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Sector Route-Way
for adult social care
Getting the most
out of your work
experience
A handbook for those considering
a career in social care
Contents
Introduction
Welcome to adult social care
P3
How to use this handbook
P3
Before the work experience begins
What makes work experience worthwhile?
P4
Planning for success
P5
At the start of your work experience
Information exchange
P6
Induction P7
During your work experience
Support, mentoring and tasks
P8
Thinking about what you are learning
P9
At the end of your work experience
Feedback and references
P10
Finding a job and keeping in touch
P11
For you to fill in and keep
P2
Learning log
P12
Feedback record and employment plan
P21
Introduction
Welcome to adult social care
This handbook is designed to help you get
the most out of your work experience and to
decide if a career in social care is right for you.
You have been given the handbook because you are on a pre-employment
course about social care and we hope that the course is helping you to
understand the wide range of job opportunities that exist across the sector.
How to use this handbook
This handbook contains some brief suggestions of things to think and
do before, during and at the end of your work experience.
At the back of the handbook are some pages for you to fill in to record what
you are learning during the work experience and to review your progress
at the end. We hope your work experience goes well and that you find
this handbook helpful.
Good luck!
If you would like to learn more about the
career opportunities available, visit:
www.skillsforcare.org.uk/thinkcarecareers
P3
What makes work
experience worthwhile?
Taking time to visit or work in a real social
care workplace will really help you to
understand what the sector is all about
and to get a feel for the day to day work.
Although there is a lot you can learn on
your pre-employment course, there is
nothing quite like being there and seeing
it for yourself.
Your work experience may involve several
short visits to a range of different social
care workplaces, or you might spend all
your time in just one.
Whatever type of work experience you
do should help you to make an informed
decision about whether or not a career
in social care is right for you.
P4
Before
the work
experience
begins
As well as helping you with this important
decision, your work experience should
give you:
■
a
chance to meet and work with other
people and to build networks
■
o
pportunities to develop your
communication and other essential
workplace skills
■
e
xperience of real care and support
activities that you will be able to put on
your CV or talk about at job interviews
■
r eal insight into the day to day work
of adult social care.
Planning for success
To get the most out of your work
experience, it’s a good idea to do a
bit of thinking and planning before
you begin.
Before you get in touch with the employer spend
some time thinking about what you would like to
get out of the work experience opportunity.
■
■
■
What would you hope to see and do?
■
Is there anything that is worrying you or that
you need some help with?
What do you hope to learn and find out?
D
o you have any questions about practical
arrangements such as which days you will be
working or start/end times?
Planning
notes.
To do...
1.
2.
3.
4.
P5
Information
exchange
Before the first day of your work
experience, your employer should get
in touch to give you the information you
need to get started. Use this as a
chance to ask questions too, such as:
■
n
ame, address and phone number of
the place you will be working
■
t he name of the person you should report
to on your first day
■
here you should go and what time you
w
need to arrive
■
■
w
hat you should wear - is there a uniform?
■
■
do
you need to provide your own lunch?
■
is there anything else you need to
bring with you or do before
you start?
hat are the working hours and will there be
w
any breaks?
w
hat sort of tasks and activities will you
be doing while on placement?
P6
At the
start of
your work
experience
Induction
Your employer will arrange an induction for the first day of your
work experience.
The purpose of the induction is to give you all the information you need to get started
and give you the chance to ask any questions you may have. Go prepared with a list of
questions as getting everything clear from the start will help you to settle in quickly.
Your induction will probably include the following:
■
information about the organisation
or workplace
■
introduction to others in the
workplace – including your key contacts
■
■
tour of the workplace
■
p
lan or schedule of work experience
activities and tasks.
lear explanation of requirements and
c
expectations – including workplace rules
and policies that you must follow
P7
During
your work
experience
Support,
mentoring and tasks
During each placement or visit, you should
have a named person who will help you to get
the most out of your work experience. They
will probably be referred to as your supervisor
or mentor.
They should explain and show you what to do,
help you with any questions or difficulties, and
give you feedback on how you are doing.
Try to be as honest and open with them as
you can. They can only answer your questions
if you ask them and they can only help you
if they realise you need support.
P8
Thinking about what
you are learning
It’s important to spend some time thinking
about the things you are learning during your
work experience.
There are some questions
to help and some space to
write down your thoughts
in the last section of this
handbook.
If possible you should do this at the end
of every day, and then do a stock-take
half way through and again at the end
of the work experience period.
P9
At the end
of your work
experience
Feedback
and references
At the end of your work experience,
you should sit down with your
workplace supervisor/mentor and
think about how things have gone,
what you have learned, and what
your next steps might be.
There are some questions to help, and some
space for you and your supervisor/mentor to
write down your thoughts on the last page of
this handbook.
