Carers Practitioner

Role Summary and Purpose The Carers Practitioner provides person-centred support to unpaid carers across Plymouth, helping them access information, support, resources and opportunities that improve their wellbeing, resilience and quality of life. Working as part of Improving Lives Plymouth’s Advice, Carers and Armed Forces Community Service, the role supports carers through assessments, support planning, wellbeing interventions, personal budgets, practical support and access to community resources.

The postholder will deliver support through a variety of channels including face-to-face appointments, telephone support, digital support, outreach activities, hospital settings and community-based services. They will also play an important role in creating a welcoming and supportive environment within our Wellbeing Hubs, helping to meet and greet visitors, respond to enquiries and ensure people are connected with the right support at the right time.

This is a varied and rewarding role that combines carers assessments, support planning, advocacy, community engagement, partnership working and relationship-building to help carers feel recognised, supported and connected. Whilst the role has a primary focus on supporting unpaid carers, the postholder will work alongside colleagues across the wider service area to provide joined-up, person-centred support and contribute to Improving Lives Plymouth’s integrated approach to service delivery.

Working as a Specialist in an Integrated Service At Improving Lives Plymouth, we recognise that people’s lives don’t fit neatly into service boxes. Whilst this role has a clear specialist focus in supporting unpaid carers, many of the people we support are navigating multiple challenges at the same time. A carer may also be experiencing financial pressures, concerns about housing, loneliness, their own health issues, or uncertainty about what support is available.

Our Operating Model is designed to provide a more joined-up experience for the people we support. We want to reduce the number of times people need to repeat their story, minimise unnecessary handovers between services and ensure people can access the right support as quickly as possible. As a Carers Practitioner, you won’t be expected to be an expert in everything.

However, you will develop a good understanding of the wider services offered by Improving Lives Plymouth and our partners, enabling you to respond to basic queries, identify additional support needs and help people access the most appropriate services. This means that alongside your specialist area of expertise, you will work as part of a wider integrated team, helping to ensure that people receive joined-up, person-centred support that reflects the reality of their lives.

We are committed to maintaining and strengthening the specialist nature of our Advice, Carers and Armed Forces Community services. Practitioners will receive induction, training, supervision and ongoing professional development to build their knowledge, skills and confidence over time. As experience and competence develop, practitioners may have opportunities to work more flexibly across different areas of the service whilst always working within appropriate professional boundaries, supervision arrangements and agreed levels of responsibility.

For carers work, practitioners will initially work within their existing competence and agreed supervision arrangements, with complex or specialist matters referred or escalated appropriately. Through training and development, practitioners will be supported to gradually broaden and deepen their knowledge over time.