FAQs
What is Homecare Voices?
Homecare Voices is a network of current and former homecare workers throughout the UK. We are a registered not-for-profit Community Interest Company (C.I.C).
What do you do?
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Provide a secure space for current and former homecare workers to connect with others
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Provide free tools and resources to help homecare workers understand their pay
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Sign-post homecare workers to sources of support if facing issues in relation to their employment
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Connect current and former homecare workers with opportunities to
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Tell policy-makers about their experiences and ideas
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Participate in relevant research
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Attend events
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Campaign about issues affecting homecare workers, the people we support and their family members
What does signing up to Homecare Voices involve?
Current and former homecare workers who sign up to Homecare Voices can connect with one another via our online spaces. We are great at supporting each other informally on a day-to-day basis. This could simply mean having others to chat with when you're waiting around between care visits. If you experience something you're not sure about at work, you can turn to Homecare Voices for a sounding board, provided you do not reveal identifiable information about clients, colleagues or your employer. We've got really good at pointing people in the right direction for official guidance and formal advice about all kinds of situations they're facing at work.
Through Homecare Voices, you will find out about ways to contribute your experiences in adult social care in ways that have the potential to effect real-world change. For example:
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We were invited to contribute to the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, attending a roundtable of sector leaders at the Cabinet Office.
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Our members regularly participate in research studies which seek to improve some aspect of homecare (and for this, they are paid for their time!).
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We ran a survey of over 511 homecare workers which allowed us to produce a major report about employment conditions in homecare.
For those with a bit more time on their hands, being a member of Homecare Voices can mean so much more, since it is our members who run the show! We have issues to raise awareness of, relationships to build, ideas to explore, other members to support, a TikTok audience to engage with, a budget to make decisions about, bills to pay and quite literally a company to run. We encourage people to let us know if they have any skills, expertise or experience that may help our network, since for many, care work is not a first career.
Is Homecare Voices a trade union?
No. If you are currently employed as a homecare worker, join an established trade union like Unison or GMB. If an issue comes up at work and you need formal legal advice or workplace representation, you may only be able to access trade union support if you are already a member. It is therefore essential to join a trade union before you need them. Homecare Voices is not a trade union, nor do we offer formal legal advice or workplace representation to people in our network. This does not detract from our collective advocacy on behalf of current and former homecare workers.
Who leads Homecare Voices?
Homecare Voices is run by and for current and former homecare workers. It was founded in 2023 by Rachel Kelso, who was a homecare worker between 2018 and 2026. Rachel is a director of the not-for-profit Community Interest Company which underpins Homecare Voices alongside Hannah Reseigh-Lincoln, Kyly Richardson, Mark Wilberforce and Kamiah Overaa. Members of our network form an internal Advisory Board which meets quarterly. Learn more about each of us on the leadership page.
How are you funded?
Homecare Voices is a not-for-profit organisation funded through a combination of grant funding, partnerships and donations. We collaborate keenly with other stakeholders across adult social care, though we respectfully refrain from accepting funding directly or otherwise from care providing companies and organisations that represent them. This maintains the integrity of our collective advocacy on behalf of current and former homecare workers.