Help At Home campaign: 33 Islanders offered jobs

14 April 2022

A campaign encouraging Islanders to become a home carer has led to 33 Islanders being offered jobs in the sector and a further 55 existing employees being upskilled.

The Help At Home campaign, which launched in October last year, was established to raise the profile of the home care sector in Jersey. It had the aim of recruiting up to 100 new care home staff by highlighting the benefits of being a carer such as flexible working hours and ongoing professional developmental opportunities.

Following the recruitment campaign, 57 Islanders have applied for a home carer role. Of these, 33 people have been offered employment and 25 people have started in a role. The scheme funded the salaries of Islanders while they were being trained.

Meanwhile, the campaign has also funded 50 existing home carers to undergo Regulated Qualification Framework training. Due to the success of the scheme a further five existing carers have now been upskilled.

Lynda Cotillard, from Personal Touch Management, said: "I think the campaign worked really well. We've since recruited a lady who had never thought about becoming a carer until she saw the adverts. She realised that there is a lot more to caring such as the social side of things and connecting with people. I hope the campaign will encourage more people to think about becoming a carer."

Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Richard Renouf, said: "Carers play such an important role in helping Islanders to remain living at home for as long and safely as possible.

"It is widely recognised that there is a shortage of carers across the globe so we launched the Help At Home campaign to try to attract more Islanders into joining the sector. The campaign has helped to boost the profile of the home care sector. Although, we did not reach our ambitious aim of 100 new recruits it is positive to see that we have up to 33 new home carers who are dedicated to helping support Islanders in the community. I wish them the best of luck in their future careers.

"It is also promising to see that so many existing staff have taken up the opportunity to further develop their caring skills."