Intellectual disabilities jobs

Intellectual Disabilities jobs: frequently asked questions

Welcome to our intellectual disabilities jobs page, featuring all the latest roles throughout the UK, as well as frequently asked questions below.

What does an intellectual disabilities job involve?

Intellectual disabilities roles, also commonly known as learning disabilities roles, involve caring for and supporting people of all ages with learning disabilities. A job in this field involves helping people to maintain their health and wellbeing, and to live as independently as possible.

The most common positions in this area, in the context of social care, include learning disabilities nurses, support workers, care workers and registered home managers. It also includes various roles specialised within particular fields of learning disabilities – for example, an autism outreach manager.

Roles are available both within the NHS and privately, and are especially abundant within community locations for people with learning disabilities.

What are the daily duties in an intellectual disabilities role?

Of course, your daily duties will vary greatly depending on the role you occupy and your level of seniority and responsibility.

However, they may broadly include:

• Engaging with and assessing the needs of vulnerable people

• Developing and managing care packages

• Co-ordinating care plans with other health and social welfare professionals

• Running home visits, attending GP appointments, and helping patients to travel to activities

• Helping patients with simple activities like dressing and personal hygiene

• Supporting staff and carers in the community

• Assisting with tests, evaluations and observations

What qualifications do you need to work in intellectual disabilities?

Intellectual disabilities offer lots of different career paths and entry points.

To become a care worker or support worker within intellectual disabilities, you don’t necessarily need any formal qualifications. However, an NVQ in social care or similar area would be beneficial – and definitely something worth undertaking once you land your first role.

To become a Learning Disability Nurse you need to be registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) – for which you’ll need to complete a nursing degree.

Courses typically last three years and are available at universities and institutions throughout the country.

Once you complete your degree and register, you’ll be eligible for a wide variety of roles.

At a more senior level, to become a home manager there are different career routes. You could be a registered nurse with relevant managerial experience or qualities, or you might undertake a qualification specifically for the role, such as a Level 4 NVQ in Health and Social Care.

How much do intellectual disabilities roles pay?

Markedly different rates of pay are on offer for different LD roles.

Support workers on average earn around £9 to £10 per hour – and care workers earn a similar amount. Roles within the NHS generally pay above average but the majority of roles are now within the private sector.

Entry level LD Nurses earn a Band 5 salary on the official NHS payscale. This means that you’ll earn approximately £24,907 a year – rising incrementally every year until you reach the top of your banding.

For more specialised and experienced LD nurses at Band 6 or 7, salaries can range from £31,365 to £44,503.

In the private sector, pay for intellectual disabilities nurses is hard to pinpoint. Anecdotally however, it’s said that the pay is better than the NHS.

Home managers can expect to earn somewhere between £35,000 and £40,000, but again this is an educated guess at best. Specialist learning disabilities homes often require highly specialised managers, and the salaries can therefore be much higher given the scarcity of qualified candidates.

As with all social care positions, the NHS might not always offer better pay, but it normally offers better benefits. So, it’s important to weigh up every aspect of any role you apply for.

Find your next Intellectual Disability job today

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