Berkley Care Group has launched a new campaign to help stamp out stereotypes portrayed by the media about careers in care.
The Portraits of Care photographic series is designed to shine a spotlight on the rewarding opportunities and meaningful relationships the sector can offer.
The exhibition features nine pairs of carers and residents from Berkley Care Group homes. Each portrait captures their personalities and the relationship they have built, showing the people behind a sector too often defined only by its challenges.
The campaign comes as employment stands at 4.9%, rising to 16.2% among 16-24-year-olds. Meanwhile, Skills for Care predicts that the social care sector is projected to require an additional 470,000 posts by 2040.
Berkley Care Group hopes its portrait series will encourage the public to “look again” at the care profession and the stories it tells about its careers.
Berkley Care Group CEO Laura Perry said: “Care offers a genuine career where people can make a visible difference every day.
“We need to be honest about the pressures facing the sector, but they should not be the only story people hear. Care is skilled and varied work, and this research shows how much it can mean to the people who choose it.”
To create the series, Berkley Care Group commissioned Different Gravy Studio CIC, a North London arts organisation and creative studio with a reputation for documenting communities that do not always make the mainstream visual record.
For co-founder Louie Stewart the subject is close to home. He has a family member living in a care home and has witnessed first-hand the relationships formed between his loved one and their care team.
“We wanted to shine a light on the friendships, the characters, the jokes and the everyday moments,” said his co-founder, Alex Picasso.
“Not a polished or sentimental version of care, just real people and real relationships that deserve to be seen.”
Following its launch, the exhibition is touring Berkley Care Group’s homes around the country, inviting residents, relatives, team members and the local communities to attend.