If Care Work Required a University Degree, Would We Value It Differently?

Recently, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said something that I have spent a lot of time reflecting on:

"To me, they should be the best paid people in society, not the worst."

Like many people, my first thought was about pay. But the more I reflected on his words, the more I realised they raised a much bigger question.

What makes a profession valuable?

As a care worker, people sometimes joke about the number of hours I work. They would usually say, "You must have a lot of money in your account." I laugh with them. But the reality is that many care workers work long shifts, weekends and bank holidays, often earning minimum wage or a little more.

The hours suggest one thing. The payslip often says another.

That contrast has made me think differently about care work.

Before moving to the UK, I trained and qualified as a lawyer in Nigeria. Law is a profession that society immediately recognises. People understand the years of study, the training and the responsibility that come with it.

Today, I work in adult social care. And I often ask myself if my work is worth less or, have I simply moved into a profession that society has not yet learned to value in the same way?

Care workers may not attend a traditional 'care school' in the way lawyers attend law school or doctors attend medical school but everyday we are entrusted with responsibilities that most people would only ever entrust to someone they believe is competent.

We notice changes in residents that could indicate something is wrong. We provide reassurance when someone is frightened. We preserve dignity when people are at their most vulnerable. We communicate concerns and we build relationsips. I don't think any of that happens by accident. It requires judgment, responsibility, skill.

So, I find myself asking: If care work required a three-year university degree, would society value it differently?

Not because I believe that it should but because I wonder how much of a profession's value comes from the work itself and how much comes from our perception of it?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham was probably talking about pay. Or maybe he was asking us to reconsider something deeper. He was, afterall, speaking from his own personal family experience of the carers he had encountered caring for his father.

What do we, as a society, believe care work is worth? Not just in pounds and pence but in respect, in recognition, and in professional standing.

Because if we truly value the people who care for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, shouldn't that value be reflected in more than words?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What do you think determines the value of a profession? Where does care work fit into that conversation?

When we support carers, we improve care.