Candidate FAQs Part 1

Candidate FAQs Part 1

Are you looking for a friendly, expert and experienced agency who can find you the right employment in the specialist care sector? You’ve come to the right place.

At First for Support, we have specialised in providing care for children, teenagers and adults in a variety of placements for over 10 years, across the Hampshire and Dorset area.

We believe that you should choose First for Support because we are incredibly supportive and caring towards our care workers and we understand the sector really well. 

Our recruitment consultants, Ellie and Natalie, have both worked in care and support work. Our director, Bea, has covered recruitment within the sector for 15 years. So, we know what we’re doing and we have the skills to place you in the best roles for you.

We are proud of the excellent support we give to all our service users, which we can only provide if we have the right people working with us. If you are reading this, hopefully you are the kind of caring and efficient person we are looking for.

Some of our candidates say that First for Support feels different to other agencies because they feel like part of our family. They feel genuinely cared for and that we have their best interests at heart. 

We make sure we get to know you and your circumstances, so that the placements we offer you work well with your lifestyle, your availability and your preferences for the kind of work you would like to do.



When you first get in touch with First for Support, you will speak to Ellie or Natalie, who will then be your assigned consultant throughout your relationship with First for Support. As we are a small company, we are accessible and easy to get hold of however suits you best – by phone, WhatsApp, text or email.

It says a lot that some of our candidates have been with us for years, finding their First for Support agency work placements the perfect employment to fit around their other commitments and family life. Others use us as a stopgap whilst they’re at university or studying elsewhere, or to supplement other part-time income. We are flexible and happy to work with you for as short or as long a time period that suits you.

Pay and shift patterns

The basic pay rate is £10.50 per hour, plus holiday pay. This is the lowest rate, and it’s often higher than that if you are working nights or weekends, and it can also be higher depending on the type of placement you are going to.

Regarding the shifts, they vary in length. It depends on the client and where you’ll be working. Some shifts are long day or night shifts, some are just an afternoon and some may have a sleep-in. 

Can you choose your shifts? Absolutely. It’s completely up to you what shifts you want to do. Whatever your availability is, whatever hours and days of the week suit you best, just tell us and we will let you know what shifts we have available at those times.

Can you choose your assignments? After a while, yes. At first, we place you somewhere we think you’ll be best suited to, based on your preferences and your previous experience. If you’re happy with the placement and they’re happy with you, then you’ll usually get the chance to choose to stay there, as continuity of care is a positive experience for the service user.

Different types of assignments

You could be working in residential children’s settings or in supported living properties for young adults. The children and young adults generally have learning difficulties or autism. Some may have challenging behaviours, which is part of the territory in residential childcare, but mostly you’re there to support and encourage them. The majority of our young adult service users are pretty independent, they just need a bit of extra support.

Residential childcare placements are normally in residential homes, or can sometimes be in the child’s own home. The child (they could be as young as 7 years of age, or up to age 16) may have past trauma, behavioural and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties. There could be a wide range of needs and issues that you may have to deal with.

We also provide placements in the ‘Post 16’ services, for young people leaving the care system or young adults who need a little bit of extra support than living completely independently. Your job is to encourage independence – helping them to fend for themselves, run a household and manage their finances, and to motivate them to learn these things, too.

First for Support also provides care workers to support a variety of other placements, for example emergency placements within a foster care home or a family foster home. We also manage adult placements for service users who have additional needs or require some personal care, and we provide care worker support in some schools where pupils need a little bit extra support. 

Let’s get started

The process for joining First for Support is simple and straightforward – just get in touch with us using the contact details at the bottom of this article. 

When we receive your emailed CV, we’ll call you for a quick chat about your experience then get all your paperwork in order so that we can start arranging placements for you and booking you for shifts. 

The documentation we will need from you will include your proof of ID, proof of address, any right to work documents that you have, your National Insurance number and your DBS. 

You should also send over any relevant and in-date training certificates that you have.

There’s no specific time period for the process, from the date you get in touch with us to the date you start work, as it depends on how long it takes to get references back and so on. Tip: If your DBS Certificate is registered on the UK government’s Update Service, this really speeds the process up.

You may already be registered with another agency but that’s okay. People move agencies for all kinds of reasons, including not having a great relationship with that agency, not getting enough work or the right shift times, or wanting to get placements in a different area to what they’re being offered.

How can First for Support help?

We can help you to write your CV, collate all your paperwork and help you to prepare for any job interviews you may need to attend. Most importantly, we can place you in the right job for you, whether that is starting with a temporary placement so you can see what you like before taking on a permanent role, or you may be ready to go straight into a permanent role. 

How can I contact First for Support?

We would love to find the perfect placement for you. We mainly cover Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth, and we have some placements in the New Forest, Salisbury and Dorchester areas as well.

You are welcome to email or call our Recruitment Consultants, Ellie and Natalie:

ellie@firstforsupport.co.uk or 07572 704595

natalie@firstforsupport.co.uk or 07496 824425

Or, you can get in touch with us via this brief form on our website which will send us a message with your contact details.