This page provides information to support individuals interested in becoming a social care practitioner about the following:

– What is social care?
– Getting into social care – things to consider
– Funded employment support and skills programmes

What is social care?

Social care makes a positive difference to people’s lives, offering a huge range of job opportunities from which to choose from. It is a career that matters because many of us at different times in our lives, may need help to cope with everyday living. This could be for a variety of reasons for example: the impact of disability, illness, ageing or other life situation such as: homelessness, mental ill health, addiction and/or drugs dependency.

Social care practitioners help to support, care for, protect and empower people to live as well and as independently as possible. They deliver a range of practical help and emotional support to individuals, families and communities. This can include:

• Personal care for individuals who have particular needs associated with ill-health, disability, frailty or ageing.
• Care and support for people in the community through a range of services.
• Support for people in residential and nursing care homes

Getting into social care – things to consider

The social care practitioner’s role is to provide high quality, safe and effective social care practice, supporting people of all ages with a range of diverse and complex needs. This requires social care practitioners to have the right values, knowledge and skills and be appropriately trained.

What does having the right values mean?

Social care is about building relationships with the people you support. Employers want to ensure the individuals they employ have the right values to work in their organisation and are suitable to work with people with a range of diverse and complex needs. These values can include: patience, understanding, compassion, kindness, and being trustworthy and a good listener.

Once you have successfully secured a social care position – what do you need to do?

• Register with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council – the regulator for the social work and social care workforce across Northern Ireland. Our role as a regulator is to protect the public and maintain a register of all social workers, social work students and social care practitioners and ensuring that they are properly qualified and competent to practice is one way in which we do that. We also set Standards of Conduct and Practice for social workers, social care practitioners and social work students for their conduct, practice and training.
• Agree to work to the Standards of Conduct and Practice for Social Care Practitioners – these are a set of rules that describe the values, attitudes and behaviours expected of you and outline the knowledge and skills required.
• Complete the induction provided by your employer.
• When you begin a career in social care you will also have the opportunity to undertake a new work-based entrance level qualification, the Level 2 Certificate in Safe and Effective Practice within your first 6 months in the sector as part of your induction process. This includes all the training you need to begin working in social care.
• In line with the new Care in Practice (CiP) Framework, you may then be supported by your employer to work towards the achievement of a higher level, work-based social care qualification aligned to your job role and career progression.

Would you like to know more?

The Social Care Council in partnership with social care providers and key stakeholders have developed a Career in Social Care digital guide to help you decide if social care is for you. This guide includes more information and films about the social care role, why values are important, experience and qualifications required.

Funded employment support and skills programmes

There is funding available to support training opportunities to help you get into employment in social care.

We have done the work so you don’t have to. If you are still interested in becoming a social care practitioner take time to look at our guide which provides information on what opportunities are available to those who want to get into a career in social care.

Our guide will give you all you need to get started by providing information on what funding, essential and functional skills programmes (e.g. Maths, English and ICT) and employment support programmes you can access, where to find them and how to apply.

Additional Information

Click on the links below for further information on Standards and Registration.

– SCC, Standards of Conduct and Practice for Social Care Practitioners
– SCC, Registration with Social Care Council