Denise Harrison is the regional lead for recruitment and retention at Skills for Care South West.

Social care has an image problem. People often think that working in the field is one step up from being a cleaner. Actually it is a very demanding profession and is becoming even more so because of our ageing population and higher expectations of care services.

In 2003 I realised that perceptions of social care had to change if the sector was to attract the staff it needs. I overheard two young care workers talking about their jobs. They spoke passionately and responsibly about their roles and their clients, but also really enjoyed the work.

It struck me that the sector's unique selling point is the passion and dedication of its staff. Perceptions could change if more people heard care workers' voices. So I started a scheme, working with the local care partnership, to get young people working in social care to act as care ambassadors. We helped them to gain presentation skills, then sent them into schools to talk to Year 9 students who were about to make career choices.

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We had been nervous about asking too much of the care ambassadors, but once they got going they were amazingly powerful. We got calls from partnerships around the country asking if they could replicate the scheme. Skills for Care has developed some 40 regional projects and there are now about 1,000 care ambassadors in England. The scheme has grown to attract others to the profession, such as retired people, parents returning to work and the long-term unemployed. Each project has a co-ordinator who makes links with organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, parenting groups, and carers' associations.

Because of ambassadors' contact with such groups, employers can fish from different pools when looking for staff. Recently an employer attended a Jobcentre Plus event and took a chance on employing a man with a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Now he is one of their best carers.

The ambassadors also benefit. They are role models in their own workplace, spokespeople for their sector, and can see they are valued. Many of them say how much their personal and professional confidence has grown. This is a huge boost for them as individuals and for social care as a profession.

Helping Hands

Ayeisha Strong, 18, was attracted to working in adult social care after a care ambassador visited her school.

“The care ambassador gave a talk about what it meant to be a carer and how rewarding it could be. I had already worked with children, but this helped me to think about going into adult care. It was great to get help from outside school, from someone close to my age, and consider the different directions I could take.”

After her A levels last year, Strong began working at a residential home for the elderly in Leigh. Her supervisor is the care ambassador who attracted her into the profession and continues to act as her mentor.

Her employer is also supporting her on an NVQ course. “Care ambassadors provide so much and show that you can really train up from the inside,” she says. www.careambassadors.info

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