Lauren McCue from Little Corby didn’t expect when a friend suggested she should try a job in social care she would end up falling in love with it. Lauren has now been working for Bluebird Care for the past 2 years.

“I didn't think it was the job for me and now I can’t imagine doing anything else.” She said “It's a really rewarding job. You don’t have bad days, because how it is a bad day if you’ve helped people?”

Right now, there is a real need for new people to join social care to provide the support desperately needed by vulnerable people across the county. An estimated 1000 additional staff are needed in Cumbria.

To help find people to work in social care, a new Cumbrian jobs website, proudtocarecumbria.org.uk, has been launched to help people learn more about what it is like to work in care and find the right role for them.

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Charlotte, one of the people Lauren supports, describes the care and support she gets from Lauren as life changing.

“I moved from supported living, sharing a house with others, which I didn’t like, to my own place. Having carers come in every day lets me live life independently. I can have family and friends visit more easily and live my life how I choose. I can even now have a dog, which is great!”

More people need care and support than ever before, but with not enough people working in the sector many are having to wait longer for the care they need, or remaining in hospital longer than they need to, adding further pressure to the NHS.

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Social care often isn’t what people think of first when considering a career. Jamie Chacko who works for Heron Hill care home in Kendal, had always thought she wanted to work in hospitals, but when looking at her options she found she could train towards her goal whilst earning by working in a care home:

“If you want to earn money, while you're studying, social care is definitely the way to go. I started as a health care assistant. I had never done any care work before and I had never considered working in social care. I now can't really imagine doing anything else.

Jamie is working towards her goal through an employer-funded apprenticeship to become a Registered Nurse. She said the rewards of the role are key, “You have made a difference to somebody's life every single day that you've worked. Whether it's assisting somebody to go for a walk and look at flowers to the difference it makes to help somebody who's visually impaired just to touch things and smell things. Small differences that you make to people's life; it stays with them and you don't get that in any other role.”

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Over 150 jobs from more than 70 employers are currently live on proudtocarecumbria.org.uk, covering all parts of the county and different types of social care It allows you to find and compare roles so you can find the right one for you and apply easily.

Getting started is easy. If you are interested in working in care, go to proudtocarecumbria.org.uk and search for a role near you.