificates’, a set of 15 standards recommended by the CQC. This is essential training for all carers and takes around 12 weeks to complete. The standards include things like Understand your role, Safeguarding, Effective Communication, Working in a person centered way, and privacy and dignity etc. After this, we can help you to gain NVQs too, if you wish to. We also constantly update our carers with training modules and reading to make sure their knowledge is always fresh and up to date. Even if you start working with us with no formal care knowledge at all, we’ll get you up to speed and help you further your learning throughout your career.
Carer Pay
Pay depends on many factors including abilities, experience, qualifications and skills. Someone starting with Ensure Care with zero experience would start at least on a payscale of £8.25 per hour minimum (above industry average). Further experience, driving skills and trainings would then see this wage rise as time goes on.
Are you looking for a care position? Visit our recruitment pages for more information, or contact us on 01926 431925 to discuss our current opportunities.
