Level 4 Leadership and Management in Care

Summary

People working in the UK care sector have described their jobs as both the best paid and the worst paid jobs in the world. For those that love working in care, and looking after people, it’s the best paid work in the world. They would do it even if they didn’t get paid.

Nonetheless, the sector is renowned for paying peanuts, particularly in respect of individual care workers and those providing domestic services. This course is largely about managing expectations and results at both ends of the spectrum.

Course Outline

It’s said that management can be taught or learned, but leadership is inherited; it’s part of an individual’s DNA. This course will teach you that both management and leadership skills can be learned. Good leaders are a product of both occupational competence and the ability to communicate effectively with people.

Management and leadership in the care sector can be especially challenging. The “customers” are among the most vulnerable people in society, and often come with huge emotional and – occasionally – medical burdens.

The resources of the sector, both logistical and financial, are invariably sparse. The aspiring manager or leader must be resourceful, patient, inherently cheerful and uncompromisingly optimistic. And he or she is committed to providing the very highest levels of care and service to the customer.

The customer will frequently be unappreciative and occasionally abusive. But it’s not personal. It’s just part of the landscape.

The Care Leader or Manager also has another scarce and fragile resource to manage. The staff. They are similarly unappreciated, and habitually bear the brunt of the customers’ anger and frustrations. They really need looking after.

If you’re up for a challenge, then you’ll enjoy this course. While studying, you’ll probably learn a great deal about yourself of which you weren’t previously aware.