Your complete guide to becoming a support worker. What the role involves, who you will support, what you will earn, and how to apply.
No Experience
Required to Apply
Specialist
Training Provided
Peterborough
Roles Available Now
Person-Centred
Right Support, Right Care
A support worker helps people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, physical disabilities, or other complex conditions to live as independently as possible in their own homes and communities. Unlike a traditional care assistant role that focuses primarily on personal care for older people, support work is centred on enabling, empowering, and promoting independence.
At Living Plus Care Services, our support workers provide supported living services across Hatfield, Hertfordshire and Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. You work with people in their own homes or in supported living accommodation, helping them develop life skills, access their community, manage their health, build relationships, and live the life they choose.
Support work is guided by the CQC's Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture framework, which places the person at the centre of everything. Your job is not to do things for people but to support them to do things for themselves wherever possible. It is a deeply rewarding role that requires patience, creativity, and a genuine belief in every person's potential.
CQC expects services supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people to follow this framework. Right Support means care is person-centred and promotes independence. Right Care means people receive compassionate, dignified support. Right Culture means the ethos of the service empowers people to live fulfilled lives. As a support worker, you bring this framework to life every day.
The support worker role is varied and dynamic. Your responsibilities are shaped by the individual needs, goals, and preferences of each person you support. Here is what a typical support worker role involves at Living Plus.
Understanding the Roles
Both roles are equally important. Here's how they differ so you can choose the right path for you.
| Aspect | Support Worker | Care Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Promoting independence, enabling people to do things for themselves | Providing direct personal care and practical help |
| Who You Support | People with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, physical disabilities | Predominantly older people with age-related care needs |
| Setting | Supported living, shared houses, community settings, people's own homes | People's own homes (domiciliary care) |
| Approach | Enablement, empowerment, skills development, PBS | Person-centred care delivery, dignity, safety |
| Activities | Community access, life skills, social activities, goal setting | Personal care, medication, meals, housekeeping |
| Framework | Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture | Person-centred care delivery, dignity, safety |
| Shift Patterns | Often longer shifts (8 to 12 hours), sleep-ins, waking nights | Shorter visits (30 min to 2 hours), multiple clients per day |
Both roles are equally important and rewarding. Many people start as care assistants and move into support work, or vice versa. Living Plus offers both types of roles and can help you decide which path suits you best.
No two days are exactly alike, but here's how a shift might unfold.
08:00
Arrive for your shift. Handover from the night support worker. Check the daily plan and any updates.
08:30
Support Sam with his morning routine — choosing clothes, brushing teeth, preparing breakfast with verbal prompts.
10:00
Accompany Priya to a local community art group. Support her to travel by bus independently.
12:00
Return home. Support Priya and Sam to prepare lunch together — practising cooking and budgeting skills.
13:30
One-to-one session with Sam to work on personal goals — today, using his mobile to call his brother.
15:00
Community walk in the local park. Support social interaction and physical activity.
16:30
Community walk in the local park. Support social interaction and physical activity.
19:00
Evening leisure time. Support with chosen activities: TV, games, reading, or conversation.
20:00
Complete daily support records, update incident logs if needed, and hand over to the evening worker.
Competitive pay above the National Living Wage, with enhanced rates for unsociable hours and a comprehensive benefits package.
Competitive rates above the National Living Wage, reviewed annually. Enhanced rates for weekends, bank holidays, sleep-ins, and waking nights.
Additional flat rate payment for sleep-in shifts where you stay overnight in the supported living property.
Enhanced hourly rate for waking night shifts where you remain awake throughout the night to provide support.
45p per mile for travel between support sessions and community activities.
28 days paid annual leave per year (inclusive of bank holidays), increasing with service.
Workplace pension with employer contributions from day one.
Enhanced DBS check fully funded by Living Plus as part of the recruitment process.
Learning disability awareness, autism awareness, positive behaviour support, epilepsy, mental health first aid, and more.
Eligibility for the Blue Light Card discount scheme.
Confidential 24/7 support for wellbeing, mental health, and personal matters.
Clear pathway to senior support worker, team leader, deputy manager, and registered manager roles.
Support workers require additional specialist training beyond the Care Certificate, because the people you support often have complex and specific needs. Living Plus provides all of the following training free of charge.
Understanding learning disabilities, communication strategies, promoting independence, and person-centred planning.
Understanding autism spectrum conditions, sensory needs, communication differences, and creating supportive environments.
Proactive strategies for understanding and responding to behaviours of concern. Focus on prevention, de-escalation, and quality of life.
Recognising common mental health conditions, supporting emotional wellbeing, and knowing when and how to escalate concerns.
Understanding seizure types, administering rescue medication (buccal midazolam), emergency response protocols, and care plan implementation.
Safe handling, storage, administration, and recording of medication. Includes controlled drugs awareness.
Safe moving and handling techniques for people with physical disabilities or mobility needs.
Recognising abuse and neglect, understanding duty to report, whistleblowing, and local safeguarding procedures.
Understanding capacity assessments, best interests decisions, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and advocacy.
Makaton, PECS, easy read, total communication, and adapting your approach to individual communication needs.
You do not need previous experience or qualifications to apply for a support worker role at Living Plus. We train you in everything you need to know. What matters most is your character, attitude, and genuine desire to support people to live their best lives.
We are actively recruiting support workers for our Peterborough, Cambridgeshire branch. Support worker jobs in Peterborough cover supported living services across the city and surrounding areas. Call 01733 911656 or apply online to discuss current vacancies.
Here's the process.
Complete our application form at /careers/apply-now or call 01707 707599 (Hatfield) or 01733 911656 (Peterborough). We welcome calls from anyone interested in learning more about support work before applying.
We invite you for a friendly interview at one of our branches. We assess your values, your approach to supporting people, and your understanding of dignity, choice, and independence. No trick questions.
Enhanced DBS check, right to work verification, reference checks, and full employment history disclosure as required by CQC Regulation 19.
You complete the Care Certificate, specialist training modules (learning disability, autism, PBS, medication, and more), and shadow experienced support workers before working independently.
You are matched with people you will support, receive detailed briefings on their care plans, and start making a difference from day one with ongoing supervision and 24/7 on-call support.
No experience needed. Full specialist training. Competitive pay. Help people live the lives they choose.
Apply Now: www.livingpluscare.co.uk/careers/apply-now
