How to Become a Care Worker for Children With Disabilities

If you’re a dedicated and resilient individual, keen to improve the lives of young people living with disabilities and complex learning difficulties, you might have the potential to become a fantastic care worker. Find out more about the role in this Seashell Trust guide, where we’ll be answering questions like, ‘What does a child care worker do?’, ‘How much does a child care worker get paid?’, and more.

What Does a Child Care Worker Do?

What exactly is a child care worker? Well, a care worker for children with complex needs has a range of responsibilities. Their role involves providing day-to-day care and support, as well as assisting with young people’s growth and development. One of the key aspects of care work is appreciating that every individual has unique needs and requires support in different ways.

The average day of a care worker involves:

• Creating unique support plans and routines, tailored to individual needs
• Assisting with dressing, washing, and toileting
• Supporting with development across learning and communication
• Communicate with families and other caregivers
• Make sure that children receive the appropriate medication
• Aid with therapies and exercises where necessary

What Makes a Good Residential Care Worker?

If we were to describe the perfect care worker for children and young people with complex needs, there are a series of qualities that are integral. Let us break them down for you:

• Resilience: Care work requires patience and an ability to stay calm during those difficult situations. It’s important that you can accept the challenges that come with working with SEN young people and effectively rebuild relationships after tricky interactions.
• Caring:This career offers the opportunity to positively impact the lives of those in your care. You need to possess that all-important desire to help those who need your support.
• Adaptability: It’s essential that you understand that everyone’s complex needs are different and that your approach to care should reflect that.
• Communication: Your role will require you to communicate effectively with SEN individuals, as well as their families and caregivers.

Here at Seashell, we’re proud to offer only the highest quality level of care, so these qualities are an absolute essential during our hiring process.

What Qualifications Do I Need to Be a Child Care Worker?

There are various qualifications that can put you on the path towards becoming a care worker for young people with disabilities.

You can first go to college and achieve a Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care or Children and Young People’s Workforce. You may alternatively choose to complete a relevant apprenticeship like the Early Years Practitioner Level 2 or Residential Child & Young People Support Worker Apprenticeship, for example.

There is also a range of essential training courses that must be completed before you can qualify as a child care worker. These include:

• Safeguarding
• First aid
• Medication training
• Positive behaviour support
• Manual handling
• Communication support

When you work with Seashell, however, many of these training courses will be provided to strengthen your abilities as a valued member of our team! Seashell also offers a two-week induction program, designed to provide you with the necessary experience to thrive in a care-working role. 

How Much Does a Child Care Worker Get Paid?

The average salaries for child care workers differ across the UK but typically fall between £20,000 and £24,000. At Seashell, we’re passionate about hiring the best talent in care work, so we offer competitive salaries to thank our brilliant team for their work. We also offer a range of staff benefits. Find out more about our special needs jobs and find out what care worker jobs are currently available in our specialist residential school, special needs college, and residential care for disabled children.

Why Choose Seashell?

Seashell is one of the UK’s most successful disability charities for children and young people. We support young people with a wide variety of complex special needs and welcome caregivers with backgrounds in a range of disabilities. Not only do we offer competitive salaries and benefits, but we also offer plenty of training and progression opportunities. 

Find Out More About Seashell

Discover more about our disability charity and our services by checking out our website. Why not find out how to donate to Seashell Trust or consider volunteering in Greater Manchester to pick up some valuable experience in working with young people with special needs and disabilities?