Independence
Care workers typically answer to a house manager or team leader. However, the role of tending to an individual’s needs is usually a rather independent function. You’ll be on your own assessing situations before making decisions all by yourself. You have to be confident in what you’re doing. If care work is something you’re new at, then it might take time to develop this. However, knowing how to think ahead and plan tasks on your own without someone looking over your shoulder will help you find success in this career path in support assistant jobs.
Flexibility
Related closely to independence is your capacity for flexibility. The tasks that you plan won’t always come to fruition. When they don’t, it’s on you to choose the ideal path forward. Flexibility isn’t just helpful in coping with such endeavours, but actually quite vital to your ability to remain patient.
Professionalism
As with any career path, you need to have pride in what you do and stick to your professional duties. The National Association of Care and Support Workers is an organisation that promotes the profession of care and support work.
This is a narrowly defined career path that rewards specialisations. If you want to commit to offering those who need it the highest calibre of care while practising professional ethics, then you can be a very valuable member of teams that need you.
Respect
Having respect for your clients is crucial as a quality for any potential care work. Respect has to happen all the time. Any care worker needs to recognise that ever client is a distinct individual who has requirements and needs all their own.
If you can provide care to those who need it, do so in ways that help them relax and be happy. When they’re comfortable with you, you’ll do much to connect with them.
Empathy and Compassion
Being compassionate means feeling strongly for someone else’s emotions, be they positive or negative. This is a crucial quality for anyone working in the field of social care. Being empathetic goes a step further, because you won’t just understand how someone feels but can totally relate to them and even put yourself in their place, so to speak.
For instance, if a client discovers that a relative is headed for a visit, then you will not only share their joy but imagine how you would be like in their place. You’ll genuinely show that in your own response, and the client is likely to recognise that.
Cheerfulness
Customer service is important, even in a care environment. A happy persona is how you do it. Everyone’s human, so you’re not going to feel bubbly all day, every day, but the more often you can smile and speak with a positive tone, the more you’ll connect authentically with your clients. Everyone will appreciate your effort.
Patience
Care worker roles vary a lot based on the specific sectors across the industry, but patience is a virtue in nearly all circumstances. In many cases, you might need information or to complete a task that you think should happen quickly but could take far longer. Practice patience at all times so your client feels safe in not needing to rush at whatever they are doing.
