What will you do?
Working as a family helper or home help, you also support them with the household: cooking, doing the dishes, ironing and cleaning. You offer emotional support and help people stay independent, and in some families you also help with raising the children. You make clear agreements about care and guidance, watch over the physical safety of the care recipient and exchange the necessary information with other carers.
- Make clear agreements about care and guidance
- Carry out personal care such as washing and dressing
- Prepare meals and support eating and drinking
- Support the independence of the care recipient
- Offer social and emotional support
- Watch over the physical safety of the care recipient
- Exchange care information and work safely and cleanly
Skills to develop
- Empathy, patience and a genuinely caring attitude
- Physically able to help with washing, dressing and moving people
- Discretion and respect for the privacy of the care recipient
- Reliable and independent way of working at people's homes
Your foundation for this occupation
Home-care workers support personal care, household tasks and independence. Check service qualification rules; the Flemish Department of Care publishes accepted credentials for recognised family-care services. This differs from cleaning and from regulated healthcare-assistant work. Clarify the care plan and support when visiting alone.
From preparation to your first day
Develop the practical skills
Practise prioritising a visit around current needs and what the person can and wants to do. Follow the agreed plan while respecting the home and routines. Support participation rather than automatically taking over. Report concrete changes in functioning or home circumstances.
Check your work
Check completed support and record omissions and reasons. Handle keys, money and personal data under service rules. Use escalation procedures for unsafe conditions or unexpected care needs. Working alone does not mean making every decision alone.
How can you grow?
Experience can develop across older people, families and other groups, with further care education later. Ask about route planning, travel time and support. Feasible days depend on transitions and travel as well as visit length.
Frequently asked questions
Is a home-care worker simply a cleaner?
No. Household help may be included, but personal support and independence are also involved within qualifications and the plan. Clarify the actual role and training because similar titles can describe different duties.