Home Care Organiser

Also known as:

Care Organiser, Home
Organiser, Home Care

Introduction

Home care organisers manage the delivery of home care support to people who, because of a disability, frailty or emergency situation, need help to maintain themselves in their own homes. They manage teams of home care assistants who work to a programme of visits to people needing support.

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Work Activities

Home care organisers receive requests from care managers for assistance with a variety of personal and practical care tasks.

Together, they agree how services can be delivered to meet the client's needs. To do this, home care organisers have to maintain accurate information about the availability of home care assistants and their personal strengths and skills.

Home care organisers are usually responsible for the recruitment, selection, induction and ongoing training of their team of home care assistants. They have to keep a regular monitoring programme to make sure the quality of the service given is maintained at the highest level.

Home care organisers work closely with other professionals, for example, doctors and social workers, to assess and review clients' needs.

They need to manage the service's budget, perhaps buying some types of service from private agencies.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

Home care organisers need strong leadership and interpersonal skills to manage a team of home care assistants.

You will need excellent communication skills, for example, when you meet clients or their families, interview new staff or work closely with other professionals such as medical staff, social workers and other care managers in the local authority.

As a manager, you must be able to encourage and motivate your staff. You should be able to work well under pressure, and support your staff when they experience stress or need advice on a particular client's case. You will need to listen and respond to your staff's needs and concerns, and provide them with training to develop their skills and confidence.

Good number skills are very important because you will be responsible for the service budget.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for home care organisers vary.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Home care organisers earn in the range of £17,000 - £20,000 a year, rising to £21,000 - £25,000. Higher earners can make around £32,000 - £34,000 a year.

Most home care organisers work regular office hours, Monday to Friday. However, some evening and/or weekend work may be required. Most posts are full-time, but part-time opportunities may be available.

Local authority social work departments are the major employers but some opportunities exist with private agencies that run similar home care services.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Most entrants have previously gained supervisory skills and abilities.

Relevant supervisory/management courses are available by full-time, part-time, open and distance learning.

Colleges will usually consider applications from candidates who do not meet their usual entry requirements. You should check the admissions policy of individual colleges.

• 32% of home care organisers work part-time.
• 27% have flexible hours.
• 10% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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