Overview of the social care sector

The 1.6 million workers who make up the social care sector in the UK provide vital services to society's most vulnerable people. Learn more about the industry and social care careers

What is social care?

Social care is the term used to describe the personal care given by public or private organisations to help people in society who need specialised assistance to live a comfortable, healthy, fulfilling life.

Services aim to provide care for and protect society's most vulnerable and this could include the elderly, adults, young people, children or families.

Those working in the sector are expected to demonstrate certain qualities and values know collectively as the '6 C's of social care'. These include:

• care
• compassion
• competence
• communication
• courage
• commitment.

This framework aims to provide a quality service and ensure that those being cared for are treated with dignity and respect.

What areas of social care can I work in?

Employment opportunities in the social care sector, also known as the care sector, can be grouped into:

• advice and guidance
• childcare and early years
• child protection
• community work and day care
• counselling
• fostering and adoption
• housing
• occupational therapy
• probation
• psychology
• residential care
• supporting independent living
• therapies (e.g. art, music, drama)
• youth and community work.

You could provide care for a specific group of people such as adults or children, or those with mental ill health, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or alcohol or drug dependency.

There is increasing crossover between social care and healthcare roles so you could, for example, work as a nurse in a social care setting such as a care home for the elderly.

For examples of roles in this sector, see graduate jobs in social care.

What's the difference between healthcare and social care?

The two industries are closely linked and experts and professionals from both sectors often work together in multidisciplinary teams to care for patients and service users. However, the two fields differ in their focus.

Those working in healthcare concentrate on the medical needs of individuals and communities by preventing, treating and controlling illnesses, diseases, injuries or disabilities. This work is predominantly carried out in doctors' surgeries, hospitals or clinical settings. Gain an overview of the healthcare sector in the UK.

The social care workforce provides personal and social support by helping vulnerable people live safe, independent and fulfilling lives. This can involve:

• supporting someone with daily activities (such as washing, dressing and feeding)
• assisting with mobility issues
• ensuring someone maintains their
• creating opportunities for social interaction
• protecting someone from a vulnerable situation. 

What social care settings can I work in?

A career in the care sector could see you working in a variety of locations. While you'll likely be office based, a number of social care roles require travel within the locality to visit clients and service users. You could work in:

• care homes
• children’s homes
• community centres
• council offices
• a client's own home
• health centres
• homeless shelters
• hospitals
• hostels
• prisons
• probation offices
• residential homes
• schools
• supported housing
• youth clubs.

Who are the main graduate employers?

Social care jobs can be found with a range of employers. These include:

• local authorities - e.g. social services
• the National Health Service (NHS) - e.g. hospitals, mental health trusts, community based settings
• charity and voluntary organisations - such as Age Concern, Barnardo's, British Red Cross, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Mencap, Save the Children, Sue Ryder, YMCA
• residential and non-residential care organisations
• HM Prison and Probation Service
• private or independent organisations
• schools, colleges and universities.

What's it like working in the social care sector?

Graduates entering the social care sector can expect:

• a rewarding career, focused on helping individuals and society as a whole
• jobs to include unsociable hours, such as evenings and weekends, particularly in residential care and community work. You may also be on call or work shifts in some roles
• to travel locally between appointments with service users
• to work in a multidisciplinary team alongside health workers
• temporary or fixed-term contracts depending on your role. For example, domiciliary care roles and reablement work are usually short term. Many jobs are also subject to the renewal of funding
• to build relationships with patients and service users and to have to deal with stressful or frustrating situations, helping clients who are upset or angry. This can make the work emotionally challenging.

To find out more about what it's like to work in a social care role, see job profiles.

What skills do I need to work in social care?

As well as a genuine caring nature and a passion to help others, you will need:

• interpersonal skills to build rapport with clients or service users
• excellent communication skills
• the capacity to work under pressure, which means you'll also need effective time management and organisational skills
• strong numerical ability
• IT literacy
• good observation and analytical skills
• the ability to work successfully in a team
• to be able to think on your feet and problem solve
• a flexible and adaptable nature
• a non-judgemental attitude
• a commitment to treating those in your care with dignity and respect.

Resilience, patience and a good sense of humour to brighten a service user's day can also go a long way in some roles. Depending on your position you may also need a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check or a driving licence. While not essential, knowledge of a second language may come in useful.

How do I get a job in the sector?

Jobs in social care often carry a high level of responsibility - you may be taking care of people with physical or mental health issues, safeguarding children, mentoring those with a history of substance misuse or working to rehabilitate offenders. As such, some experience working with diverse groups is essential.

Internships and work shadowing opportunities in the sector can be difficult to find, often due to the sensitive nature of the work. Do some research to identify the organisations you'd like to work for. If you can't find any formal work experience, consider contacting companies speculatively for opportunities. Find out how to ask employers for work experience. Alternatively, university job shops or your local JobCentre Plus may be able to help you find work experience vacancies in hard to break into sectors.

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience in a social care role. You'll give your time to a worthy cause and gain great hands-on experience to use in university or job applications. You can volunteer in schools, youth clubs and community settings, befriend and support the elderly or disabled, work with charities to combat poverty and supporthelplines to assist someone undergoing a mental health crisis.

A degree isn't a necessity for many jobs in the social care sector and you can enter a number of careers via an apprenticeship. However, some jobs, such as those in social work, child psychotherapy, community education and educational psychology demand that you're educated to at least degree level, and it's impossible to enter the field without a degree.

Find out more about social work courses and discover what you can do with a health and social care degree.

What are the key issues in social care?

More people need more care. With an aging population and a rise in the demand for services, such as those in mental health, coupled with budget cuts and a lack of funding, the social care sector is stretched to capacity. 

The sector also struggles to recruit and retain workers. Recruitment issues can be linked to a poor perception of the industry - people often see it as low paid and unskilled although this isn't the case in all roles.  

Staff retention is an issue as many social care workers are leaving their roles due to burnout, poor pay and job insecurity, and the industry is losing its staff to better-paid industries such as hospitality and retail. As a result, the number of unfulfilled posts are rising, leaving care providers with no other option than to limit their services, which has had a huge impact on those in need.

Turning a negative into a positive, there are a rising number of vacancies in the social care sector. So if you have the skills, qualifications and passion needed to help others, new recruits have never been in more demand.

Find out more

• Learn more about the social care sector.
• Search postgraduate courses in social care.