Celebrating Professional Care Workers Week 2023
The Care Workers Charity (CWC) is an important industry body with the objective of supporting current and former care workers. As part of this mission, the CWC is running its annual Professional Care Workers Awareness Week for the sixth year this month. Starting today on the 18th of September and wrapping up on the 22nd, the campaign will involve a variety of virtual panels, fundraisers, and celebrations for all.
Putting ‘professional’ in front of ‘care worker’
Broadly speaking, adult social care involves giving assistance with day-to-day living, often to those who are older, require respite, or live with a disability or illness. It is a highly skilled profession, requiring well-honed soft skills like patience and compassion, as well as a diverse range of multi-disciplinary technical capabilities. Care workers must wear many ‘hats’. From chef, to nurse, to friend, to teacher, to cleaner, and more, they take on many roles and responsibilities to ensure that their clients are able to go about their lives with dignity, comfort, and confidence. Yet despite care being a highly skilled profession, the CWC argues that care workers often don’t get the advantages of being seen as professionals.
Because of this, the CWC’s awareness campaign seeks to challenge the misconception that care work is a low-skilled profession. Karolina Gerlich, CEO of the CWC, speaks from personal experience as a former care worker. “Care workers are skilled professionals, and it’s important that we see them as such. I know first-hand how many skills society unjustly perceives as soft skills. Compassion, empathy and patience are as important as clinical and organisational skills in care work. It takes an expert blend of all these attributes to excel in the caregiving field and provide top-quality support to those who draw on social care.” The CWC also shares that professionalisation is important as it brings higher levels of trust, accountability, and transparency to the care services.
A career in care
As part of celebrating the profession, we’re also shining a spotlight on how rewarding a career in care can be. The Birchwood Care Services team has been in the community this month attending recruitment fairs and sharing the joy of caring. We currently have several roles open for application which offer rewarding work with favourable terms. To help make the profession more accessible, we also offering training and development right from the start. So, whether applicants are experienced care workers looking to join an independent, respected and established company, or perhaps are considering a career in care for the first time, we are committed to keeping the career of care open to all. If this interests you, our current vacancies can be explored here.
How to take part
If you’re a carer or care professional yourself, the CWC has put together a week-long schedule of online seminars, panels and events for workers to learn and connect (and attendance is free!) You can explore the agenda and secure a free ticket on the Eventbrite page here.
If you’re a friend or family member, this week is a great time to show your appreciation and celebrate the work of your loved one. Have conversations with your community and open up discussions about what a career in care actually entails. Fundraising is another great aspect that you can get involved with, as there are great initiatives like the South Downs Trek and Afternoon Tea for CWC. For more information, you can explore the CWC website. An informative graphic from the CWC has also been included below.
