The scope of social care work available in London is vast and varied. A city of 12 million people with a variety of lifestyles, ages, disability statuses and a lot of social housing, the UK's capital is home to plenty of social care jobs. The umbrella of social care incorporates many different groups of people needing support; from people affected by substance misuse, to vulnerable youth.Often, the best place for both employers and candidates to look is specialist social care recruitment agencies, or sector branches of large firms. They often take care of staff DBS checks, and have all the right industry knowledge when it comes to policy and necessary experience.
Social care has definitely been affected by the recent UK budget cuts, with many reported redundancies. There is a lot of temporary work to be found and this can offer freedom and flexibility, although permanent roles obviously have the advantage of clearer career progression. If you are an experienced social care worker, you will probably want to look even more closely at the opportunities offered in any permanent job. For example does the role offer NVQ training alongside it?
Many social care jobs will require at least 6 months experience - not always within the same sub-sector, but certainly within social care itself. Accordingly, a lot of people looking to break into this sector get their first experience through voluntary work.Since London is so vast, and travel can take so long, if you are looking for employment that may require a lot of home visits, for example as a housing support officer, you may want to aim to find work within your own London borough, or at least close by.