Engage: We need to raise the status of care workers

As a charity supporting people with learning disabilities we are acutely aware of the many pressures families and care professionals are facing, particularly in a climate of funding cuts and increasing costs.

To get under the skin of these issues and better understand them from a staff and parent’s perspective, we undertook in depth research. This has given us real insight and our findings make for stark reading.

The parents we spoke to are worn down by the constant fight to be heard, the devastating impact of incorrect assessments, and the lack of continuity in care. All of these worries were compounded by the fear of what happens when they are no longer around to fight for their children.

We learned that care professionals are very aware of the problems families are facing and are frustrated they can’t do more. More than a third of those we spoke to said that their biggest concern is the spending cuts and how this will affect their role and the support they give.

In addition, 80 per cent of the care professionals who responded to our survey reported that their job would be more appealing if it had higher social status. They felt that the low social status contributes to the high turnover of staff. Unsurprisingly the families we spoke to agree with their assessment, and it is a real issue for them.

Families want a carer to get to know their son or daughter. They rightly feel a continuous relationship with one person will help the carer understand what works best for their child, and help with longer term planning. They are frustrated when they have to get to know new carers, sometimes on a weekly basis. As one said: “Continuity is everything. You can’t set and achieve acceptable standards without continuous care.”

The industry as a whole is struggling with staff retention

These findings are not surprising. The industry as a whole is struggling with recruitment and retention. A recent chat with one of our managers revealed the seeds of this problem are sown early on. At a school assembly with her daughter she was pleased the headmaster was encouraging the A level students to work hard and apply themselves. She was left furious, however, when he said: “If you don’t work hard you’ll end up wiping bums for a living”. She was compelled to put her hand up and explain what a valuable and skilled role people who “wipe bums” have in society.

This attitude is widespread and may be at the heart of why many people don’t even leave the starting blocks of considering a career in care.

Low wages are a major probleM

Low wages are another issue. As one parent said “I discovered I could earn much more as an office cleaner than as a carer, and have so much less responsibility. A carer is lucky to see £6.70 an hour or £8.50 an hour with advanced training. But the responsibility they have, and the criticism they face if they make a mistake, is intense.”

We want to address our findings and see care work given the priority it deserves as both a career and a public service. The recent legislation on a Living Wage is a welcome step in improving conditions for care professionals, however, care providers are going to seriously struggle with the increase in costs unless local authorities protect spending on learning disability services. If they don’t we face a race to the bottom, and will end up exacerbating the problems that we see arising from high turnover of staff and lack of continuity of care.

FitzRoy has long championed the view that we must consider the lifetime needs of a person with learning disabilities. This is why, in light of our findings and the challenges ahead, we are calling for the government to address this issue and campaign to raise the status of care work so that it accurately reflects how skilled care professionals are. If we don’t we risk losing valuable staff, letting more families down, and not delivering the best care for people with learning disabilities.

To read the full report and for more information visit FitzRoy.org

About the Author

Anna Galliford is Chief Executive of FitzRoy, a national charity that helps people with learning disabilities. Anna is driven by a desire to help people with learning disabilities live a full and independent life, both at home and in the community.