We firmly believe that Support Working is a skilled profession, in which the support worker gains the most important expertise of all – knowing an individual as a person across their daily life. This would take in areas such as the person’s non-verbal communication and what it may mean, their routines, what needs may need to be anticipated, and what helps to keep them content and settled.

For this reason, every course that we provide is built around the concepts of person-centredness and relationship-centred working.   

At the same time, we believe it’s also very important for staff to be knowledgeable about health conditions that a person may live with. For example, support workers are often in the best position to know when someone may be relapsing into an episode of illness, so they would need to know signs. Other professions often work through support workers, giving guidance and instructions about treatment, for the support worker to then report back. Staff also need to be aware of health factors which may influence a person’s behaviour, in order to have empathy and to avoid jumping to negative conclusions. For this reason, Acumen Care Education offer an array of specialist courses covering all sectors within health and social care, all of which can be geared to your specific needs.