22 January 2019
There are thousands of care providers who are short of care staff to service their disabled and elderly clients. However, is this a reason to provide care workers who are not qualified to provide the support needed even at basic levels?
Twice today we have first-hand experience of the following:
An 18-year-old wanting work until entering university in the Autumn applied to a care provider and was ‘trained’ by a session of watching a DVD with a second similar ‘training’ session to take place a few days later. Money was asked for to cover the cost of her uniform and for her DBS.
After the second training session she would be able to go out and provide her care support to their clients.
Mentioning the above to a care professional later in the day, it was confirmed that she was aware of the same thing happening to a young family member, but this was a different care provider.
The message must be for any person seeking care either for themselves or a family member, to ask the care provider they are seeking support from, how their carers are trained, their qualifications, etc.
This practice puts not only the cared for at risk of harm but gives responsibility to people who should not have to carry such responsibility in situations they have no capacity to cope with.