Understanding risks to care workers' wellbeing: an analysis of applications to The Care Workers' Charity Hardship Fund pre-Covid-19 and during the pan

The experience of care workers in the United Kingdom is a complex mix of exploitation and job satisfaction. On the one hand, it is characterised by low pay, poor working conditions and few career opportunities, on the other it can be an intrinsically rewarding occupation offering opportunities for
deep relationship building and the 'warm, fuzzy feeling' (Noddings, 2012) associated with caring labour. This summary begins with some headline statistics regarding social care pay and conditions and suggests how the marketisation of care can impact the day-to-day experience of care workers, before introducing more positive experiences reported by care workers. It then glimpses care work through the lens of working class, female and ethnic minority experiences and finally presents evidence showing how problems associated with care work have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.