Care escort

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• volunteering
• applying directly

College

You could do a course in health and social care, which may help you to get a job as a care escort, though this is not essential.

Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements for this route.

Volunteering

A common way into this role is to volunteer as a care escort with your local community transport organisation.

There are no set entry requirements, though it may be helpful if you have experience in care work or customer service. A driving licence might also be useful, though not essential.

Direct Application

You apply directly for jobs. Experience in healthcare or social care can be useful when looking for work.

Further information

You can get more information about working and volunteering as a care escort from the Community Transport Association .

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

• sensitivity and understanding
• a desire to help people
• the ability to work well with others
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• excellent verbal communication skills
• active listening skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to understand people’s reactions
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

Day-to-day tasks

As a care escort, you could:

• take people to and from appointments
• make sure passengers, wheelchairs and bags are secure before setting off
• deal with emergencies
• supervise passengers at all times
• keep the vehicle clean and tidy
• fill in paperwork

Working environment

You could work from a vehicle.

You may need to wear a uniform.

With experience and further training, you could move into related jobs, such as:

• care worker
• medical dispatcher
• ambulance care assistant
• healthcare assistant
• community transport driver