Working in social services and healthcare in Scotland

Social services and healthcare | Careers in care | SSSC

Working together to make a difference

If you’re compassionate, have a sense of fun and enjoy working with people you could be perfect for a career in social services and healthcare. There are many types of services across the community like care homes, care at home and housing support services. Most roles will involve supporting adults but you can support younger people too.

This work is about helping people to live well and achieve the things in life that really matter to them. You’ll go home each day knowing you made a difference.

3 social care workers at ROyston Court Care Home.

My best words of advice are there is no need to worry about training as you’re given all the training you will need. Go into it with an open mind and never look back.

Blair Social care assistant

What’s it really like to work in social services? Find out below in our career stories.

A childcare centre’s garden. An early years practitioner is engaging with three young children in winter clothing.

Care Homes

Childhood experiences last a lifetime. With a career in a day care of children service you can be part of children’s early learning experiences and make a significant difference to their lives.

You would work with children of different ages in places like nurseries, family centres, playgroups, crèches, breakfast clubs, after school or holiday clubs. If you’re interested in starting your own business you could become a registered childminder.

Click on a role to show more information about what you would do. You’ll also be shown inspiring career stories from real day care of children professionals.

Support Worker

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

Practitioner

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

A female childminder draws for two young children in her living room.

Supervisor

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

Manager

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

A female childminder draws for two young children in her living room.

Nurse

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

A childcare centre’s garden. An early years practitioner is engaging with three young children in winter clothing.

Care at home and housing support

Childhood experiences last a lifetime. With a career in a day care of children service you can be part of children’s early learning experiences and make a significant difference to their lives.

You would work with children of different ages in places like nurseries, family centres, playgroups, crèches, breakfast clubs, after school or holiday clubs. If you’re interested in starting your own business you could become a registered childminder.

Click on a role to show more information about what you would do. You’ll also be shown inspiring career stories from real day care of children professionals.

Support Worker

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

Supervisor

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

A female childminder draws for two young children in her living room.

Manager

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

A childcare centre’s garden. An early years practitioner is engaging with three young children in winter clothing.

More Careers

Childhood experiences last a lifetime. With a career in a day care of children service you can be part of children’s early learning experiences and make a significant difference to their lives.

You would work with children of different ages in places like nurseries, family centres, playgroups, crèches, breakfast clubs, after school or holiday clubs. If you’re interested in starting your own business you could become a registered childminder.

Click on a role to show more information about what you would do. You’ll also be shown inspiring career stories from real day care of children professionals.

Personal assistant

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

Care Inspector

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

Lecturer and assessor

Childminders are professional childcare workers who work from their own homes to provide care to other people’s children. A childminder will provide a warm, familiar setting for children and will plan different daily activities to support their learning and development. This can include everyday things like going to the shops, playing creative games, preparing meals and learning skills like counting and reading.

Childminders must register their home-based childcare service with the Care Inspectorate (the body which inspects and supports improvement in all Scottish care services). As they are registered with this body they do not also require to register with the SSSC however they have equal access to SSSC learning resources to support their professional development. It can be a flexible career and may suit you if you’d like to work from home, or if you’d like a way of spending time with your own young children while having a career at the same time.

You can find out more about becoming a childminder on the Scottish Childminding Association website https://www.childminding.org/become-a-childminder

To find out where your career might take you, explore our interactive qualification pathways.

Qualification pathways

You don’t usually need a qualification to start this career but you’ll have an opportunity to gain one in work. If you want to progress into promoted posts there are qualifications to help you do this.

Explore our interactive pathways to see how qualifications can help you build a career.

go to the qualification pathways

Cathy from Royston Court Care Home.

Tender loving care, that's all we need. And they're all very good to us here. Just like our own family.

Cathy Royston Court Care Home

Interested in a career in social services and healthcare?

Take your first steps

Explore these routes to get help taking your first steps. In each category you’ll find links to websites to apply for work experience, jobs, training or study.

Take your first steps

MyLearning website

Learning about social services is a good way to show your committment to employers.

If you want to store your learning and share it with others, including new employers, try using MyLearning. It's a free, smartphone-based app provided by the SSSC.

MyLearning is also used by social service workers to record continuous professional learning.

MyLearning website

A learning website mockop on desktop and mobile

Partners