Care manager job profile | Prospects.ac.uk

The position of care manager is a front-line leadership role within a residential care setting

As a care manager, you'll be responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day operations within the care setting, including recruiting and managing staff, managing budgets and ensuring that the quality of the services provided meets national care standards.

Care homes are becoming more specialised services, especially for people living with dementia or those at the end of life, and you'll be responsible for homes that provide all year, round-the-clock care.

The best care managers make services visible as a local resource and successfully integrate them within the community.

Types of care manager

You can work in a variety of settings, including:

elderly care homes or nursing homes
supported housing (combines housing with support services for vulnerable people - both adults and young adults)
children's homes
hospice care (for those with life-limiting or terminal illness).

Responsibilities

As a care manager, you'll be responsible for meeting national minimum standards of care issued by relevant bodies. These include:

Care Quality Commission (CQC) - the independent regulator of health and social care in England
Care Inspectorate Wales - the independent regulator of social care and childcare in Wales
Care Inspectorate (Scotland) - the national regulator for care services in Scotland
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) - the independent body responsible for monitoring and inspecting the health and social care services in Northern Ireland.

Roles can vary depending on the setting, but you'll typically need to:

ensure the delivery of quality, person-centred care
manage budgets and the financial effectiveness of the setting
recruit, train and supervise staff
chair meetings and deliver training
take on a visible leadership role
maintain quality standards and ensure health and safety compliance
liaise with and maintain partnerships with other local community organisations
ensure any regulatory activity, such as personal care and administering medicines, is delivered within regulations
provide information, advice and support to residents' families
organise activities for residents and actively promote their independence.

There are also opportunities to manage residential establishments for children. In this instance you'll need to:

safeguard and promote the welfare of the children
ensure the quality of care provided is consistent with current legislation
liaise with local authorities as well as health and other professionals working with the children
manage child protection concerns and complaints
contribute to care planning, statutory case reviews and case conferences
support children's emotional and behavioural needs
lead homes through Ofsted inspections
assess new referrals and carry out inductions.

For children and young people, national minimum standards are issued by the Department for Education.

Salary

Salaries for care managers will depend on the role and service but can range from around £25,000 to £55,000.
In some settings, senior managers can earn up to around £70,000.

Salaries vary greatly depending on whether you're working for a local authority provision or an NHS trust where there are established pay bands, or for private and not-for-profit provisions.

Benefits may include a pension and life assurance. Some roles may include additional bonuses such as a company car or share options.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Residential care is a 24 hour, year-round service and you'll usually work between 35 and 40 hours per week. This may include shifts, evening and weekend work, occasional sleep-ins and some on-call duties in the event of an emergency.

What to expect

You'll spend considerable office time completing paperwork but will also visit carers and residents in the care home setting. Some posts have a live-in requirement.
Although the role can be challenging, there is now an increased focus on and commitment to providing support and training to those in leadership roles within adult social care.
Jobs are available within local council, NHS trust and private or not-for-profit provisions throughout the UK.
You may need to travel during the working day when you have responsibility for more than one residence or to attend meetings.

Qualifications

Although care management isn't a degree-entry profession, many care managers have management and leadership qualifications and some go on to do further qualifications within their areas of specialism, for example, in dementia or autism studies.

Having a qualification in nursing, social work or occupational therapy, or a health and social care-related degree, will increase your chances. In some cases, where the role includes both clinical and commercial management, a nursing qualification is essential. Some care managers will have a mix of qualifications, for example, a nursing qualification and a management qualification.

Taking a higher apprenticeship in care leadership and management will provide you with relevant managerial experience and can lead to a senior care worker role. Search for an apprenticeship via GOV.UK - Find an apprenticeship.

The charity Skills for Care provides a useful ThinkCareCareers resource with general information about becoming a care manager and also details about social care apprenticeships. Get more information on apprenticeships and what's involved in working within the social care sector.

Skills

You'll need to have:

excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with a range of people through a variety of methods
excellent written skills for writing reports
a passion for working with people and providing person-centred care
leadership and management skills, with the ability to motivate others
the capacity to work under pressure and to take a problem-solving approach to work
effective organisational and time-management skills with the ability to prioritise your own and others workload
numerical skills for managing budgets
an understanding of accountability to ensure compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.

You'll also need the right values and behaviours to work in social care. These include:

adaptability
compassion
courage
empathy
imagination
integrity
respect
responsibility
confidentiality
treating people with dignity.

Work experience

Most jobs require at least two years' management experience in a relevant field, for example, a social care, healthcare, nursing or social work setting.

Any experience gained within a relevant setting will be useful. It may be possible to shadow an experienced care worker to see first-hand what is involved in a care role.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

It's a legal requirement that every registered care provider must have a registered manager. Many of the services carried out in residential care settings fall under the band of regulated activities within the Care Act (2014) and in subsequent reforms such as those included in the Health and Care Act 2022.

The most common employers of care managers are:

private residential care homes and nursing homes
NHS trusts
local authorities
charities and voluntary sector organisations.

With the number of care homes increasing, especially in elderly care, there is an increasing demand for qualified registered managers.

Look for job vacancies at:

Vacancies are also advertised on the websites of:

care homes
NHS trusts
local authorities
private hospitals.

Professional development

Care managers working in settings that provide regulated activities (for example, care homes that provide personal care and medical treatment) should be registered with the CQC within six months of taking up a post. In order to register, you'll need to complete an application with the CQC and undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Once registered, you'll need to keep up to date with regulatory requirements throughout your career, undertake continuing professional development (CPD) activities and seek out opportunities to network with other managers. Depending on your employer, you may have access to shadowing, mentoring and coaching to further develop your skills and competencies as a leader and manager.

Skills for Care provides a range of leadership development programmes, tools and resources for new, experienced and senior managers. For more information, see Skills for Care - Leadership and management.

Although not a CQC requirement, Skills for Care recommends care managers in England have a Level 5 diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People's Services. This qualification is designed specifically for those working in health or social care as an assistant, deputy manager or manager, who have not yet achieved a vocational qualification at this level.

In Northern Ireland, the appropriate qualification is the OCN NI Level 5 diploma in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care (Adult Management) (Northern Ireland).

For details of the new level 4 and 5 health and social care diplomas in Wales, see Social Care Wales.

Registered managers are encouraged to become a member of Skills for Care and to join their local registered managers' network to get support and meet other managers in their area.

Employers may also support you in taking a postgraduate qualification in management or a specialist area of work, such as dementia care or learning disabilities.

Career prospects

There are various options available for managers looking to progress their careers. Large healthcare companies or charities offer regional manager opportunities, which involve the management of multiple provisions within a regional area.

For a different perspective in social care management, you could move between frontline operational roles into strategic roles such as commissioning posts with local authorities and NHS trusts.

The independent regulator for health and social care in England, the CQC, recruits inspectors and inspection managers to inspect social care provisions. As an experienced care manager, you could use your knowledge to help ensure that provisions are meeting the required standards of quality and care.

If you've got a background in social work or nursing, you may be able to move back into management roles within those areas.

High-level experienced managers may become involved in consultancy work, advising care providers and contributing to research and policy writing on issues of social care management. You might also choose to set up a new care service.

Care manager