AJ PR Blog

AJ GROUP PLANS EXPANSION WITH TEN NEW ROLES – 21/09/2011

AJ Group, the provider of care, training and recruitment for the social care market, has announced its plans to expand the team with the addition of no fewer than ten new roles, which are available at its head office in Leeds.

The business has seen an increase in turnover of 10% with recent account wins including the provision of community care for Leeds and Doncaster Local Authorities.

As a provider of training and recruitment services, as well as social care workers to the market, the business has enjoyed recent growth resulting in the need to further bolster and strengthen the team across all departments.

Managing Director of AJ Social Care, Andrew Brindley said: “We have worked hard to build the business up over recent years and as a result have found that we need to add to our head office based team with the appointment of ten new positions.”

He adds: “At AJ Social Care we take a very positive approach to the industry and as we grow we want to ensure that we are attracting the very best recruits to our business. We want to ensure that social care is a career of choice and a sector that people aspire to work in.”

The new positions, which cover several roles throughout the company, include office administrator, sales consultant, home care coordinator, business manager, B2B sales consultant and care staff resourcer.

APPRENTICE SCHEME PROMOTES CAREERS IN CARE - 08/09/2011

AJ Community Care, based in Leeds, has launched an apprenticeship scheme for the second year, following the success of the initiative during 2010.

Promoting the fact that people are able to have a fulfilling career within the care sector, Jo Guy and Andrew Brindley, Managing Directors at the company which employs approximately 200 employees, decided to launch the apprentice scheme to encourage school and college leavers to consider social care as a career of choice.

Trialling the programme during 2010, the company recognised that as training and support can be provided during working hours candidates can achieve the necessary academic qualifications required to work within the sector while also contributing to a role within the business.

With tuition fees mounting and greater pressure for school leavers to consider alternative options to university, the company was still surprised by the high number of positive applications received. As a result a more formal interview based process was put in place to support those interested and to offer a position to the most suitable candidate.

Learning from the previous year, the scheme has now been tailored and AJ Community Care provides ‘look and see days’, which encourage those considering taking up the apprenticeship to meet with the team for a full day before making a decision about whether social care is a market they would like to pursue a career in.

In addition to ‘look and see days’ the company also drafts a progression plan, which provides candidates with the opportunity to develop a clear pathway for the twelve month programme and to identify what salary scales they would like to achieve once the programme is complete.

A dedicated mentor for the candidate focuses on answering and handling calls, body language, expectations, working within an office and field based environment, plus basic skills and behaviour, leading candidates to be in the best possible position when they complete the scheme.

The company allocates apprentices half an hour each day to complete course materials and managers provide assistance throughout. As AJ Community Care is a City and Guilds Registered NVQ provider the company has assessors on site who are also able to provide support if required.  This approach has made a significant difference with apprentices completing their academic qualifications much sooner than expected.

Andrew Brindley said: “We know from past experience that people have a misguided impression of the social care sector and that candidates are often confused about how you can have a full time career in care, so we wanted to address that. We want to take those people who perhaps don’t want to go to university but do want a career and help them to make the transition from education to employment.”

“The scheme has been created with the candidates in mind and provides them with both hands on and academic training. Those who get involved with the apprenticeship find that they develop business skills in areas they would never have considered to be related to social care.”

“The scheme has been so successful that we have rolled it out again this year and hope to further expand it year on year. Ideally we would like to have several apprentices joining the scheme next year and to offer full time employment to those who would like to pursue a career within the sector.”

 AJ Social Care is a Yorkshire based provider of recruitment and training to the social care marketplace. In addition the company provides social care provision for individuals with difficulties and disabilities, which lead to the need for specialist support and help in the home.

Appointment to Skills for Care National Care Ambassador Steering Group – 08/08/2011 

Jo Guy, Managing Director at Leeds of AJ Social Care, has been appointed to the Skills for Care national high level steering group to address the sustainability of the Care Ambassador initiatives across the UK to ensure their excellent work can continue.

 With a goal of raising the profile of the social care sector, Jo will be involved in creating a sustainable model that, from a national platform, offers greater co-ordination and support for care ambassadors and their projects. As part of her role she will also ensure that there is a consistent provision of care ambassador services throughout the UK, including access to quality, up-to-date information and resources.

Jo, who is also a volunteering member of the Skills for Care West Yorkshire Steering Group, comments: “I have worked within social care for more than seventeen years. Every day I see the wonderful work of care providers but I also see the negativity that surrounds our sector. I am committed to increasing the profile of social care, making social care a career of choice and an industry that people aspire to work in.

“Through my role on the steering group I can influence national campaigns that address head on the challenges which we face, whilst ensuring that our workers get the support that they need to continue to fulfil their roles and deliver greater quality care to those who need it most.”

