HIRING UK Post a job

Advice  ›  CV writing

Care assistant CV: what UK care employers look for

7 minute read · Updated 2026-08-23

A care assistant CV is judged against a short and very practical list. A home manager filling a vacancy needs to know whether you can be cleared to work, which parts of the role you can already do unsupervised, and whether your availability fits the rota. Values matter enormously in this sector, but they are demonstrated through examples rather than adjectives, so the CV that wins interviews is specific rather than warm.

What goes first on a care assistant CV

Directly under your personal statement, list the items that decide whether you can start:

  • Enhanced DBS certificate, with the year, and whether it is on the update service so a new employer can check it in minutes rather than waiting weeks.
  • The Care Certificate, if completed, naming the provider and year.
  • Qualifications: Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care or Health and Social Care, and any specialist units.
  • Mandatory training in date: moving and handling, safeguarding adults, basic life support, infection prevention and control, fire safety, food hygiene, medication administration.
  • Driving licence and use of a car, which is close to essential for domiciliary work and worth stating even for residential roles.
  • Right to work in the UK. If you hold a visa, say which and until when. Many care providers hold a sponsor licence, but they need to know your position before shortlisting.

If your training has lapsed, say when it was completed anyway. Providers usually refresh mandatory training on induction, and previous training still counts as evidence.

Describe the care you have actually given

Care covers a very wide range of work, so name the setting and the level of need. A CV that says assisted service users with daily tasks could belong to anyone. These do not:

  • Residential dementia unit, 32 beds. Personal care for a caseload of eight residents per shift, including continence care, hoisting with a colleague, and supporting residents with distressed behaviour using their care plans.
  • Domiciliary round, 12 to 14 calls a day. Medication prompts and administration recorded on MAR charts, meal preparation, welfare checks, and reporting concerns to the office the same day.
  • Nursing home, end of life care. Supported residents and families through end of life, working alongside district nurses and following anticipatory care plans.
  • Supported living, learning disabilities. Enabled two tenants to shop, budget and attend appointments independently, with positive behaviour support plans.

Mention the systems too. Electronic care planning and rostering systems are used in most providers now, so name the ones you know. Note that records are read by inspectors, so evidence of writing clear, factual notes is genuinely valuable.

Safeguarding, regulation and the professional side

Show that you understand the framework you work within. Providers are regulated by the Care Quality Commission in England, with equivalent bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and a manager wants confidence that you will not create a problem at inspection.

Useful lines include: raising a safeguarding alert and knowing who to escalate to, following mental capacity principles and best interest decisions, understanding Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards at a basic level, respecting dignity and confidentiality under data protection rules, and reporting accidents and incidents accurately. If you have been a key worker for named residents, or supported new starters through induction and shadowing, say so, because both suggest reliability.

If you are a nurse rather than a care assistant, lead with your NMC pin, your revalidation date and your clinical skills, and keep the personal care detail brief.

Availability, pay and travel

Rotas decide shortlists in this sector, so state your availability plainly: long days, nights, waking nights or sleep ins, alternate weekends, school hours only. If you can do sleep ins, say so, since they are frequently hard to cover. For domiciliary work, state the areas you can cover and whether you drive.

Be clear about pay expectations if you have them. Care rates are usually quoted hourly, and travel time between calls in domiciliary work counts as working time for National Minimum Wage purposes, which is a common source of underpayment. Sleep in shifts have their own complicated history, so check your contract carefully. If your pay does not look right, ACAS is the place to start, and you can report underpayment of the minimum wage to HMRC.

If you are new to care

Care is one of the most realistic sectors to enter without paid experience, because providers recruit for values and train the rest. Draw on unpaid caring for a relative, volunteering in a hospital or hospice, working with children or disabled people, or customer facing work that involved patience and difficult conversations. Add the Care Certificate or a Level 2 course if you can complete one, and say clearly that you are available for a full induction and shadow shifts.

Keep the whole document to two pages, and lead with a statement that names the exact role and setting you want. Our personal statement examples include a care version you can adapt, and if you are moving in from another sector, the career change CV guide shows how to reorder the page.

Next step: add your DBS status, training dates and availability to page one, then look through care vacancies in our job listings and apply directly to the provider.