What is Adult Social Care?
Support where it’s needed most
When we talk about adults, we imagine independent, capable individuals contributing to society. However, a significant number of adults face challenges that dilute their independence, and restrict activity. These people need support from those who know how best to help them.
Taking care of the UK’s most vulnerable adults is something tend is incredibly passionate about. Training care givers to provide support for those who need it most is what we’re all about. Adult Social Care is a vital area of the sectors we serve, requiring skilled and qualified professionals.
So, what is Adult Social Care? How does it differ from Healthcare? What roles exist within it? What kind of career pathways are there to explore?
tend is here to dive into the detail. Let’s take a closer look at Adult Social Care, and its impact on the care sector.
So, what is Adult Social Care?
Adult Social Care in the UK refers to a wide range of support services provided to adults aged 18 and over who require assistance with everyday tasks. This can be due to:
- Disability
- Frailty
- Illness
- Mental health struggles
- Other needs that effect mobility or motor skills
While standard healthcare focuses on diagnosis, treatment and clinical intervention, social care looks at other aspects that contribute to wellbeing, such as:
- Practical assistance
- Maintaining independence
- Community living
- Performing daily tasks
Adult Social Care covers a number of specific services, such as:
- Help washing, dressing, and staying mobile
- Support with household chores, shopping, and preparing meals
- Assistance within residential and nursing homes, supported living facilities, day centres, and setting up aid and adaptations in private homes
- Short and long-term help in regaining independence after illness or injury
The aim of Adult Social Care is to help people live as independently as possible, ensuring that they can go about their daily lives with dignity, freedom of choice, and as much control as possible.
It’s important to note that Adult Social Care services are not universally free to everyone who needs it. Support often requires a needs assessment and/or means testing by the local authority before funding options can be explored.
Why Adult Social Care matters
The number of people across the UK needing to utilise Adult Social Care services continues to grow each year. A major contributing factor to this is our ageing population.
People are living longer. Many of them are dealing with chronic conditions and disabilities. This places the sector under enormous strain, with services in demand, and not enough qualified staff to fill the millions of roles needed to provide them.
Adult Social Care services also enable some vulnerable adults to remain in their own homes and communities, rather than having to move into care facilities. This takes a little bit of pressure off the care workforce, and buys time for professionals to train and qualify.
This is just another reason why Adult Social Care matters. It impacts a wide range of people, professionals, and communities nationwide.
What professions exist within Adult Social Care?
There are many roles within Adult Social Care, from entry-level to advanced:
Entry / Frontline roles:
- Care/Support Worker: This is one of the largest job categories is social care. Care/Support Workers can be based in private residences, care homes, and assisted living facilities. They can also provide home visits for companionship purposes, personal care, and independent living assistance.
- Personal Assistant (PA): Usually employed and paid for directly by the person receiving care, a PA supports the individual’s needs, enabling greater independence and quality of life.
- Community Support Worker: These types of staff assist adults in day centres, supported housing, and outreach settings.
Mid-level / Specialist roles:
- Lead Adult Care Worker / Senior Care Worker: taking on supervisory responsibilities, employees in these roles usually mentor junior staff, and support care planning.
- Specialist Support Worker: focusing on areas such as learning disability, mental health, sensory impairments or dementia services, these kinds of staff specialise in a particular niche within Adult Social Care.
- Reablement Worker / Occupational Therapy Support Worker: these are the heroes who help people to regain skills lost following a major illness or hospitalisation.
Management / Strategic roles:
- Registered Manager / Unit Manager / Service Manager: professionals in these critical roles are responsible for leading care services, ensuring compliance and quality of care, managing teams, and making sure everyone is adhering to regulatory frameworks.
- Leader in Adult Care: (apprenticeship Level 5): this is the ideal role for those leading a service, or managing multiple teams. These are the leaders who embed service improvement initiatives, and cultivate a healthy working culture.
- Learning and Development Lead: the person in this role oversees all aspects of staff training, making sure that all team members are certified and qualified in their respective roles, and that care skills are kept sharp in an ever-evolving sector.
Other roles of note:
- Social workers
- Occupational therapists
- Social care nurses
- Administrative assistants
- Contract and commissioning roles
- Voluntary sector specialists
- Policy and strategy roles
As you can see, there are plenty of avenues to explore professionally in this area of the care sector. All of them are centred around helping people live their lives as best they can.
What skills and behaviours are required in Adult Social Care?
The 6 ‘Cs’ are often referenced in Adult Social Care:
- Care
- Compassion
- Communication
- Competence
- Courage
- Commitment
Possessing one or all of these is a good foundation on which to build a stable care career. These, coupled with strong interpersonal skills, a good work ethic, an ability to solve problems and adapt on the fly, and a non-judgemental attitude will help anyone wanting to pursue this professional route.
As a precursor to officialising skills with training, volunteering is a great way to gain valuable, hands-on experience in the field, while also building useful, role-specific knowledge and behaviours.
What qualifications do Adult Social Care workers need?
Apprenticeships provide a key route into the profession, as they are a great way to gain experience and earn while you learn. Professionals starting their learning journey at Level 2 Adult Care Apprenticeship can easily forge a path through Levels 3 Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship and Level 5 Leader in Adult Care Apprenticeship, depending on the roles available, and personal goals.
tend specialises in providing care sector learning programmes, and will collaborate with employers looking to level up their teams, as well as individuals with a desire to develop professionally. As a leading UK care training provider, tend offers flexible pathways, career-long learner development, and ongoing support for employer and learner alike.
You can explore our full range of Adult Social Care apprenticeships and diplomas on our website. In some cases, learners may be able to study for the apprenticeship and diploma combined. Completion of these kinds of programmes can open so many more opportunities, and contribute to meaningful career progression.
Final thoughts
Adult Social Care represents the very heart of care. Providing essential support to those who need it most, It’s an excellent career to pursue, especially for professionals looking for a path with purpose, progression, and possibility. There is currently a very real skills gap in this area of the care sector, putting qualified Adult Social Care workers in high demand.
For teams already working on an Adult Social Care team, training from a sector-specific training provider like tend will help to keep skills sharp, and stay ahead of new developments in the field.
Whichever you are, and whatever you need, tend can help you get where you need to be. Our programmes turn learners into leaders, creating careers with heart, and skills with purpose.
Ready to become a tend-trained professional in Adult Social Care? Reach out to our team today on 01753 596 004, email info@tendtraining.co.uk, or hit the button below.
