A peer support network connecting domiciliary care workers throughout the country is welcoming new and familiar faces alike to a free meet-up at Nottingham Central Library this December.
The Homecare Workers’ Group was set up last year by Rachel Kelso, herself a homecare worker from Beeston, who saw a need for a space where employees from different domiciliary care agencies could get to know one another:
Rachel said:
“Over the last seven years, I have worked for three different agencies all operating in the same area of Nottingham.
“I came to realise that there are so many of us doing the same job in the same place, yet there was no contact between us. If you’re suited to it, then care is a very rewarding vocation, but there’s no getting away from the fact it involves a high level of responsibility, which can be stressful, and being out and about on your own means it is sometimes quite an isolating job.
“I just felt there was a lot that could be gained from joining those dots between people, especially as we keep hearing about how too many people are leaving the sector for other roles.”
Since starting the group in September last year, over 300 people have signed up from all corners of the UK, with a report about it making national BBC news back in April.
The group has been warmly welcomed by bodies within the social care sector, with support from the likes of Skills for Care and the Local Government Association recognising the need for improved support and representation for direct homecare workers.
In October, Rachel spoke with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, at a Parliamentary Reception in London. On a day-to-day basis, the group offers free peer support to its members via an active WhatsApp Community and fortnightly online meet-ups, as well as connecting people with opportunities to contribute their experiences to national conversations about the future of social care. In September, the group was awarded grant funding via the Rayne Foundation, having applied for its Better Careers for Better Care programme.
According to the latest data from Skills for Care, there are 65,000 homecare workers in the East Midlands alone, employed across 3,600 ‘care-providing locations’.
This goes to show both the sheer size of the homecare workforce in the region as well as how fragmented it is. On Wednesday, 11th December, the Homecare Workers’ Group is hosting a free meet-up, open to all homecare workers in the area, at Nottingham Central Library from 4-5 pm. Four of the group’s members are involved in organising the meet-up, which will take place in a privately booked room so that everyone can have a proper chat, with snacks and drinks provided. Nottinghamshire County Council is helping to promote the meet-up via its connections with employers, and even if people are unable to secure a place, they can still sign up for the Homecare Workers’ Group via the website.
