The role of a personal carer is one of the most important jobs in the community today. In everything they do, they need to think about the care and support they provide from the service user's point of view, so that their rights and choices are always respected.

By supporting service users to carry out everyday tasks, personal care workers make a big difference to their lives.

They:

  • Support people to live independently at home to maintain their individuality and self esteem
  • Enable people to stay in familiar surroundings, to take part in their usual activities
  • Help to maintain service users' health and wellbeing through the support they offer
  • Support people to make their own decisions about day-to-day life
  • Provide social contact; a friendly face and a chat can be important for everyone, especially those who live on their own
  • Helping other carers such as service users' family members to continue to care for their loved one.

The work is very rewarding, but it is complex and can sometimes be challenging. As well as common sense, kindness and good humour, personal carers will need to develop a range of professional skills, knowledge and personal attributes.

They must:

  • Be open minded to support people from different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles
  • Understand different conditions and how they affect people
  • Report any signs of ill-health or changes in a person’s wellbeing to their supervisor
  • Practice patience to help people do as much as possible for themselves rather than doing things for them
  • Help people to carry out intimate or personal tasks in a sensitive manner
  • Need to be dependable and arrive as punctually as you can
  • Know what to do in an emergency and prepare for the unexpected.

To find out about available Personal Carer jobs visit the MyJobScotland website.