Men Can Care

Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions please click on a question of your choice to jump to the answer.

So what is the 'Men Can Care' project?

But isn't working with children women's work?

I thought child and youth care was a low paying job?

Men can care sounds like it could be quite good, but I'm already a man that cares, I look after my own kids so that my wife can go out to work.

My mate was on a programme like this before and he said that by the time he paid his fares to work and bought his lunch he had very little money left at the end of the week.

It's been years since I have done any writing, in fact, I think the last time was when I was at school. I'm not too sure about how I would do on a training course.

So how long does the whole thing last?

Being left in a room with a bunch of young people sounds a bit scary to me, I've never had to deal with that kind of situation before

I was a bit of a tearaway myself when I was younger and got in to some trouble with the law. Someone told me that because I had a criminal record I would not be able to work with young people.

Do I need some sort of experience in care work or working with children to come on the project?

Do I get a job at the end?

What qualifications will I have at the end of the programme?

OK, what do I do now?

So what is the 'Men Can Care' project?

Men Can care was a programme of real work balanced with a bespoke programme of training in residential child and youth care. The programme provided men who had not necessarily considered a career in child and youth care the opportunity to train and work in this area while receiving a salary.

But isn't working with children women's work?

In the past childcare was an area of work dominated by women. Nowadays more men are becoming involved in this type of work. Changes in attitudes and access to work opportunities for both men and women have seen this image change dramatically and more men want to pursue childcare as a career but have difficulties accessing it. Ninety per cent of men are now present at the births of their children, 90% change nappies and over 100,000 British dads have opted to be the primary carer for their children. Thousands of men are already doing unpaid work with children and young people running weekend football teams as well as other sporting or youth activities in their home areas. However, they never stop to think of it as a potential career.

I thought child and youth care was a low paying job?

Child and youth care is like any other occupation, the more experience and skills you gain, the more money you will be paid. It offers a good career structure and opportunities for promotion if you want to work at it. Lots of people make a very comfortable living from this career and many of our staff are the main earners in their own families, own their own home and car. But, if you want to get rich then you are looking at the wrong career

Men can care sounds like it could be quite good, but I'm already a man that cares, I look after my own kids so that my wife can go out to work.

No problem! We know lots of dads already have the main role in caring for their kids so we were able to cover child and dependant care costs to allow men to come on the programme.

My mate was on a programme like this before and he said that by the time he paid his fares to work and bought his lunch he had very little money left at the end of the week.

We were aware that could be a problem for some people so we provided help with fares and all meals were provided while staff were at work or on training. As this was real work as opposed to just a training course, participants recieved a salary which meant they may also have been eligible for other top ups like family credit.

It's been years since I have done any writing, in fact, I think the last time was when I was at school. I'm not too sure about how I would do on a training course.

We've had staff at Kibble who have not been involved in any kind of formal education for more than 30 years. After a period of training at their pace they are able to competently produce very formal reports. learning was organised in a way that individual needs and paces of learning could be met. Also, training was not all about writing; sometimes it was about talking, listening and actually practising skills communicating with young people. We were looking for people who could develop a relationship with young people therefore it was somtimes a skill other than written ability that trainees brought to the job that made them a valuable member of a team.

So how long does the whole thing last?

Each cohort of trainees undertook a programme that initially lasted for 9 months. During that time they worked on average three days a week and trained approximately two days, all of which was done over 37 hours each week. Like most jobs trainees were eligible for public holidays and received annual leave entitlement

Being left in a room with a bunch of young people sounds a bit scary to me, I've never had to deal with that kind of situation before

At the beginning trainess were not left on their own. However, after a few months there were occasions when certain circumstances required them to be on their own with young people for short periods of time. This was not a job for people who were nervous or anxious at the thought of being around young people.

I was a bit of a tearaway myself when I was younger and got in to some trouble with the law. Someone told me that because I had a criminal record I would not be able to work with young people.

Having a criminal record did not necessarily exclude trainees from working on the project. We carried out criminal record checks on all of the people considered for the posts and they were expected to declare all of their convictions. If the information gave us or the checks we made revealed that they had convictions, we would speak to candidates about these before making a final decision on whether it was appropriate to offer them the job. We would be unlikely to employ candidates if they had previous convictions that involved crimes committed against children or other vulnerable individuals.

Do I need some sort of experience in care work or working with children to come on the project?

Some experience with children and young people was preferred although many of our existing staff have come with little experience in child and youth care. What was important was that applicants had the right attitude to the work and were willing to learn.

Do I get a job at the end?

Although we did not guarantee trainees a job at the end of the programme, we did guarantee them an interview for a job at the end, either with Kibble or another employer in the child and youth care sector. Kibble is a rapidly expanding and changing organisation and as such new jobs do come up. We also have people at various stages in their careers who decide to move on to another area of child and youth care, social care or social work for a new or different experience which creates vacancies at Kibble. Many of our existing full time child and youth care workers originally came here on trainee programmes, as students on placement or started off as part time and sessional employees. We were able to eventually employ a large number of the trainees at Kibble

What qualifications will I have at the end of the programme?

At the end of the programme trainees gained the nationally recognised Scottish Progression Award in working with children and young people at level 3 as well as a whole bunch of certificates in technical elements of working in this field. they ended up with an impressive CV bristling with achievements gained throughout the programme that made them an extremely attractive potential employee to most of the employers in the child and youth care sector. Not only that, but they were givem training and guidance on how to use that CV and successfully work through the hurdles of applying for and being interviewed for a job in child and youth care. Many of the trainees went on to complete the HNC in Social Care and the SVQ level 3 in caring for children and young people with others going even further to undertake the B.A in Social Work by distance learning at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

OK, what do I do now?

The Men Can Care programme was partly supported by funds from the European Social Fund. Unfortunately these are no longer available and the programme has ended. However, if you are interested in a career in social care or working with children and young people, Kibble, the UK's largest multi service centre serving young people at risk are always looking for new and enthusiastic staff. Please contact the personnel office on 0141 889 0044 to find out about vacancies.