A carer's toolkit to match skills to employment
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My Skills Lists
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skills lists
General Caring Skills
In my caring role I organise, plan and prioritise
| Prioritise activities according to need, demand and changing circumstances | |
| Sort and group tasks and activities | |
| Write lists | |
| Keep a calendar or diary | |
| Make checklists | |
| Organise trips and holidays | |
| Plan for future needs if circumstances change | |
| Make appointments such as medical, home visits, dentist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, hairdresser |
In my caring role I establish and maintain regular schedules and activities
| Establish and keep routines | |
| Remind the person I care for about appointments, routines, and responsibilities | |
| Modify routines when necessary |
In my caring role I budget and manage money
| Deal with and arrange finances with Centrelink | |
| Plan and monitor household costs | |
| Pay bills | |
| Check Disability Support Payment/income support | |
| Complete banking related issues and activities | |
| Arrange and pay insurances | |
| Perform bookkeeping activities | |
| Purchase equipment | |
| Prepare tax returns | |
| Pay service providers |
In my caring role I multitask and juggle work
| Manage and complete activities | |
| Work under pressure | |
| Work independently | |
| Work or volunteer part time other than caring role | |
| Coordinate providers and services |
In my caring role I handle administrative activities
| Check the letter box regularly and sort the mail | |
| Respond to correspondence | |
| Post mail | |
| Take notes at meetings or appointments | |
| Complete paperwork such as filling in forms and filing documents | |
| Answer and handle phone calls from a variety of people such as solicitors, doctor’s office, school, hospital, service providers |
In my caring role I use the computer
| Use the computer for research | |
| Perform data entry | |
| Locate services | |
| Handle emails | |
| Use computer software programs such as Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint | |
| Use and update social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn |
In my caring role I solve problems and manage crisis
| Respond to and address changes to individual needs and environments by being flexible | |
| Ability to cope with quickly changing situations; recognise warning signs and prevent episodes; anticipate and predict behaviour | |
| Get help if situation is too much | |
| Know when to stand firm and when to walk away | |
| Have confidence in own abilities |
In my caring role I look after legal needs
| Ensure legal requirements are in place such as Power of Attorneys, Guardianship and Wills |
Day to Day Caring Skills
In my caring role I perform health care tasks
| Be aware of physical well-being of the person I care for and monitor changes in health | |
| Provide nursing care such as check blood pressure, administer medications and vitamins, implement pain management plan | |
| Be responsible to the person I care for constantly, 24 hours, do the night shift | |
| Assist with occupational, physical and speech therapy, exercise and stretching programs, prosthetics | |
| Support and assist if the person I care for is in hospital by visiting, helping with meals, emotional care and reassurance |
In my caring role I perform household tasks
| Maintain a clean home and arrange for extra cleaning help when necessary | |
| Declutter and keep the home tidy | |
| Look after the garden, yard and pool | |
| Care for pets | |
| Launder clothing and bedding | |
| Maintain and repair things such as equipment, household items, car | |
| Plan for and purchase items as required such as clothing, shoes, personal needs, birthday and Christmas gifts |
In my caring role I provide meals
| Plan meals and prepare meals | |
| Shop for groceries | |
| Work out diet plans such as for gluten free, dairy free, allergies, preferences | |
| Work with dietician or nutritionist to plan appropriate meals |
In my caring role I ensure person I care for is clean and healthy
| Complete or assist with bathing and showering, brushing teeth, hair care | |
| Complete or assist with shaving | |
| Complete or assist with toileting | |
| Complete or assist with dressing |
In my caring role I maintain a safe environment
| Ensure home is risk free by doing things such as a risk assessment, check equipment regularly, set safety rules and boundaries | |
| Learn to use new equipment correctly such as hoist, electric bed or chair | |
| Learn and perform physical transfers and lifts safely | |
| Teach family members, service providers and others in the home about specific safety requirements such as no food or money left around the house or car |
In my caring role I provide mobility and transport assistance
| Drive a car or van and ensure the person I care for is transported appropriately and safely | |
| Use and maintain working order of mobility aids, lifters and prosthetics | |
| Provide training for independent use of public transport | |
| Support guide dog assistance |
COMMUNITY, EDUCATION, SOCIAL AND SELF CARE ACTIVITIES
In my caring role I participate in and contribute to community activities
| Attend community group meetings such as a family support, volunteer, gardening or sports group | |
| Facilitate community group meetings | |
| Be involved in cultural activities and fundraising | |
| Volunteer in activities such as a board member, on an employment subcommittee, for the Fire SES or as team leader for community fire unit | |
| Attend school meetings and assemblies | |
| Be involved with police liaison such as advocating for police to be educators in dealing with mental health | |
| Provide peer support and advice to other carers in support groups such as young carers, Aboriginal carers, bipolar, dementia, Parkinson’s | |
| Participate in activities such as Carers Week celebrations, school fetes, church programs |
In my caring role I support the person I care for to participate in community activities
| Research and identify suitable community activities | |
| Encourage participation in activities | |
| Arrange for transport to activities |
In my caring role I use strategies to maintain my own wellbeing
