A career in social care is a truly rewarding profession that is vital to supporting wellbeing for everyone in our communities. Every day is different, and you will be making a huge difference to the lives of the people you are helping.
What’s more, there are loads of benefits to gain in your working life. Starting a career in care could be one of the best decisions you make!
We have mapped out the various pathways you can take to develop your career in social care. Explore the different job roles to find out what qualifications you need, and the next steps you can take to progress to a variety of positions that would be open to you in that role.
Community care officer
As a community care officer, you will assist and support vulnerable people with personal and social care.
This could include helping them with dressing, preparing meals and taking medication. You may also support them to pursue their hobbies, maintain relationships with friends and family, and identify risks of harm so they stay safe.
Your role will encourage independence, and allow them to remain in their own homes within their communities.
Community care officer - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- SVQ 2 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 6)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
Job roles you could progress to:
- Community Care-Coordinator
- Community Care Lead Officer
- Learning and Development (L&D) Assistant, Development Worker of L&D Officer
- SQA Workplace Assessor
- SQA Internal Verifier
- Support Assistant
- Day Care Officer
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ3/4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7/9)
- HNC/HND Health and Social Care
- Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
System support officer
A system support officer assists support and provision of effective electronic and manual systems for the Care at Home service.
You will be ensuring that operational teams have ongoing access to appropriate data, assessments and general recorded information.
System support officer - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualification, skills or knowledge required:
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Dementia Skilled
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
Job roles you can progress to:
- Community Care-Coordinator
- Community Care Lead Officer
- L&D Assistant, Development Worker of L&D Officer
- Support Assistant
- Day Care Officer
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ3/4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7/9)
- HNC/HND Health and Social Care
- Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
Day care officer
As a day care officer you will assist with the provision of day services to older people in a day care setting, ensuring a safe and stimulating environment for people who attend.
The jobholder is responsible for providing direct personal care and facilitating meaningful social and recreational activities.
Day care officer - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualification, skills or knowledge required:
- No formal registration required as yet however would be future proof to have SVQ 2 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 6)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
Job roles you could progress to:
- Community Care-Coordinator
- Community Care Lead Officer
- L&D Assistant, Development Worker of L&D Officer
- SQA Workplace Assessor
- SQA Internal Verifier
- Support Assistant
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ3/4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7/9)
- HNC/HND Health and Social Care
- Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
Support worker for adults
As a support worker for adults you will be delivering a consistent and high quality service providing additional care and support to adults with a learning disability.
Service users will have multiple needs requiring physical care and opportunities for meaningful activities within the community, including social and recreational, leisure and development, and supported employment.
Responsibility for the support and protection of adults who may be at risk of harm.
Support Worker for adults - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- SVQ 2 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 6)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
Job roles you could progress to:
- Community Care-Coordinator
- Community Care Lead Officer
- L&D Assistant, Development Worker of L&D Officer
- SQA Workplace Assessor
- SQA Internal Verifier
- Support Assistant
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ3/4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7/9)
- HNC/HND Health and Social Care
- SVQ Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
Lead day care officer
As a lead day care officer, you will lead a team of day care officers, ensuring the team provide high quality, person centred day/afternoon care for older people within East Ayrshire’s day centres.
The jobholder is responsible for providing direct personal care and ensuring the team work together to deliver a stimulating experience for service users. The post also involves providing supervision and some training delivery to staff in day services.
Lead day care officers may also deputise for a day care co-ordinator, as appropriate.
Lead day care officer - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- SVQ 2 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 6)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
- Organisational Developments (OD) LearnPro Core and Essential training – Corporate and Role Specific
Job roles you could progress to:
- Day Care Co-ordinator
- Community Care Lead Officer
- Team Manager, Development Manager
- Social Worker
- L&D Assistant, Development Worker or L&D Officer
- SQA Workplace Assessor
- SQA Internal Verifier
- Support Assistant
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ3/4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7/9)
- HNC/HND Health and Social Care
- SVQ Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
Community care coordinator
In this role you will maintain and support the management and coordination of staff, to provide and adapt packages of care for vulnerable adults.
