Community support workers offer emotional, social, and physical support to customers, including the elderly or disabled. This role is projected to increase significantly. An integral part of this increase comes from the demand of the disabled who seek additional assistance for everyday living.
Average annual wages for community support workers are above the national average wage due to various factors, including the specific industry, location, and industry characteristics. Part-time workers are typically paid less than their full-time counterparts for several reasons. Most importantly, most part-time workers are employed through one of several staffing agencies. Also, they receive little or no benefits provided by their employment agencies. Benefits packages vary from agency to agency, but there is generally a requirement that all agency employees must be covered under a benefits package.
As with any job, there are advantages and disadvantages associated with this career. Advantages include substantial annual income potential, steady pay, fringe benefits, and the ability to specialize. The disadvantage is often the lack of experience, which prevents most community programs from becoming permanent positions. Most community workers live on the job and are not on a benefits package, which leaves them with very little supplemental income. For these reasons, community support workers are often hired as temporary workers to bridge the gap between permanent positions.
The key skills needed to be a thriving community support worker are good communication skills, effective communication, interpersonal skills, and excellent analytical and leadership skills. The worker must also have excellent time management, work ethic, and interpersonal skills. Some of these characteristics are inborn or learned, while others are developed through training and experience. The most important skill of all is emotional support. This employee must be able to identify and defuse upset customers, clients, or workers.
Community support worker duties may include helping individuals find employment, offering resume and cover letter assistance, enrolling in training, participating in assigned tasks, and finishing on time. These individuals may also be involved in helping clients resolve problems, such as conflicts and disputes, which may lead to either legal or other remedies. They may even be called upon to mediate between employers and employees or between individuals who have been displaced due to workplace accidents or illnesses.
There are many different fields and sectors of the social care industry where Community Support worker roles are currently being used. There are also many other career opportunities for someone entering this field to gain employment in this exciting and dynamic field. If you are interested in becoming a social care support worker, many different colleges and universities offer courses in this field.
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