| Learn and plan for ways to do my caring role while still having time for myself | |
| Prioritise time for myself to do things such as sew, read, catch up with friends, go to support groups, watch a movie, go out to lunch, visit family, have a massage, go to the gym | |
| Recognise signs of stress and learn ways to manage it such as to talk to someone, contact support group, ask for help |
In my caring role I enable educational activities and encourage participation for the person I care for
| Select appropriate school and ensure regular attendance at school | |
| Arrange appropriate educational activities such as piano lessons, music therapy, art lessons, movement and dance classes, hydro therapy or swimming lessons, sign class, computer courses | |
| Provide resources and visual aids for activities such as art materials, appropriate clothing, musical instruments, technology | |
| Research and obtain appropriate apps to assist learning | |
| Learn to use new technology programs to help the person I care for such as Prologue, Talk2Talk, Auslan | |
| Go to courses and workshops that help me provide better care such as programs about caring, behavioural needs, knowledge of body systems (such as renal), new technology | |
| Conduct research to learn about and gain better understanding about an illness, find professionals, services and homes |
In my caring role I participate in and organise leisure and social activities
| Organise leisure activities for the person I care for such as trip to library or museum, take out for dinner, go to sports or a farm, art and craft activities, go to church, internet chat with friends and family, take a walk | |
| Plan for a day out or holiday for the person I care for including things such as is it wheelchair accessible, toilet access, is it too loud, is it ok to bring dietary food, what transport will be needed, do I need another carer | |
| Plan and organise social activities such as picnics, after school groups, meetings with friends |
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
In my caring role I manage others
| Employ appropriate people for caring needs | |
| Oversee care management plans | |
| Delegate tasks and activities to another person such as when a service provider doesn’t show up or when I can’t do something myself | |
| Deal with service complaints |
In my caring role I encourage appropriate behaviours
| Learn triggers and signs as early indicators of behaviour change | |
| Provide behavioural support by managing and teaching the person I care for how to and how not to behave, such as preventing food throwing, encouraging to throw rubbish in the bin | |
| Use anger management techniques | |
| Motivate the person I care for and reinforce appropriate behaviours |
In my caring role I communicate to give and collect information
| Communicate with the person I care for appropriately to meet their needs such as negotiating meal, medications and bedtime | |
| Share information with the person I care for and others about what is happening | |
| Converse and build rapport with variety of people on different levels such as other carers, doctors, family members, service providers, teachers, therapists | |
| Use a variety of different techniques to communicate such as debating, negotiating, listening, interpreting (Auslan), writing notes for service providers and teachers | |
| Resolve misunderstanding and arguments; keep the peace and calm in the home | |
| Use own body language effectively and be aware of others’ body language |
In my caring role I create opportunities for sharing and learning
| Teach the person I care for things such as how to dress, life skills, how to shop with a visual calendar, road skills for safely crossing the road | |
| Use opportunities for learning as they arise such as when walking to school or in new situations | |
| Assist the person I care for with making sense of the world and our experiences in it | |
| Raise awareness of disabilities with the person I care for and others; teach the person I care for that everyone is different and it’s ok |
In my caring role I provide emotional support
| Listen to concerns and be interested; show empathy and acceptance of individual differences | |
| Be mindful and respectful of cultural needs | |
| Provide support in times of need such as grief and loss | |
| Be a mentor and/or advisor | |
| Provide encouragement and reassurance |
In my caring role I build positive relationships
| Make time for everyone in the family; maintain healthy relationship with partner; care for others as well as the person I care for | |
| Be part of a team with others such as medical providers, service providers, support groups | |
| Understand and acknowledge the range of feelings of others such as anger, frustration, joy, sadness | |
| Have respect and tolerance of others |
In my caring role I support and speak for the needs of others
| Advocate for the person I care for regarding such things as health issues, support at specialist appointments, financial arrangements | |
| Contribute to raising awareness through such things as writing on behalf of the person I care for or participate in lobby activities | |
| Take initiative to facilitate change in such things as support programs, funding arrangements or available services |
About Me. Here’s where you can add additional information (optional)
Recent professional achievements, educational achievements and your professional goals.
The free text section here will appear exactly as you type it.
The free text section here will appear exactly as you type it.
My Reports
There are 2 types of reports that can be created from your checklists. The reports will open as a Word document on your computer. The SUMMARY REPORT lists the Australian Core Skills for Work with the corresponding headings from the checklists. The EXPANDED REPORT includes everything in the Summary Report plus all of the items you selected in the checklists.
The Summary Report is most suitable to attach to a resume and job application or present to an employer at an interview. The Extended Report has work skills and activities from the checklists. It is most suitable to help you provide examples to an employer when asked about your work skills.
My Settings
Here you can update your full name or your password