This will include planning, coordinating and implementation of new care packages as commissioned via the area lead officers, and to promote and support a coordinated approach to enablement performance in relation to delayed discharges.
Community care coordinator - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- SVQ 2 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 6)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
- OD LearnPro Core and Essential training – Corporate and Role Specific
Job roles you could progress to:
- Community Care Lead Officer
- Team Manager, Development Manager
- Social Worker
- L&D Assistant, Development Worker or L&D Officer
- SQA Workplace Assessor
- SQA Internal Verifier
- Support Assistant
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ3/4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7/9)
- HNC/HND Health and Social Care
- SVQ Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
Support assistant
Responsible for the assessing and reviewing the needs of people who receive services, to ensure their package of care continues to meets their needs.
The jobholder is required to liaise directly with service users and their carers to ensure their voices are heard and choices are reflected in their support plans.
The post requires multi-disciplinary working to ensure people receive the right supports at the right time.
Support assistant - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- No formal registration required as yet however would be future proof to have SVQ 2/3 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 6)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
Job roles you could progress to:
- Community Care Lead Officer
- Team Manager, Development Manager
- Social Worker
- L&D Assistant, Development Worker of L&D Officer
- SQA Workplace Assessor
- SQA Internal Verifier
- Support Assistant
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ3/4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7/9)
- HNC/HND Health and Social Care
- SVQ Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
Community care lead officer
As part of an integrated care at home service this role coordinates, supervises, develops and promotes a range of Care at Home services within East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership.
In order to assist with the promotion, delivery and integration of the key objectives in relation to those identified within the Health and Social Care Partnership Plan and the Community Plan.
Community care lead officer - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- SVQ 3 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 7)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
- OD LearnPro Core and Essential training – Corporate and role Specific
Job roles you could progress to:
- Team Manager
- Development Manager
- Learning and Development Officer
- Practice Development Manager
- Service Manager
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ 4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 9)
- HND Health and Social Care
- Leadership and Management Qualification
- Degree in equivalent subject
- SVQ Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
Day service manager/coordinator
The day care co-ordinator is a registered manager who has the responsibility for managing the day care service.
This involves oversight over a large staff group, ensuring the delivery of a high quality day care service to older people who may have physical and/or cognitive impairments. The service should reduce social isolation and ensure people who attend are involved in meaningful social and recreational activities.
The co-ordinators also have responsibility for developing the service in line with the Partnerships strategic plan and the Care Inspectorate’s quality frameworks.
Day service manager - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- SVQ 4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 9)
- SCL Hub Induction Programme
- Best Practice Days 1-4
- Safe Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Dementia Skilled
- OD LearnPro Core and Essential training – corporate and role specific
Job roles you could progress to:
- Team Manager
- Development Manager
- Learning and Development Officer
- Practice Development Manager
- Service Manager
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ 4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 9)
- HND Health and Social Care
- Leadership and Management Qualification
- Degree in equivalent subject
- SVQ Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
- SVQ Internal Verifier (L&D11 Award)
Team manager
You will manage the day-to-day operational services and lead teams accordingly.
You will contribute to the development of policy, procedures and service development in line with National Policy. This involves leading a team of Social Work employees to deliver high quality front line services to people living in their own homes and to protect and promote the welfare and wellbeing of children, adults at risk and communities to assist with the promotion and integration of the Council’s key objectives identified within the East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnerships Strategic Plan and the Council’s Community Plan.
Team manager - job role requirements, progression and training
Qualifications, skills or knowledge required:
- SVQ 4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 9)
- OD Core and Essential – Employee and Management Courses
- Practice based skills and knowledge - Hub Programme
Job roles you could progress to:
- Service Manager
- Practice Development Manager
What you can do to progress:
- SVQ 4 Social Services and Healthcare (SQF Level 9)
- Leadership and Management Qualification
- Degree in equivalent subject
- Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) Workplace Assessor (L&D9i Award)
- SVQ Internal Verifier (L&D11 Award)