Pineshield Health and Social Care - FAQs
About Care
Domiciliary care is another term for home care where care services such as meal preparation, washing and dressing, help getting in and out of bed are provided in the customer’s home.
Not to be confused with a Social Worker, a Social Care Worker is someone who provides care and support services to individuals who require a degree of extra practical and physical help (e.g. a person with a physical or learning disability) to help them maintain their independence and improve their quality of life. Often this support takes place in the community but can also take place in the home.
More and more, domiciliary care and social care are becoming interchangeable terms. Generally, domiciliary care focuses more on care delivered in the home whereas social care has a greater emphasis on care in the community.
We provide home and social care services to adults and children in Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan that help our customers to live their chosen lifestyle. Our customers include older people, adults with ongoing health conditions, adults with a physical and/or learning disability and children with a physical and/or learning disability. We can also support people with sensory loss, mental health needs and dementia care needs.
Our services are tailored to meet the individual needs of our customers but here’s a small sample of some of the things we help our customers with: personal hygiene (washing, dressing and assistance with using the toilet), getting into and out of bed, supervision of medication, domestic help (cleaning, shopping), getting out and about in the community (social activities, attending classes, getting to work, the gym or medical appointments). Our approach to care is person centred which means we’re here to help our customers live their life the way they choose – just like you and me.
About Me
In a word, yes but non-drivers, please don’t be put off. Although most of our services do require support workers to drive, we have opportunities open to those who don’t drive. If you’re a non-driver, why not contact us to find out how you can be part of our team of dedicated support staff?
Currently, we don’t although this is something we’re considering for the future.
Anyone who uses their own car for their work beyond simply commuting requires business class insurance. As a social care worker, this will apply to you so business class insurance is mandatory, not only to cover you but also our customers who may travel in the car with you. The cost of business class insurance will vary depending on your insurance policy.
Formerly known as a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, DBS checks are required for anyone wishing to work with vulnerable adults and children. If you already have a DBS check, you won’t need to complete a new one but you will need to be subscribed to the DBS update service so that we can check your certificate online. We’ll cover the cost of the annual subscription fee to this service.
If you do not have a DBS check, you will need to complete a new application, the cost of which we will refund you. You will also need to provide proof of identity documents. Once your check is complete, the DBS will send you your certificate. We will need a copy of this before you can start work.
About Pineshield
We offer competitive rates of pay that increase in line with the development of your skills. In addition, you will be paid for your travel-time between call and a payment per mile.
Guaranteed hour contracts are available on successful completion of your probationary period.
Where possible we build a ‘run’ of support visits that minimises any gaps in your schedule. However, there may be times during the day when no visits are required (generally outside of peak AM and PM times). This is determined by the customers’ individual requirements and we do our best to accommodate their needs.
The time of the first and last calls of the day are dependent on the requirements of our customers but we aim to balance their needs with the workload and wellbeing of our staff.
We offer a paid 8-day induction for new staff which includes courses on:
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Role of the carer/working with children and young adults
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Safeguarding children and adults and basic medication
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First aid
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Manual handling and re-ablement
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Manual handling (theory)
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Infection control, food safety and dementia
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Fire safety & health and safety
We also offer specialist training based on the individual needs of the customer that you support.
To progress your career with Pineshield, we also offer QCF level 3 which is required should you wish to become a senior social care worker or a social care champion within our organisation. If you’re interested in progressing towards a health and social care management qualification with Pineshield, we offer a QCF level 5 Leadership and Management which is fully funded.
At Pineshield, we see social care as a career not just a job. Once you have completed your three- month probation, all our support staff are enrolled (free of charge) onto the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Wales’ Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care (formerly known as NVQs). We have developed a partnership with Menter Training to deliver these courses, allowing our staff to complete modules, be assessed without delay and gain accreditation more rapidly.
Being a social care worker is a rewarding but demanding role. Apart from equipping you with the practical items to carry out your tasks such as uniform, bags, aprons, gloves etc. we also have a team of Field Care Supervisors (FCS). Our FCS’, as the job title suggests, are field-based managers designed to support you should you need advice or assistance. They have many years of care experience between them and are your first port of call in the field.
Our office team provides administrative support whether it’s about your weekly roster, organising training courses, stocking up on hygiene supplies or simply an opportunity to drop in for a coffee and a catch-up.
We appreciate how important our staff are to Pineshield. In recognition of this we have a ‘Social Care Worker of the Month’ award which is based on merit, not hours worked and should you recommend a friend to join our team as a Support worker, we’ll pay you a £250 ‘finder’s fee’ once he/she has worked with us for six months.
How Can We Help?
Talk to us
Working out what kind of support you or a loved one needs can be confusing. Pineshield has a team of specialists on hand to help you live life the way you want with the right support where and when you need it.
Get advice
Call us for a confidential chat about your requirements or to arrange for a home visit by a team member to discuss how we can help.
