A blog by Ellis McKeown, Policy & Research Intern.

Myself and my NCF colleague, Heather Taylor, were delighted to attend the Who Cares Wins Conference on 3rd March 2026 at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground, hosted by Championing Social Care. The conference gave Heather and I a chance to connect with young people currently exploring career options and showcase a new and exciting role within social care – the Care Technologist.  

Students, as well as other delegates and fellow exhibitors, demonstrated a keen interest in this exciting role which combines human care with technology to give people choice, control and independence, while helping them stay connected with family, friends, and their community. Students particularly enjoyed the display of technologies at the stand. For example, participants got to learn about a medication robot, used to dispense medicine for users at programmed times during the day; smart socks, used to monitor physiological signs such as pulse, breathing rate, and levels of sweating; and a circadian light, which adjusts lighting in a user’s living space to help regulate sleeping patterns, just to name a few. The variety of tech solutions we had on display highlighted to delegates what the digital landscape of care looks like and demonstrated the opportunity the Care Technologist role provides in expanding a person’s knowledge on current and emerging technologies that can be used to enhance care and support. We also hosted a game which let participants put themselves into the role of a care technologist, helping them understand what a large part of the job would look like in practice and highlighting some of the skills required for the role, such as attention to detail, holistic thinking, and being patient centred.  

From the event, we were also able to gather some insights on young people’s perceptions of entering a career in social care. It seems that students’ biggest motivator for entering the sector was largely the positive impact on people’s lives they knew they could achieve. The biggest barriers to working in social care were split between low-pay, worries of experiencing a negative impact to their mental health, and having low-confidence. Overall, such insights could be helpful in thinking about the future of recruitment for getting younger people into social care careers, with a focus on providing mental health support to employees being particularly useful in theory.  

Additionally, Heather had the opportunity to speak on a panel at the conference alongside four other panellists, who shared different journeys into the social care sector with a group of students exploring future career paths. Heather shared their personal journey: leaving school with 1 GCSE, training as a chef, and then unexpectedly finding their way into care work. What began as a frontline caring role gradually grew into opportunities in training, digital implementation, and now their current role as a national digital projects lead. Students were engaged with the great reminder that there isn’t one single path into social care, and that careers in care can evolve in many different directions. With relatively few young people entering the sector, events like this are incredibly important. They give students the chance to see the variety of careers available and hear real stories from people already working in the field. Hopefully, conversations like these help show that social care is not just a job, but a meaningful sector where rewarding and evolving careers can be built.  

Overall, our time at the Who Cares Wins conference allowed us to challenge young people’s perceptions of social care roles. Careers in the sector are not static, with the possibilities for personal growth and development being endless. Furthermore, the landscape of careers within social care is wide and ever expanding, with technology quickly becoming a larger, and more essential part of the sector. Roles which harness technologies, like Care Technologists, can enhance the independence and quality of life for people requiring a range of different support needs. We hope visitors to our stand came away more enlightened by the career paths available within care and support, inspiring them to consider the amazing impact they could have within the ever-expanding world of technology-based opportunities in social care. 

To find out more about the Care Technologist Training Programme visit our website where you can also complete an Expression of Interest form.