# Recruit workers Recruiting care workers into your co-operative isn’t just about filling roles - it’s about building a community of people who believe in a different way of doing care. You're not just hiring; you're inviting people to co-create something better. This page outlines our approach to recruiting care workers, coaches, and others into your Circle or organisation. *** ### 🧭 Start with Purpose Before you write your first job ad, get clear on what you’re offering and what kind of people you're looking for. * Are you recruiting for **paid care workers**, **peer coaches**, or **Circle operations roles**? * What support or induction will you have in place when they join? * What kind of values and skills matter most for the role? 👉 *Be honest about what’s still being built. The right people will want to shape things with you, not wait for perfection.* *** ### 📣 How to Reach People Use a mix of approaches to reach both experienced care workers and people who may not think of themselves as “formal” carers but have strong caring skills. **Ideas:** * Leafleting at community centres, markets, schools, libraries * Posting in local Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats, or Nextdoor * Collaborating with local voluntary organisations, mosques, churches or mutual aid groups * Referrals from existing members or peer networks * Local job boards or community noticeboards * Your website and email list Make your messaging warm, inclusive and specific. Avoid corporate job-speak. *** ### 📝 What to Include in Your Offer Your recruitment materials should clearly show what’s different about joining your co-operative: * Emphasis on **autonomy, support and respect** * Peer coaching and **regular supervision** * **Flexible hours** and team-based matching * Paid at or above the **Real Living Wage** * Opportunity to **co-own** and shape the organisation You don’t need to tick every box yet, but you should share the direction you're moving in. *** ### 🧩 Keep It Low-Barrier, High-Support Traditional job application processes can exclude the very people you want to reach. Consider alternatives to CVs or formal interviews: * A short expression of interest form * One-to-one chats or small group sessions * Community info events or taster sessions * Invite people to observe or shadow If you do need paperwork (e.g. right to work, DBS), support people through it. Be proactive and kind - especially if English isn't someone’s first language or if they’ve been out of the workforce for a while. *** ### 🪴 Support from Day One Recruitment doesn’t end when someone joins. Early-stage support is key. * Use the **Worker Welcome Process** to introduce the platform, policies and culture * Connect people with a **Coach** * Pair new workers with experienced members * Be clear about training and next steps *** ### 🧠 Keep Learning Recruitment can be tough but it is an ongoing process, and one you’ll keep getting better at. Track: * What channels are working? * Who’s applying - and who isn’t? * Are there any barriers we can remove? Use co-production wherever possible. Ask current care workers what helped them decide to join. Let that inform your approach for recruitment as you move forward. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://play.equal.care/become/grow/recruit-workers.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.