Understanding The Role of a Disability Support Worker

A support worker looks after the well-being of people in their daily lives. They help people living with different physical disabilities and mental health needs to live their lives more independently and support them to reach their potential by providing physical and emotional support. The role of a support worker is so varied – each person has unique needs, which makes the job unique too.

What Does A Support Worker Do?

The day-to-day job of a support worker differs depending on the needs of the person they are supporting. This can include helping people carry out their daily tasks to take care of themselves, teaching new skills, providing emotional support, and ensuring they are living a fulfilled life.

The role is primarily focused on enabling and supporting people to live their lives independently.

As a support worker, you may work in various settings, including people’s own homes, in health and social care settings such as supported living services or care homes, and out in the community.

What Is Support Work?

Support work involves helping people who require care and support to live independently. Support work is a very varied job as every person that requires support has individual, unique needs – this means that no two days in support work are the same.

What Are The Responsibilities Of A Support Worker?

There are many roles and responsibilities of a support worker, including:

• Providing physical support, including helping with household tasks and personal care.
• Providing emotional support for an individual and their families.
• Supporting and helping with health care needs, including routine checks or administering medication.
• Encouraging and supporting the development of personal skills through hobbies and interests.
• Teaching life skills, such as shopping, public transport, and paying bills.
• Working with other healthcare professionals to ensure that all care needs meet the highest possible standards.

Making friends is often difficult for the people we support, so a key responsibility of support work is promoting and planning meaningful days. This can be supporting people to enjoy their hobbies and interests, helping them to get involved in community groups, or encouraging them to learn a new skill like cooking or painting. For many people, communication is not easy. An important aspect of the job is understanding how the person communicates and how others can best communicate with them.

Why Become A Support Worker?

Being a support worker can be a very rewarding job. Even though the role can be hard and often challenging, making a positive difference in someone’s life and helping them become more independent brings feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. It’s a great career choice for those who enjoy varied job roles and interaction with others.

Some of the best parts of the job are sharing new experiences, creating new memories, and celebrating successes. You’ll enable people to overcome their fears and challenges while helping them to build confidence and self-esteem.

“As a support worker, you have to wear many different hats. You’re a professional, companion, coach, educator, and community bridge-builder. You help people live fulfilling lives and be an inclusive part of their community, enabling them to develop and maintain relationships. Your support means they have choice and control in their lives. Variety is very much part of the role.”

What Skills Are Needed To Be A Support Worker?

Certain skills are beneficial to have when working as a support worker, for example:

• An interest in helping other people, regardless of their condition.
• The ability to communicate clearly and sensitively when talking to people and their families.
• Good listening skills.
• Great problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt and act accordingly to situations.
• Good time management skills to support the needs of multiple people.
• The ability to keep up with changing standards and codes of conduct in the social care sector.
• The ability to work both alone and as part of a team.
• A high level of patience and emotional resilience.
• Being empathetic towards everyone.
• The ability to make good, positive relationships with people and their families.
• The ability to communicate with other healthcare professionals.
• Great verbal and written communication skills.
• A non-judgemental attitude, regardless of a person’s needs.
• The ability to remain calm under pressure and when dealing with challenging situations.

What Qualifications Are Needed To Be A Support Worker?

Becoming a disability worker doesn’t require any specific qualifications. Experience in the care sector is helpful but not required. When starting a support worker role, employers will often provide some form of training, especially for newcomers, which provides insight into the roles and responsibilities of the job role. Find here more about the qualifications.

Even though specific qualifications aren’t required, NVQs or similar qualifications in the health and social care sector can give you the advantage of getting the support worker role you want.

As a support worker, you’ll have access to fantastic training and development opportunities. There’s a comprehensive induction program where you will learn about company values and a person-centered approach to service delivery. After completing your induction, you’ll be fully competent and confident to provide quality care to the people you support. You will have achieved your mandatory training and the knowledge criteria of some of the Support Worker (Care Certificate) Standards.

Your learning journey will continue after your induction with further learning sessions relating to the person you are supporting. You can also attend training sessions covering moving and handling, safe swallowing, and physical intervention. You will also experience a comprehensive local induction as you start work in your service. This will detail the specifics of your service, including who you will be supporting, and you will also have an opportunity to meet with the team.

How Much Does A Support Worker Earn?

The average salary for a support worker in the UK is £8.72 an hour. This varies from region to region.

Is There An Opportunity For Career Progression?

In the care industry, there is much room for career progression. Many companies offer support workers the chance to work towards an NVQ, SVQ, or degree while working. This can enable progression to a more senior support worker or managerial position.

Companies usually provide other regular training opportunities, such as first aid training, which helps support workers stay up to date with the ever-changing professional standards in the social care sector.

There are many career progression opportunities available.