Kerry swapped hairdressing for care work and is encouraging others to join her

A special event has been organised to encourage people to consider a rewarding career as a care worker.
Karen Halford, a care home registered manager from Selsey is supporting the county council's recruitment drive for care workersKaren Halford, a care home registered manager from Selsey is supporting the county council's recruitment drive for care workers
Karen Halford, a care home registered manager from Selsey is supporting the county council's recruitment drive for care workers

West Sussex County Council has organised an event for Saturday (October 14) at Chaplins Coffee Shop, 103 High Street, Selsey. With the aim of giving people living in and around Selsey the opportunity to meet care providers, find out about roles available and even apply for jobs, the event will be held from 10am until mid-day.

Kerry Duley, who lives in Selsey, was a hairdresser before swapping careers to become a domiciliary care co-ordinator.

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She said: “I’ve built a really good career out of it. I’ve done lots of training, gained qualifications and it’s a really good career path now.

Kerry Duley from Selsey was a hairdresser before swapping careers to become a domiciliary care co-ordinator. 
she is supporting the county council's care worker recruitment campaignKerry Duley from Selsey was a hairdresser before swapping careers to become a domiciliary care co-ordinator. 
she is supporting the county council's care worker recruitment campaign
Kerry Duley from Selsey was a hairdresser before swapping careers to become a domiciliary care co-ordinator. she is supporting the county council's care worker recruitment campaign

“There’s a stigma attached to care work but you can use it as a platform to build a career on. You can go into nursing, social work – all sorts of things once you’ve got your social care qualifications.”

Fellow care worker, Karen Halford, a care home registered manager who lives in Selsey, said what made the job special was the people.

She said: “It’s a lovely place to be. The residents appreciate what we do for them and when you see the smile you put on their face that makes everything worthwhile.

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“If you can make a difference to someone’s life, you should do it. You’ve got nothing to lose by trying it, it’s all to gain.”

The county council has been working with independent providers of care and support at home, extra care housing and residential care providers in the county on initiatives to increase the recruitment and retention of care professionals.

Amanda Jupp, cabinet member for adults and health, said: “Caring is an incredibly rewarding career with so many opportunities to progress and make a real, positive difference to people’s lives. I would urge anyone interested to come along to this event and find out about local opportunities and job vacancies.”

For more information about working in care and the event in Selsey, visit: www.westsussex.gov.uk/jobsincare