During this final discussion, you could ask your
supervisor/mentor if they would be willing to
give you a reference. Some employers have
a policy of not giving detailed job references,
so please don’t be offended if you supervisor/
mentor says they cannot do this.
P10
Perhaps the feedback they give on the
last page of this handbook could act as a
reference instead.
You should keep the learning log and feedback
that you record in this handbook as it could be
really helpful when you update your CV, apply
for jobs or attend job interviews in the future.
Finding a job and keeping in touch
If there are no job vacancies coming up at the place(s) where
you did your work experience, ask your supervisor/mentor
if they could keep you on a waiting list or suggest any other
ways of finding out about suitable vacancies.
Perhaps you could keep in touch by doing
some voluntary work or visiting the workplace
from time to time. But do check first that the
employer would be happy with this and that it
won’t affect your benefits.
If you have decided that a career in social care
is right for you, make sure you go back and tell
your employment/careers adviser so that they
can help you find and apply for jobs.
If you think you would be better working in a
different type of job, tell them that too so that
they can see what other support might be
available for you.
Whether you do join the social care workforce
or not, we hope that you have enjoyed your
work experience and found it useful, and that
you now have a much better understanding
of adult social care.
P11
For you to fill in and keep
Learning log
During your work experience keep a daily diary. Include details about what you have learnt
by doing, observing and asking questions.
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
P12
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
P13
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
P14
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
Date
What I did:
What I
observed:
What I
learned:
P15
During your work experience, use these questions to reflection what you have learned.
Introduction to the adult social care sector (PWCS 01)
What different types of care and support are provided in the workplace(s) where you
are completing your work experience?
What different social care job roles have you come across during your work
experience? You can include jobs held by people working for other organisations
such as local health services as well as those employed by the place(s) where you
are completing your work experience.
Are there any social care job roles or types of social care support that you didn’t
come across or would like to learn more about?
P16
Introduction to the values and principles of adult
social care (PWCS 02)
Give two examples of situations where you saw some key principles or values of
adult social care being put into practice.
Can you think of any situations where staff might find it hard to work within the key
principles and values of adult social care?
Why do you think it is important that social care workers find out about the history,
needs, wishes, likes and dislikes of the individuals they support?
P17
Awareness of the skills and attitudes needed to work
in adult social care (PWCS 08)
List some of the skills and attitudes that you think everyone working in adult social
care should have. When you have done this put a tick by any that you think you
already have.
Looking back at your list, are there any skills or attitudes that you think you need
to develop?
P18
Awareness of communication in adult social care
(PWCS 09)
List the different types of communication skills used by people working in adult
social care.
Describe any examples you have seen of social care workers finding ways to
overcome communication barriers with the people they support.
List the different types of record-keeping that you have come across during your
work placement.
P19
Awareness of the role and responsibilities of the adult
social care worker (PWCS 10)
What do you think the main responsibilities of a social care worker are?
List some of the tasks that you saw social care workers carry out.
Can you give an example of how tasks are carried out in a person-centred way?
P20
Feedback record and employment plan
At the end of your work experience you should sit down with your workplace supervisor/
mentor and think about how things have gone, what you have learned, and what your
next steps might be.
Use the questions below to plan your discussion and record your views.
You should fill in the questions on the first three pages yourself, and ask your workplace
supervisor to fill in the one after that.
Tick the boxes which best fit how you feel
Clean and tidy in appearance
Good time keeping and attendance
Able to work with other people as part of a team
Willing to learn and work hard
Able to communicate well with individuals
Mature attitude
Aware of safety both of self and others
What you
are good at
1.
2.
3.
Areas for further
development
1.
2.
3.
P21
What were the most important things you learned?
What do you think the staff or the people who use care and support learned
from you?
P22
Write a short but anonymous case study about someone you met on your placement
who uses care and support, describing the care and support they need and how you
helped to meet these needs.
P23
Describe an example of good practice which you observed.
P24
Describe an instance where you think a particular practice could be improved or
developed, and why/how.
P25
To be completed by the work experience
supervisor or mentor
Tick the boxes which best fit how you feel
Conduct and attitude
Confidentiality
Commitment
Communication
skills:
with the clients
with staff
with visitors
Core
knowledge of:
care principles and values
key policies and procedures
Please provide your own comments about the learner which will serve as a witness
testimony.
P26
Signed by the learner:
Date:
Signed by the
supervisor/mentor:
Date:
P27
www.skillsforcare.org.uk/caresectorrouteway
www.skillsforcare.org.uk/caresectorrouteway
0113 245 1716
info@skillsforcare.org.uk
info@skillsforcare.org.uk
© Skills
Skills for
for Care
Care2015
2015