Recruiting best people for Presbyterian church care homes
The Irish Presbyterian church, as a significant social care provider looking after more than 300 people across its domain, has been examining its ability to attract and fill staffing vacancies.
A recent Presbyterian church community-based recruitment initiative for care assistants, team leaders and other posts exceeded expectations when it filled 70% of vacancies.
The Council for Social Witness (CSW), the church’s social care arm, manages the daily provision of residential, nursing, supported housing, respite and day care, along with a number of community-based programmes.
This includes Aaron House, a residential care home for 14 people with profound learning disability, in the large Ballybeen estate in east Belfast.
Aaron House also has a day care centre, with facilities for respite care.
The Rev David Brice, social witness council convener, explains: “For organisations like the Presbyterian church, and others who provide a wide range of professional social care, the last few years were difficult. It has been challenging for the system and those working there..
“An ongoing challenge is attracting new people into the caring profession, which is why we needed to come up with a different approach for Aaron House, which has been part of the Ballybeen community since it opened in 1995.”
Having tried traditional advertising methods to recruit, Mr Brice said that they wanted to make a specific effort in the local community.
“It wasn’t easy, but it took some time and effort. We leafletted more than 1,000 homes on the estate to let people know about Aaron House and the local job opportunities available on their doorstep.
“Happily, the community responded.”
Mr Brice added: ”The leaflet, which listed benefits of working at Aaron House, including a monetary £500 ‘welcome bonus’ - and an invite to a special recruitment day in the local community centre.
“If we got two or three people we would have been pleased, but we were able to fill eleven vacancies, which was beyond our expectations.
“For a quarter of a century Aaron House in Ballybeen has been home to some amazing people, who are cared for by a team of incredibly dedicated individuals.
“Some of the staff team have been there since it opened and along with their colleagues, continue to go the extra mile for those in their care.”
“Across all our Presbyterian homes we seek to provide care in a specifically Christian ethos and environment, but you don’t need to be a Christian to work for us, or be cared for by us.
“As a church, and as individual Christians however, we are called to demonstrate Jesus’ love for people,” said Mr Brice.
“This means putting our faith into practical action and simple Christian caring, which we seek to do in all the homes that we manage. It is a powerful social witness of the gospel.”
Since the formation of the Presbyterian orphan and children’s society in 1866, the church has had a key role in ministering to the physical needs of people. This continues, through its homes and support units, community-based projects, and the work of its congregations on the ground across Ireland.