178 care employers in Barking and Dagenham could find you

Working in care in Barking and Dagenham

From the Becontree estate to Barking Riverside: who needs care here?

Barking and Dagenham sits on London's eastern edge, with the Thames along its southern side and Newham, Redbridge and Havering as neighbours. Much of it was shaped by the Becontree estate, built between the wars with around 27,000 homes, and by the Ford works that arrived in Dagenham in 1931. Today the care picture is dominated by home care. Nearly nine in every ten care employers here are home care agencies, most of them based in Barking, then Dagenham, with a few registered under Romford postcodes just over the line.

This is one of the youngest and fastest changing places in England. Its population grew by 17.7% between 2011 and 2021, the third largest increase in the country, and the median age is 33, against 40 for England. The share of residents with an Asian background rose from about 16% to 26% over the same decade. If you speak a community language, put it on your profile. The council's own direct payments guide tells the story of a man who switched to employing a personal assistant because he wanted carers who could speak Urdu with him.

That guide is worth reading if you are interested in PA work. Barking and Dagenham Council says a personal assistant can be a relative, friend or neighbour, as long as they do not live in the same household unless the council agrees special circumstances in advance. The council also has a direct payment support service that helps people recruit and employ their PAs properly.

Getting around without a car is realistic. The District line stops at Barking, Upney, Becontree, Dagenham Heathway and Dagenham East, and the Overground has run to Barking Riverside since 2022. For hospital work, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust runs Queen's Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes. Barking and Dagenham College teaches Health and Social Care at Levels 1 to 3 for 16 to 18 year olds at its Rush Green campus.

87% of the inspected care employers in Barking and Dagenham are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, close to the 88% across London and in line with England as a whole (85%).