Where you could work

Social care means supporting and enabling people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, or within the community - keeping them out of hospital. It's also about enabling people through supported living to become independent and live the way they choose. 

Social care takes place in a range of settings and each offers unique opportunities and challenges. The best fit would depend on your personal interests, skills, and career goals. 

Roles can range from direct care roles to administrative and managerial positions. You can find them in nearly every setting, so you'll have the same opportunities and career paths no matter where you are providing support. 

Supported living

A service designed to help people with a wide range of support needs keep their independence by getting support in their own home or in a shared home. People in supported living have their own tenancy and are responsible for their own bills and cost of living. 

Care at home - live-in care and shared lives

Home care services or domiciliary care services deliver health and social care to people within their own homes. 

Live-in care is a type of service where a professionally-trained care worker moves into someone's home full time to live with them and support their care needs. This would involve looking after the person 24 hours a day and assisting with specific needs to maintain independence. This may be helping with daily tasks, personal care or minor medical care.   

Shared lives is where support and care takes place in, or based around, the home of a shared lives carer. The person getting support either lives with the shared lives carer on a long-term or short-term basis or is accessing respite with them. 

Residential homes

When someone's support needs are best met in a setting that is not their own home, a residential setting is somewhere they can go to live and receive 24-hour support. Residential settings can range in size, and some provide nursing care as well as social care. 

Day care

Adult day care services typically provide social care support in a day centre or other community-based setting rather than in a person's own home. These services provide a wide range of opportunities to support people to engage in meaningful and enjoyable activities. 

Working in the community

Community-based social care involves supporting individuals to access their local community. For example, leisure activities, community hubs and libraries.