Skills for Care’s strategic role is to ensure that the adult social care workforce has the attitudes, values, skills and qualifications necessary to have the right people in the right place to deliver high quality social care.

Skills for Care work closely with the 40,600 organisations that offer social care, those who use the services, carers and with other key stakeholders to develop tools and resources that meet the workforce development needs of the sector.

CARE AMBASSADORS LAUNCH REGIONAL CAMPAIGN 21/07/2011

West Yorkshire Social Care providers have launched an initiative to increase the understanding and profile of social care, tackling negative perceptions and making social care a career of choice, an industry that people aspire to work in.

The Skills for Care Steering Group, which has a collaborative aim of influencing the regional agenda with regards to social care and to tackle national issues at grass root levels, has launched a strategy around care ambassadors to increase the profile of those working within social care in West Yorkshire.

Jo Guy, Managing Director of AJ Social Care, a volunteering member of the group commented: “Over recent months we have all acknowledged the importance of the role of care ambassadors within our own organisations and how these passionate individuals are pivotal in influencing a positive image of social care. Whilst we could drive these changes in isolation, by working together and identifying best practice we can have a bigger impact across our own businesses and across the industry.

“The attendance and support from people at a recent Care Ambassador event hosted and organised by AJ Social Care is testament to the number of professionals avid about driving change and improving the image of social care. We need to be more positive, forward thinking and progressive if we are to continue to deliver a greater quality of care to those who need it. Through the steering group and the events we host we are moving in the right direction.”

She added: “We will be holding further events to maintain momentum of the Care Ambassador project with the aim of increasing the number of ambassadors in West Yorkshire to ensure that we can work even more effectively in partnership with Schools, Colleges, Training Providers, Apprenticeship Partnerships, Job Centre Plus, Regulatory Authorities and Community Groups to move this important agenda forward.

 The Skills for Care Steering Group for Yorkshire, which was launched more than three years ago, brings together support workers, care managers, NVQ assessors, HR managers, directors, coordinators, heads of departments  and senior managers who work in like-minded organisations that offer social care provision. For details about forthcoming events please contact rachelbryan@ajsocialcare.co.uk or Jeanette.cookson@skillsforcare.org.uk

PERSONALISING CARE THOUGH CLOUD COMPUTING 02/08/2011

A new service that allows individuals who rely on care and support to have real time access to their personal care programme, including roster details and information about their specific carer, has been unveiled  by AJ Social Care.

Through the online system Webroster.net, AJ Social Care can offer those using care services greater control and access to information anytime, anyplace and anywhere with an internet connection.

Webroster.net , a combination of the latest technological developments in cloud computing and internet based software, is used to manage rosters and work flow – improving remote and mobile working, roster management and efficiency, which in turn supports high levels of service user care.

As a business responsible for multiple staff, at numerous locations during all times of the day and night, the Webroster.net system provides AJ Social Care with immediate and real time access and communications with carers and service users.

Director of AJ Social Care, Andrew Brindley said: “Through webroster.net we can provide our service users with more detailed information about their own personal care. We encourage independence throughout our care programme and this allows us to pass more control onto those that we support. Carers can also utilise the system to aid their day-to-day role.

“Cloud computing also supports our drive for improving the quality of our service, through a greener approach to communicating with employees and service users, a faster and more secure back-up system, scheduling efficiency and improved roster management.”

AJ Social Care is a Yorkshire based provider of recruitment and training to the social care marketplace. In addition the company provides social care provision for individuals with difficulties and disabilities, which lead to the need for specialist support and help in the home.

LOCAL CARE PROVIDER CALLS FOR MORE POSITIVE OUTLOOK 19/07/2011

With recent announcements causing negative media attention and calls for reform throughout the social care industry, local care provider, AJ Social Care, has called for a more positive outlook to drive change and give greater support to a more progressive social agenda.

Jo Guy, Managing Director of AJ Social Care, explains why she believes a positive approach should be adopted to spearhead change and put practices in place to provide clear guidelines for the future of the care sector.

“It’s so easy to jump on the band wagon and to say that things are difficult and times are tough but the reality is that there are so many negative associations with the social care market place that the good news gets lost amongst it.

“That’s not to say that the reasons for this news aren’t warranted but that we should be using it to address the problems within the market and move on. We need to have a more positive outlook and to agree regulatory conform, which will at least in part stop these situations from happening.

“There are challenges and poor practices shown across all areas of social care; private, public and third sector and many examples of mismanagement with money and individuals but what we seem to miss and fail to address is that we should all be working together. Public, private and third sector organisations need to have a more joined up and collaborative view on how we are going to get this right for the greater benefits of those we all provide care for.

