Care worker card

It is a card that recognises social care and childcare, play and early years workers in Wales as key workers and provides access to various benefits. It is not a registration card.

Anyone who is employed in a care role in Wales, whether or not they are registered with Social Care Wales. This includes those working in social care, childcare, play and early years, social work students, childminders and other jobs, like personal assistants or foster carers.

Care workers are eligible for the card, irrespective of their working pattern or contracted hours. This means those on zero-hours contracts are still eligible for it.

Childcare, play and early years workers are eligible for the card if they:

• work in a Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)-registered childcare or playwork setting
• usually work in a CIW registered childcare or playwork setting, but are now working in a local authority hub
• work as a flying start worker or with any other early intervention service for the local authority or charity/third sector organisation which means they must travel outside of their home.

*Please note this does not include those classed as youth workers.

Yes, it does. It is the next version of the Social Care Worker Card which ceases to be valid from 1 May 2021. You should delete the current digital card from your smartphone wallet and cut up the plastic card. The new card has a slightly different name – the Care Worker Card – which reflects that it is available to all those in social care and childcare, play and early years roles in Wales.

The Care Worker Card is available only as a digital card. There are several reasons for this. Two of the main ones are: to make it more secure and to make it easier to send communications to cardholders about the card and the benefits they can access.

A cashback card from Discounts for Carers: you will be able to use your Care Worker Card as proof of your employment in the care sector in Wales to apply for a cashback card on the Discounts for Carers website. This can be used to get cashback on purchases from 35 retailers.

Well-being support line from The Samaritans: This is a confidential support line, funded by the Welsh Government, for NHS and social care workers and volunteers in Wales. Available seven days a week, it’s designed to help staff process the emotional weight of what they are going through and their experiences, no matter what job they do. Samaritans volunteers will offer a non-judgemental listening ear, safe space to offload and will share information about other sources of support. The line – 0800 484 0555 – is available from 7am to 11pm every day. A Welsh language line – 0808 164 2777 – is also available from 7pm to 11pm every evening.

We will send you an e-mail to update you of any new benefits you are entitled to.

The following benefits will still be available to cardholders. However, the benefits and specific details may change as lockdown restrictions continue to be lifted. We are in regular contact with the supermarkets and will try and keep these as up to date as possible.

Tesco – you will be able to go to the front of any queue with your card.

Marks and Spencer – you can use the online booking service to reserve a timeslot in-store, so you don't have to queue.

Waitrose - you will be given priority access to Waitrose shops and checkouts without having to queue.

Sainsbury’s – now offering priority access for cardholders.

Aldi – your card will give you priority access to Aldi stores.

At all supermarkets, please make sure you show your Care Worker Card, along with a form of photo ID, if required.

Visit the Care Worker Card sign-up page, where you will be asked some simple questions.

You will be asked initially whether you are registered with Social Care Wales. Those workers on our Register will complete the process by signing into their account while those not currently registered will need to provide some simple details. After you have completed the simple sign-up process, you will be sent an e-mail which will give you instructions on how to download the digital card into your smartphone wallet. Within a couple of minutes, your digital card will be in your wallet and ready to use.

1. On your smartphone or your laptop/desktop computer, go to the e-mail confirming your sign-up to the Care Worker Card. Click the link to save the card to your wallet. You’ll now see an image of your Care Worker Card, take a screenshot of the whole image to save it to your device.
2. Go to the Discounts for Carers website www.discountsforcarers.com/soc...
3. Sign-up for the Discounts for Carers website by answering a few simple questions
4. On the Discounts for Carers homepage go to the section about the cashback card, or visit www.discountsforcarers.com/car...
5. Complete the form on the sign-up page for the cashback card. You will then reach a screen which says ‘confirm your carer status’. To confirm your carer status, upload the screenshot of your Care Worker Card which you took at the beginning as evidence that you work in care.

On an iPhone:

• Press the home button and the power button at the same time.
• On models without a home button, press the power button and the volume down button.

On an Android phone:

• Press the power button and the volume down button at the same time.
• If this does not work, try pressing the power button and the home button at the same time or try swiping your hand to the left or right across the screen.
• Alternatively, check your phone’s User Manual guide which can usually be found on your phone or via your phone’s manufacturer.

You can apply for a cashback card on the Discounts for Carers website without a smartphone if you have an e-mail address (personal or business), and access to the internet. This is because you can still download an image of the Care Worker Card on a laptop or desktop computer, by following these instructions:

On a Windows laptop/desktop:

• Save full screen screenshot: Windows Key + PrtScn
• Save screenshot of a single window: Windows Key + Alt + PrtScn

On a Mac:

• Save fullscreen screenshot: Command + Shift + 3
• Save screenshot of single window: Command + Shift + 4, press the Spacekey, then click on the window you want to capture
• Save screenshot of selection: Command + Shift + 4, then select the area you want to capture with your mouse cursor.

Due to the volume of applications expected, it may take seven days to get an e-mail confirming you have been accepted for a card and up to 28 days to receive the card itself.

We believe most social care workers will have access to either a smartphone supplied by their employer or their own device.

There is no fee when you apply for the cashback card, but you will need to top-it-up with £5. After you’ve had the cashback card for a year, and each year after that, £2.99 will be deducted from the balance you have on your card. Details about other costs are available on the Discounts for Carers website.

Along with Welsh Government and other partners, we have been working with the police, retailers and transport providers to encourage them to recognise this card.

The card is being promoted by ourselves through a number of communication channels, Welsh Government and many of our partners involved in social care in Wales.

If you cannot download the digital card, contact us at careworkercard@socialcare.wales

Managers on our Register are being asked to inform members of their teams who may not be registered with us.

Directors of social services, responsible individuals and heads of service are also being asked to help us distribute information about the card to care workers in their organisations or commissioned services who may not be registered with us.

We will also be promoting the Care Worker Card in our e-bulletins and on social media.

Along with Welsh Government and other partners, we have been working with the police, retailers and transport providers to encourage them to recognise this card.

The card is being promoted by ourselves through a number of communication channels, Welsh Government and many of our partners involved in care in Wales.

No. This card is only for people employed in care roles in Wales.

The digital cards are distributed in a controlled and secure way. We have a record of all care workers downloading the card. We would recommend that if you use the card to access benefits you should be prepared to present a form of photo ID, such as a driving licence or a workplace pass. This will allow organisations to verify your identity, if necessary.

If the information given above does not provide the answer(s) you were looking for, then contact careworkercard@socialcare.wales. If your query is about retail offers or the cashback card, please contact Discounts for Carers.

If you have a question or if you can't find what you are looking for get in touch with us.