The Role of a Support Worker
(Otherwise known as: gym buddy, chef, dance partner, karaoke star, confidence builder, footballer, swimming partner, holiday planner, safety officer, mentor)
What is a support worker?
A support worker is someone who looks after the everyday wellbeing of people living with complex and diverse needs, helping them to live their lives more independently.
They support people to reach their potential by providing both physical and emotional support. The role of a support worker is so varied - each person has unique needs, which makes the job unique too. Support workers play a crucial role in empowering individuals to live fulfilling, independent lives while providing the necessary assistance to overcome challenges and achieve personal goals.
What is support work?
Support work involves helping people who require care and support to live as independently as they can. It’s a varied and rewarding career that enables you to make a real difference in people’s lives while offering opportunities for personal growth and development.
What does a support worker do?
The duties of a support worker differ depending on the needs of the person receiving support. Support workers help people carry out their daily tasks, teach them new skills and provide emotional support to ensure they are living a happy and fulfilled life.
The role is primarily focused on enabling and supporting people to live their lives as independently as they can. At Lifeways, we support people with a diverse range of complex needs, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and mental health needs.
As a support worker, you may find yourself working in a number of settings. You may be expected to work in people’s homes, in health and social care settings such as supported living services or care homes, and out in the community.
I love coming to work every day because I get to work with some amazing people - those I support and my colleagues. The first thing we do when we come on shift is to have a handover. We come together as a team and discuss what we need to do over the day ahead.
Josie is a support worker at Lifeways and explains what her working day looks like
What are the skills of a support worker?
The skills of a support worker are countless, as the role involves helping people to achieve their personal goals and ambitions. This could be by aiding them in their hobbies and interests, connecting them with suitable community groups, enabling them to attend college or encouraging them to develop a new life skill such as cooking or money management. To achieve this, understanding how the person communicates and their likes and dislikes is an important part of the job.
What are the responsibilities of a support worker?
There are many roles and responsibilities of a support worker, including:
Providing physical support
Teaching life skills
Providing emotional support
Working with other healthcare professionals
Supporting with health care needs
Helping people take part in activities they enjoy
Encouraging and supporting skills development
Why become a support worker?
The role of a support worker is truly rewarding and is accompanied by many benefits:
- The opportunity to make a real positive difference to someone's life
- Help people become more independent, resulting in feelings of accomplishment
- Enjoy a varied job role where no two days are ever the same!
- You get to interact with others on a daily basis
- Share new experiences and create new memories with the people you support
- Help the people you support overcome challenges and fears
- Help people build confidence and self-esteem
As a support worker, you have to wear many different hats. You're a professional but also a companion, coach, educator and community bridge-builder. You help people to live fulfilling lives, to be an inclusive part of their community, and you enable them to develop and maintain relationships. Your support means they have choice and control in their lives. Variety is very much part of the role.
Tracy Dixon, Regional Operations Director
Why does the support worker role make a fulfilling career?
Supporting people is so rewarding. You learn the value of the simplest things - a kind word and chatting over a cuppa. We’re not here to live people’s lives for them, we’re here to support individuals to thrive and increase their levels of independence.
Support worker Josie explains the benefits of support work for her
From forming meaningful relationships with the people you support to learning new skills and experiences, support work is as enriching for you as it is for the people you support. With opportunities to grow and progress - whether through specialisation or advancing into other care roles - support work opens doors to a fulfilling career path.
What skills are needed to be a support worker?
There are certain skills that are beneficial to have when working as a support worker:
- An interest in helping other people, regardless of their condition.
- The ability to communicate clearly and sensitively when talking to healthcare professionals, people and their families.
- Good communication skills - listening, verbal and written.
- Great problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt and act accordingly to situations.
- Good time management skills to support the needs of multiple people.
- The ability to keep up with changing standards and codes of conduct in the social care sector.
- The ability to work both alone and as part of a team.
- Ability to show empathy and make good, positive relationships.
- A non-judgemental attitude regardless of a person’s needs.
- The ability to remain calm under pressure and when dealing with challenging situations.
What qualifications are needed to be a support worker?