“As a Non Executive Director of the United Kingdom Home Care Association and the owner of a care business I am very passionate about the future of this industry and think that we need to start to make changes now to secure the long term future of care provision to the public and private sector. We need to consider where we will be in years to come and what infrastructure will be in place to support an aging population reliant on an industry to deliver care and support.

“Future strategies should be on the agenda, better ways of working, collaborative thinking and a more stringent and regulated approach to the industry as a whole. Identifying best practice and promoting the good work that is co-ordinated should in turn help to rectify the bad.

“We should also be shaking off the stigma associated with those people who work in social care. Many people perceive care to be a part time job, not a long term successful career path and it’s our job to change that. Unless we change this we will not succeed in attracting the very best professionals to this industry. We need to be showing what can be achieved through a career in social care and what benefits there are to working in such a diverse marketplace.

“If we take the demise of Southern Cross for example, we understand that we need to uncover failings within the sector and the impact that this is having now and in the future, but we should also be looking at who has stepped forward to rectify these matters and how this is impacting positively on the families and friends of those needing support both for health and general care. There are businesses out there who can and are making positive changes with least impact on those who require care, while delivering long term stability for the provision of care services in that area.

 “Care is often considered an ‘agenda point’ but what this actually means can remain a mystery. Unless something goes wrong or cuts are made then we very rarely hear much about it and I want to change that, I want to make it my job to shout about the good practices and the high standard of care that is on offer in this country.

 “The government needs to take these matters seriously and to do something about it. Implement stricter regulations, set targets for those offering provision and support for those who are not meeting the mark. Those who are unable to meet with the basic criteria shouldn’t be working in the care market, the sector is too important to too many people for mistakes to be such a consistent problem.

 “I for one will champion change and hope that others within the sector will stand up to be counted. Without change we can expect to see more of the same and many will feel that they are supporting an ever depleting sector with too little support on offer.”

4 OUT OF 5 CARERS FEAR CONSEQUENCES OF CUTS TO CARE SERVICES – 15/06/2011

More than 80 per cent of unpaid carers are worried about cuts to services, according to new research for Carers Week 2011 (13-19 June). Almost half don’t know how they will cope as the axe falls on some of the vital support they rely on.

The cuts to services compound the financial sacrifice people make when they start looking after someone who is ill, frail or disabled. Three quarters of those surveyed say they are worse off financially since taking on their caring responsibilities.

There are some people however who rely on health care professionals to provide a tailored service that meets their specific needs, giving them the time and independence to lead a full and active life in the knowledge that their loved ones are in safe hands when they are unable to care for them personally.

Kathy Shelton relies on care professionals who support her and her husband, she says: “The care package has enabled Peter and myself to remain together in our own home, and has really given us a quality of life. I have very high standards that I did not imagine any care company could ever meet, but the team that I use at AJ Social Care more than does. I was concerned that this would no longer feel like my own home, but it does. We still have our private time, and the team makes sure we are comfortable when it’s time for a cuddle.”

 Hollywood actress Dame Judi Dench cared for her husband Michael who had lung cancer. He died in January 2001. She says: “As someone with experience of caring for a loved one, I am happy to offer my support to Carers Week. 3 in 5 people will be an unpaid carer at some point in their lives** and many of them sacrifice everything to save our economy £119 billion every year. It’s time to give them something back.”

 Jo Guy, Managing Director of AJ Social Care, a local provider of care services, says: “Caring for someone can have a huge strain on a family as it can impact significantly on both finances and a person’s social life. At AJ Social Care we work with families to alleviate some of the tensions that can be associated with daily care.”

She adds: “Not only does this reduce the stress for the carer but also those being cared for. We believe very strongly that independence goes hand in hand with the quality of a person’s life and where possible we do all we can to support this and encourage people to remain as self sufficient as possible – that can mean helping with shopping, cooking and cleaning or personal care such as washing and dressing. It’s important to remember that everyone is different and that is why we provide bespoke care for our clients.”

Adult social care services, which support families affected by illness and disability, are facing £1 billion worth of cuts in 2011-12 according to Social Services Directors. This is at the same time as £425 million worth of new services will be needed, due to the aging population.***

The theme of this year’s Carers Week is ‘The True Face of Carers’. It calls for greater recognition and support for the diverse – and often unexpected – range of people who give up their money, time and health to look after somebody else.

Along with Dame Judi Dench, other celebrities supporting this campaign include: Sir David Jason OBE, Jack Charlton OBE, Martin Lewis and Angela Rippon. They all have experience of caring.

Carers Week 2011 has more than 8000 events and activities taking place across the country to ensure that all carers know they are not alone. www.carersweek.org