Support Working

Support
Working
Overview
Starting a career in social care is an exciting prospect that comes with varied opportunities, but taking the
first step can be a daunting prospect if you don’t know what is involved or have little or no experience.
Many people who enjoy helping others pursue careers in support work. There are many rewarding career
types in support work, including working with the elderly or working with people who have learning
disabilities. If you're interested in a career in support work, it's helpful to learn more about the field and
different job options. In this article, we define support working, explain how to get a job in support work
and identify types of careers in the field.
What is support working?
providing support for people who need help living
independently. Support workers might work with
people who experience physical, cognitive or
mental health challenges. These workers can
provide both practical support and emotional
support depending on what their clients need.
Duties for support workers
• Creating care plans for clients based on their unique needs
• Talking and listening to clients to provide emotional support
• Providing practical support by completing things like household tasks
• Accompanying clients to health care appointments and helping them take medication
• Keeping records of client data
• Helping clients learn life skills like budgeting and household chores
• Helping clients participate in hobbies and other activities
• Communicating with clients' families to track progress and educate them on supporting the client
• Collaborating with social workers and health care professionals
Types of support work careers
Residential support worker
in residential care centers. They help clients who
may struggle to live independently. They may help
them perform daily activities like personal care,
preparing food and going to doctor's appointments.
Residential support workers can also be
responsible for helping protect their clients' rights
and making sure they're treated properly.
Community support worker
visiting clients in their homes. They often work with
the same populations and perform the same duties
as residential support workers while accounting for
differences in their clients' home lives and
environments. They may also help clients who are
transitioning back into living independently
following an illness or injury.
Support worker supervisor
work and supervise teams of support workers.
People in this role are also responsible for
adhering to regulations and documenting care
plans and other information. To become a
supervisor, you usually need to have prior
experience as a support worker.
Support Worker Skills
As a support worker in a sector such as mental
health or social care, it may be important for you to
assess individual patient needs within their current
circumstances. You may study the differences
between physical, cognitive, social and emotional care
in relation to individual needs. To enable your patient
to live as independently as possible, you may first
identify their needs and then implement change that
may meet those requirements.
support worker, you may recognize the physical
needs associated with specific illnesses or injuries,
move patients who are incapable of moving
themselves and administer first aid or medication. A
common method for developing this skill involves
completing an accredited training course in health
care support work.
Performing health assessments
require knowledge of data collection techniques,
medical technology, communication skills and
personal awareness. To develop health assessment
skills as a support worker, you may work in a
team where you can implement health assessment
tools and techniques. You may learn to assess
people's capacity for moving, their coordination
skills or their visual-motor skills.
Supporting personal development
coaching and feedback to help individuals improve
skills or help them find work in a field of study or
occupation. One method for facilitating personal
development involves assisting in self-directed
learning through supervision or training. Another
strategy many support workers use involves
creating specific goals for what development they
would like to see their patients achieve.
Providing educational support
up to date with new research that supports the
efficacy of different methods so that you can
effectively assist individuals with their progress
toward educational self-development. You may also
establish specific educational goals for your patients,
such as improving comprehension or testing abilities.
Cooking
and healthy meals for the individuals they support.
To develop your cooking skills, you may take a
cooking class. Additionally, you may research the
nutritional needs of individuals with specific
conditions, such as gastroenteritis and Crohn's
disease.
administer CPR on a person who is unconscious or
has stopped breathing and treat body injuries like
cuts and bruises. They may also have skills related to
specific procedures for responding to many types of
emergency situations and mental health crises. To
develop these skills, you may attend a first-aid, CPR
or EMT course.
Treating chronic illnesses
individualized care plans for individuals managing
chronic illnesses. To develop these skills, you may
learn techniques for helping people cope in
emotional or physically painful situations, such as
pain management, anxiety management and stress
relief. You may also create a plan for follow-up visits
and a review of progress with caregivers.
Communicating effectively
interpersonal communication skills that help them
communicate effectively with many types of patients.
They may determine the best methods for
communicating with individual patients, such as
written, verbal or visual. To develop these skills, you
may attend courses such as lectures in enhancing
nonverbal communication and communicating
thoughts, feelings and desires.
Support workers often use organization and time
management skills to care for several patients
throughout each day or to complete certain care
tasks efficiently. One of the best methods for time
management involves setting specific goals for
yourself to complete tasks within a certain amount
of time. You may also use a calendar, daily planner
or time management software program.
Empathy
person emotionally and understand their feelings.
Support workers need a strong sense of empathy to
communicate with and care for their clients
effectively.
Listening
workers to be able to support their clients
effectively and understand their needs. They also use
active listening skills, including smiling, making eye
contact and showing positive body language.
Problem-solving
issues or challenges that their clients encounter.
These skills can help them come up with solutions
for each individual client.
Make a real difference to someone’s life
Being a Support Worker means making a positive
difference in someone's life. Making a real change to
the lives of the people you provide support for and
their community of friends, family and carers.
Becoming a Support Worker will also make a
difference to your life, by leading a fuller, more
compassionate life.
Job satisfaction
Being a Support worker is incredibly rewarding. For
many people who work in the sector, the
relationships they form with the people they work
with instil the sense of personal achievement from
supporting them in living their life to the full is the
reason they get up in the morning.
Doing something that counts
Working for Search Consultancy, as a Support
Worker is far more than just a job it gives you a
sense of purpose as your work is important and you
are valued by the people you support and their
families.
the home of the person you are supporting (not in
a care home). Much of what a Support Worker
does depends very much on the person you are
supporting, its tailored to the needs of the person
you care for. Not only could you be supporting
them with their daily needs, you have the
opportunity to support them to achieve any goals
and ambitions they have and where possible Search
tries to match people up if you have the same or
similar interests.
Job security
Support Workers has increased over the last five
years, and that’s set to accelerate as Britain’s
population ages, the social care sector offers great
job security.
Personal development
As a Support Worker, you’ll learn a huge amount.
Not just from the exceptional training by Search
Consultancy, but also from the people you work
with and the people you work for. Being a Support
Worker is an eye-opening experience, and provides
the chance to work with people from all walks of
life with varying needs of support.
Conclusion
This job involves helping others, not being judgemental about a situation, and providing support to change
lives. It can be difficult so you’ll not only need skills but also patience, compassion and understanding. You
will support individuals within the home and the local community. As a Support Worker, you will be
assisting them to lead independent and fulfilling lives. A big part of your role will be supporting people to
do their favourite things and try new activities suggested by you and other staff.