Care Home Manager

Care home managers are responsible for running residential homes that provide care for children and young people, terminally ill patients, adults with disabilities and older people.

The work of care home managers may include:

• making sure that the care home meets legal national minimum standards
• responsibility for the finances of the home
• recruiting, training and managing care workers and other staff
• marketing the care home and interviewing prospective residents
• assessing residents' needs and developing a care plan for each person
• giving support to residents and their families
• liaising with doctors, psychologists, teachers, social workers and others
• developing links with the local community
• attending meetings, writing reports and keeping records.

Salaries range from at least £20,000 a year for a newly qualified manager to over £45,000 for some experienced managers.

Care home managers tend to work 35 to 40 hours a week, including some weekend and evening work. They may live at the residential home or be on a rota to sleep in.

A care home manager should:

• be able to lead and motivate staff
• have organisational skills
• have good communication skills, including listening and speaking
• be able to build good relationships with residents and staff
• be capable of relating to people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures
• have business ability for duties such as marketing and budget control
• be interested in the care and well-being of people
• enjoy responsibility.

Care home managers are employed throughout the UK. Employers include local authority social services, adult care and children's services departments, private organisations, charities and specialist employment agencies. This is a rapidly expanding area of work, particularly in the private sector, and there is a shortage of qualified care home managers.

Entrants to care home management need experience of working in social or medical care. Many managers have worked as care home assistants or deputy managers and for many jobs there is a specified minimum length of experience.

Care home managers need relevant qualifications, such as:

• a professional social work qualification
• a nursing diploma or degree (required when nursing care is provided by the home)
• a relevant NVQ at Level 4, such as health and social care (adults) or health and social care (children and young people).

They also need a competency-based management qualification, such as the NVQ Level 4 in leadership and management for care services.

Care home managers may study for a further qualification in management or in care. They may also need to work towards NVQ assessor qualifications.

Care home managers may progress to becoming managers of larger units, area or regional managers or move into care home inspection work or training. They may also move into other areas of social or health care work or go into management in a different field.

Further details