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Registered care home manager
Hours
35-40 per week
Starting salary
£20,000 + per year
Care home managers are responsible for the day-to-day running of residential care homes. They oversee all activities within the home and make sure the quality of the service and care provided meets the National Minimum Standards for their type of home. If you've got strong people skills, and would like a management role in social care, this job could suit you.
In this job you would need to be a good communicator. You would need experience of assessing people's care and support needs. You would also need to be able to manage a budget and keep records.
There are different entry requirements for this job depending on whether you want to work in a home that looks after children or offers nursing care. See the entry requirements section below for more details. You would need to pass a Criminal Records Bureau check to get into this job.
WorkDesc
The work
Care home managers are responsible for the day-to-day running of residential care homes. They oversee all activities within the home and make sure the quality of the service and care provided meets the National Minimum Standards for their type of home.
As a care home manager, you would usually specialise in working with one specific client group such as:
- older people
- people with mental health problems
- people with learning disabilities
- young adults
- the terminally ill
- people with physical disabilities.
A children’s home manager, or deputy, is responsible for the daily management of residential establishments for children looked after by local authorities. Direct work with children will depend on the size and function of the home but would usually include:
- providing support to children and their families
- being accessible to children
- facilitating access to local education, health and other services
- responding to complaints from children or their families
- promoting the rights and responsibilities of children
- contributing to care planning, statutory case reviews and case conferences
- developing programmes to promote positive behaviour and responding to children’s misbehaviour or disciplinary issues
- responding to child protection concerns and reports.
Your key duties relating to residents would include:
- developing ways to promote their rights and responsibilities
- providing information, advice and support to residents, their families and carers
- arranging stimulating activities and encouraging residents to get involved
- creating the opportunity for residents to contribute to the local community and access local services.
Your role is also likely to include running a business, which would involve monitoring business performance, fundraising, negotiating contracts, working with a budget and developing clear policies and practices regarding quality standards. You would also recruit, train and supervise the care assistants and domestic staff working within the home.
The National Minimum Standards for care homes and managers are issued by the Department of Health and can be found on the Care Quality Commission website.
For children and young people these are issued by Department for Education and can be found on their website. Inspections would be carried out by OFSTED.
HoursDesc
Hours
You would usually work 35 to 40 hours a week, which may include shifts, weekends, and some on-call duties (in the event of an emergency).
For some jobs you may need to live-in. This work can be emotionally and physically demanding.
IncomeDesc
Income
Starting salaries can be between £20,000 and £30,000 a year. With several years' experience this could rise to around £40,000.
Depending on the employer, a range of extra benefits can be included in a salary package, such as private healthcare, company car, bonus and share options.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
The Essential Standards of Quality and Safety for care home managers say that managers are required by the regulations to have the ‘necessary qualifications, skills and experience’ to carry on the regulated activity.
Registered Managers should have the right skills, knowledge and experience relevant to their job role and care setting.
To manage a home that provides nursing care, you will usually need to be a registered nurse with a qualification in management.
The National Minimum Standards for Children’s Homes require that the registered provider and registered manager of the home:
- have good knowledge and experience of law and practice relating to looked after children
- have business and management skills to manage the work efficiently and effectively
- have financial expertise to ensure the home is run on a sound financial basis including long-term financial viability of the home
Managers of children’s homes must hold a level 4 qualification in practice with children and young people and as a minimum a level 4 qualification in management. New managers who do not hold a relevant qualification should undertake the level 5 diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People's Services
In order to manage a home that provides nursing care, you will usually need to be a registered nurse with a qualification in management (like NVQ Level 4 in Management).
When you apply for a manager's post, your employer will request a Criminal Records Bureau check.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
Registered managers should have the right skills, knowledge and experience relevant to their job role and care setting. This may include the following care qualifications:
- Level 4 NVQ in Health and Social Care
- relevant nursing, physiotherapy or occupational therapy qualification and registration
- relevant social work qualification and registration with the GSCC
- managers taking the Level 5 Diploma should use the full breadth of QCF units available to ensure they achieve a qualification that is relevant to the role they are carrying out.
The nationally recognised standards and regulations are can be found on the Care Quality Commission website and Skills for Care have developed guidance to help managers with the regulations.
Throughout your career you will need to continue training and developing professionally to maintain your competence as a carer and manager. You will also need to keep your knowledge of standards and legislation up to date.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To be a registered care home manager you should have:
- strong 'people' skills and communication skills
- good observational skills
- experience of assessing an individual's care and support needs
- the ability to negotiate and manage a budget
- the ability to maintain accurate records
- knowledge of relevant legislation, local services and resources
- a good understanding of the medical conditions affecting service users
- the ability to build effective working relationships with residents, their families, staff and other professionals.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
Skills for Care (England) 
West Gate
6 Grace Street
Leeds
LS1 2RP
Tel: 0113 245 1716
www.skillsforcare.org.uk
Care Quality Commission
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
You could work in a variety of settings within the public, private, voluntary and charitable sectors. There is a growing number of opportunities for qualified managers with private care companies providing services (especially for the elderly) as well as local authorities.
With experience, you could progress to a regional manager post within a large healthcare company or charity. You could also move into consultancy work on a freelance basis or become a care home inspector, checking that national standards are being followed.
If your background is in nursing, social care or social work, experience as a care home manager could give you the opportunity to move back into those areas at a management level.
Jobs are advertised in the local and national press, Jobcentre Plus and on specialist recruitment websites. You may also find the following useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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Related industry information
Industry summary
Adult social care is part of the sector represented by Skills for Care, which is one of the partners that comprise Skills for Care and Development Sector Skills Council. This includes those working in early years, children and young people’s services, and those working in social work and social care for children and adults in the UK. The social care sector comprises two sub-sectors:
- Adult social care – with a workforce of nearly 1.5 million, accounting for 5% of England’s workforce, and 38,000 employers
- Children and young people – with an estimated workforce of 2.7 million
During 2007/08, approximately 2.3 million adults used publicly funded social work and social care services in the UK. Adult social care includes residential care, domiciliary care and social work with all its specialism's.
There are an estimated 1.5 million workers providing adult social care services and more than 38,000 employers. Skills for Care are responsible for the training standards and development needs of social work and social care staff working with adults in England. This includes staff working in local authority social services and related services, the regulated sector (care homes, domiciliary care services and home nursing services), non-regulated day care and community care services, and employed by individuals for their own or another person’s care and support.
Key facts:
- Of the 1.39 million in adult social care in England: 1.31 million are directly employed; and 78,000 are bank, pool and agency staff, students and others
- The adult social care workforce can also include:
- 25,460 full-time equivalent social workers
- 14,000 learning mentors
- 2,247 educational psychologists
- Of the 14,456 care-only homes registered with CSCI at June 2007:
- 9,870 (68%) are private sector
- 3,251 voluntary sector
- most of the remaining are operated by councils
- Most social care services (58%) are provided by micro organisations (or agencies) employing between 1-10 people or small enterprises (29%) employing between 11-49 people.
- 12% of social care enterprises employ 50-99 people and 1% employ 200 or more.
- In 2007, 54,151 individuals were receiving direct payments to fund their own care.
Jobs in adult social care include: administrative staff, ancillary staff, care workers, community support and outreach workers, counsellors, first-line managers, occupational therapists, registered managers, senior care workers, senior management, social workers, supervisors, technicians.
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[N.B. National and regional data are currently unavailable.]
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