Employee benefits

Flexible contracts

At Caring Together Charity, while we know our team are passionate about the work they do, we also know there is more going on in life than just work!

We want to help you find a good balance between working the hours you need to pay the bills and making time for caring responsibilities or other interests.  For our Care Professionals we will agree a working pattern with you when you first start that takes into account the needs of those we support and also where possible offers the flexibility you need.  For example, we offer contracts from 6-30 hours a week and we only ask that you work some hours every other weekend.

For our other support roles, we have a number of roles that offer part time hours and other roles where you can have flexibility to work your hours around some other commitments.  We also offer a condensed nine-day fortnight for several roles.  If you are looking for flexible hours, please let us know during the recruitment process and we will be happy to discuss options with you.

Local work

We know that everyone wants to work close to home so we will do our best to ensure that your work will be as local as possible. We have offices in both St Ives (Cambridgeshire) and Swaffham (Norfolk) so, where possible, we will allocate the closest as your office location.

For our Care Professionals we will agree with you how far you are willing to travel to the homes of those we support. We will also endeavour to schedule your client visits so you’re not constantly travelling to and from home to each one and can make best use of your time and journeys.

Minimum of Real Living Wage pay

We are aware that the cost of living seems to be ever increasing and so it is important to us that we offer a pay rate that can, as closely as possible, meet everyday needs.  This is why we commit to paying you at least the current Real Living Wage as set by the government each year.

Paid travel time for hourly paid staff

We know that time is precious to everyone, and we will keep work as local as possible, but however far the journey is to your client visits we want to ensure you are compensated for your time. Therefore, travel time is paid at a per mile rate for all hourly paid care professionals. This is in addition to mileage paid for journeys made.

Holiday increasing with service and the opportunity to buy or sell up to five days extra

We believe it is important to recognise hard work and loyalty to Caring Together and one of the ways we do this is by rewarding long service with an extra loyalty holiday entitlement of one day FTE (pro-rata for part timers) to celebrate the milestone of reaching five years’ service with the charity.

It is important for everyone to take time off work to be able to rest and ensure work-life balance. We recognise that some years you may need more time off, for example if there is a big life event or you might just need a bit more time off to pursue your outside interests. Every year we give you the opportunity to buy or sell (subject to eligibility) up to five days holiday. The aim of this is to give everyone more choice and control and to help achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

Life insurance of 3x salary

No-one wants to think about it, but it is essential to get your affairs in order should the worst happen, and everyone wants to know their loved ones left behind will be taken care of. We want to ensure we help with an element of that and so our Employee Life Insurance will pay out a tax-free lump sum to your beneficiaries if you die whilst being employed by Caring Together Charity at an amount of 3x your annual basic salary. This cover remains in place up to the maximum expiry age possible which is age 75.

24/7 GP service for self and family

Supporting all our people is important to Caring Together Charity and as part of our employee wellbeing offer, we provide access to a remote GP service open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, excluding Christmas Day. It can be used for phone consultations, video consultations (open 8am-10pm, seven days a week), private prescriptions, open referrals, or a second opinion service for anyone diagnosed with an eligible critical condition.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

We are committed to supporting our employees and their wellbeing, so we provide access to an Employee Assistance Programme which is a confidential 24/7 helpline to provide support and guidance to you or your immediate family. This offers wellbeing and mental health support for any work, home life, or other personal issues you may be experiencing.

Paid sick leave after probation

We appreciate that everyone will become unwell at some point in their employment, we also know that the last thing you want to worry about when you are feeling unwell is money. If you are absent from work due to sickness we will pay sickness benefit after successful completion of your probationary period. The amount of sickness benefit paid will increase with length of service.

Five days paid carer’s leave

We understand the demands faced by people with caring responsibilities and therefore anyone who has identified themselves as a carer, and requires time off because of their caring responsibilities, will benefit from up to five days paid carer’s leave per year (pro-rata), if required.

Funded Blue Light card

One of the great perks of working in the social care sector is the Blue Light Card. We will cover the cost of your registration, giving you access to over 15,000 discounts from large national retailers to local business.

Development opportunities including NVQs and apprenticeships

We understand that many individuals are keen to continue learning and developing. To support this, we offer opportunities for growth within your role, including the option to undertake a relevant NVQ or participate in an apprenticeship up to Level 7.

Referral scheme

We operate an employee referral scheme where you can earn bonus rewards by referring qualified candidates, making it a great opportunity to boost your earnings. Referring people you know allows you to help shape the workplace culture, plus seeing someone you’ve referred succeed in the charity can be incredibly rewarding.