A care manager decides the most suitable kind of personal or nursing care for people who are older or who have certain illnesses or disabilities. They make sure that the level of care also meets their carers' or families' needs, and make the necessary arrangements.

The Work

You could be:

• discussing the person’s needs with the person concerned and with their family
• discussing a person's health issues with a nurse or a doctor
• carrying out a 'care assessment’, recommending a particular level of care: this may be community care within the person’s own home or residential care in a nursing home
• developing a care package suited to the person's needs
• organising aspects of the care package such as housework, shopping, cooking, mobility aids, transport or personal hygiene, if the care is to be within the community
• making outreach visits to see how effective the care package is
• helping choose the right home, discuss costs and financial assistance and negotiate funding, if residential care is necessary
• arranging a review meeting after a trial period with the person, their family and the care staff, to decide whether the arrangement will be permanent
• supervising staff, monitoring how they handle their caseload and maintain records.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work
• the company or organisation you work for
• the demand for the job.

Salaries for care managers can range from £21,300 to £37,000 a year depending on experience and qualifications. Salaries are based on local government salary scales and these can vary from council to council. Experienced council care managers usually earn between £30,000 to £40,000 a year or more.

Conditions

• You work from an office but also visit residential homes, private nursing homes, hospitals (both general and psychiatric), additional support needs schools and community centres.
• You usually work around 37 hours a week.
• There may be out of hours call outs.
• You travel around locally.

Useful Subjects

• Care
• Psychology
• Sociology

Getting In

• You need a relevant qualification such as a degree or diploma in social work, nursing, or occupational therapy.
• Entry to most of these courses is 4-5 Highers including English plus Maths at National 5, with the exception of the University of Dundee who accept 3-4 Highers.
• Otherwise, you need a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) in Care Services Leadership and Management at Level 4 (SCQF Level 10) or the SVQ in Social Services and Healthcare at Level 4 (SCQF Level 9).
• Work experience (either paid or voluntary) with older people or those with a disability is also necessary.
• Training in counselling is useful.
• A driving licence is useful and may be essential for some jobs.
• The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) registers key groups of Scotland's social service workers. See the SSSC website for more details about registering as a care manager.
• You will require a satisfactory PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) check to show that you are suitable for this type of work. Contact Disclosure Scotland for details.

Look for vacancies in local council websites, local and national newspapers, in the regular jobs bulletins of local councils, and on the official recruitment website for local government in Scotland: MyJobScotland.

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland and UK

  Scotland

2026

5721

0.5 %

RISE

2031

5752

  United Kingdom

2026

96929

2 %

RISE

2031

98909

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What Does it Take?

You should be:

• responsible and reassuring
• patient and sympathetic
• resourceful
• motivated
• a good organiser
• confident at report writing and record keeping
• IT literate.

You need:

• excellent communication skills
• strong negotiating skills
• to keep up to date with knowledge on legislation relating to care.

Training

• You can undertake professional development programmes with in-service training while you are working.
• You must also keep up to date with new laws affecting care managers.

Getting On

• Once you are an experienced care manager you can apply for promotion to managerial posts – senior care manager, principal care manager, service manager, assistant director and director.
• You can train as a trainer or assessor of other care workers.
• Alternatively you can move into other social work fields such as childcare protection.

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.