A Belfast-based social care worker is at the forefront of a new campaign stressing the value of social care and encouraging people to choose it as a career.
Rachael Mackarel is one of more than 38,000 social care workers in Northern Ireland.
The mum-of-two is a Senior Support Worker at L’Arche Belfast where for eight years she has been supporting adults, like Thomas, with learning disabilities to live a life without barriers.
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Thomas is a founding member of the L’Arche Belfast community and a keen athlete. Rachael helps oversee his wellbeing, as well as advocating with him for his right to choose his own path.
Social care workers like Rachael, make sure the people they support are physically healthy and happy so they can reach their full potential in life, while surrounded by care, compassion and kindness.
Likewise, social care roles like Rachael’s help people access this type of work, which is so rewarding, while financially supporting their own families.
She could see the need in the community for social care professional roles, and so she took that on and really enjoys it.
Rachael explained: "I am a key worker for Thomas who has Cerebral palsy (CP), an intellectual disability, communication issues and quite a complex medical history so I look after him and oversee his care.
"We are in the business of independence, interdependence, enabling people to do all they can for themselves and acknowledging that these adults with learning disabilities have the right to autonomy, choosing their own path and then my job is to step in and make it achievable for them."
"I'm very fulfilled in my job and really enjoy feeling like I know somebody so well that other people don't understand, see or know. To be a good social care worker you need to be kind, caring and compassionate.
"There's a lot of need out there in the community for support worker roles and other care professional roles so I took that on and really, really enjoy it.
"I find living my life alongside people who are marginalised greatly rewarding. When I left school and university, I wanted to make a difference in the world. I love my job, and I really value feeling that I’ve made that difference."
Rachael and Thomas both feature in a new campaign, alongside others who share their very personal stories of working in social care and the people they support.
The ‘Social Care – Making a Difference’ campaign, which is delivered by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (the Social Care Council), will be officially launched today by the Department of Health's Permanent Secretary Peter May and Chief Social Worker Aine Morrison at a special event at L’Arche Belfast.
The launch kicks off a summer long campaign of activity, celebrating the vital contribution social care workers make to our community, and highlights how fulfilling a professional role in social care can be.
The Social Care Council will be telling real-life stories through video snapshots, case studies and podcast episodes to showcase the day to day role of social care and inspire those considering it as a career.
Social care workers register with the Social Care Council to provide communities with support every day.
Today, over 38,000 are registered to deliver social care, making it the largest health and social care workforce in Northern Ireland.
The campaign is one of the many steps aimed at supporting Northern Ireland’s social care workforce as part of the Department of Health’s reform of adult social care.
As at the end of May 2023, the top four roles for registered social care workers were adult social care workers (40.8%), domiciliary care workers (37.6%), supported living workers (7.8%) and day care workers (6.3%).
Peter May, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health said: “The Department is committed to providing opportunities for the true voice of the social care profession to shine – and, importantly, this includes the social care workforce.
“We know that social care professionals are dedicated and selfless and the launch of this campaign is the perfect time to acknowledge their efforts and remind us all of the important role they play in our communities.”
Patricia Higgins, CEO, Social Care Council added: “Each of us or someone that we love, may require the support of a social care worker at some point in our lives.
“Social care workers provide support to people in our communities every day to enable people to live full and independent lives – this campaign is recognition of that.”
Scott Shively, CEO and Community Leader, L’Arche Belfast added: “It’s important to remember that caring for our communities is at the heart of why we do what we do and it is why we love working in social care.
“We are delighted to support this campaign, shining a light on the stories of social care workers who truly make a difference for some of the most vulnerable in society.”
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