Describe the Duties and Responsibilities of Own Work Role

The specific duties and responsibilities of your job will vary depending on your role and the employer you work for. If you work for a large employer, whether in the public, private or voluntary sectors, you will probably have had a period of induction, where you will have learned about: •• the policies and procedures of the organisation •• how the structures work •• the people who are your managers and supervisors. Working for smaller private or voluntary organisations, or working as a personal assistant directly employed by the person you are supporting, may mean that your initial induction was less formal and you learned ‘on the job’. In each case, you will have been given an idea of the duties and responsibilities of your job and what your employer expects of you, and what you can expect in return. However, the duties and responsibilities required by your employer are not the only requirements of working in social care.

The regulator in the UK country in which you work will require that you follow the Code of Practice that lays out the duties and expectations for everyone who works in the sector. Having Codes of Practice is important in social care, because in this sector you work with some of the most vulnerable people in society. They have a right to expect a certain standard of work and a certain standard of moral and ethical behaviour. In order to be employed in social work anywhere in the UK and in social care in some parts (soon to be all) of the UK, there is a requirement to be registered. This means having, or working towards, a certain minimum level of qualification and agreeing to work within the Code of Practice that sets out the required behaviour. Employers have to ensure that everyone who works for them is registered and eligible to work in social work or social care.