Becoming a support worker doesn’t always require formal qualifications, as personal qualities can often be more beneficial:
- Empathy
- Patience
- Good communication skills
- Basic literacy and numeracy skills (essential for tasks involving documentation and medication management)
- For people who may have had personal experiences - whether that’s a sibling with autism, or a family member who has a physical disability, they may find their experiences can assist them with their role as a support worker
Even though specific qualifications to become a support worker aren’t required, NVQs or similar qualifications in the health and social care sector can give applicants an advantage:
- The government’s T Level Health qualifications: a good option to start your career as a support worker
- Health and Social Care Diplomas (Level 2 or 3): for more advanced roles and specialised training in areas like autism, dementia, or mental health
- First aid and CPT qualifications: valuable for ensuring safety and handling emergencies
What’s the application process to become a support worker?
The application process to become a support worker at Lifeways is relatively straight-forward:
- Submit your CV and fill out a short application form
- Successful applicants will be invited for an interview, usually taking place online
- All successful applicants will undergo a DBS check as standard
We have a number of easy-to-use resources to guide those looking to apply. You’ll find CV writing tips, interview advice and example questions you can prepare for - all to help you shine.
What is the induction process like at Lifeways?
Your first few weeks
When you start a career at Lifeways, you will receive on-the-job training and will complete an induction course in your first few weeks. You’ll also shadow another support worker for a few weeks, too to learn about the day-to-day healthcare support worker roles and responsibilities.
Your induction programme
You’ll also have access to fantastic training and development opportunities. There’s a comprehensive induction programme where you will learn about our company values and our person-centred approach to service delivery. After completing your induction, you’ll be fully competent and confident to provide quality care to the people you support. You will have achieved your mandatory training and also the knowledge criteria of some of the Support Worker (Care Certificate) Standards.
Your training and development
Your learning journey will continue after your induction. You’ll receive further learning sessions relating to the person you are supporting. You can also attend training sessions that cover things like moving and handling, dysphagia and safe swallowing and physical intervention.
Meeting your local team
As you start work in your service, you will also experience a comprehensive local induction. You’ll have an opportunity to meet with the team, and the people you will be supporting. Our support workers can undertake NVQ/SVQ Level 2 in Health & Social Care or an appropriate qualification once their role has commenced.
Is there opportunity for career progression?
In the care industry, there is lots of room for career progression. At Lifeways, we offer support workers the chance to work towards an NVQ, SVQ, or degree whilst working, enabling progression to both senior and managerial roles.
Regular training opportunities, such as first aid training, help our support workers stay up to date with the ever-changing professional standards in the social care sector.
Sabrina joined Lifeways seven years ago as a support worker, and through hard work and a passion for learning, she graduated through Lifeways’ talent programme to become a Deputy Manager. And after winning Deputy Manager of the Year at the 2024 National Care Awards, she’s reflected on what has become an incredibly rewarding career.
Lifeways have been amazing. I started off as a support worker at Heath Farm in 2017 with no previous experience in care and, honestly, this was originally supposed to be a job to fill in a gap. Lifeways made me realise how important this line of work is and how rewarding it can be to support people with autism and learning disabilities.
Sabrina, Deputy Manager
How do I know if becoming a support worker is the right job for me?
There’s no better way to understand the role of a support worker than to speak to someone who does the role themselves. At Lifeways, we hold regular career days and attend job fairs to help individuals understand how to become a support worker, and whether or not it’s the right career choice for them. This gives people interested in the role the opportunity to meet people first hand and talk through the role in detail.
For those in full time education, whether that’s university or college, we employ students throughout the summer break to offer them a chance to experience a career as a support worker. Not only is this a great experience, but a way for them to gain a thorough understanding of what it is to be a support worker, and a great opportunity should they decide to follow this path after completing their education.
How to become a support worker?
If you’re looking for a support worker role, please take a look at our available roles. We have many exciting opportunities across the country. You might also like to read our blog to find out more about what a career in supported living is like.
If you have any questions about becoming a support worker in one of our many Lifeways locations, please feel free to get in touch.
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