Care Assistant CV template (UK, 2026)
A care assistant CV lives or dies on whether a home manager can see, in ten seconds, that you understand person-centred care and can be trusted around vulnerable people. Employers scan first for a valid DBS check and Care Certificate, then for practical evidence of manual handling, medication support and dementia or end-of-life experience — not just a list of duties.
Care Assistants: pay and who’s hiring
Care Assistants in the UK typically earn between £21,000–£27,000 depending on experience, location, and shift patterns. Employers actively recruiting for this role include NHS, Bupa, Care UK, HC-One, Barchester Healthcare. Tailoring your CV to each of these employers’ job descriptions — mirroring their exact wording — is what gets you past the ATS and in front of a hiring manager.
Keywords this template targets
- person-centred care
- medication administration
- safeguarding
- manual handling
- care planning
- dementia care
- end-of-life care
Certifications to highlight
- DBS check
- Care Certificate
- Manual handling
- Safeguarding
- NVQ Level 2 Health & Social Care
Personal statement example
Compassionate care assistant with two years' experience delivering person-centred care in a 40-bed residential home, supporting residents with dementia and end-of-life needs. Skilled in medication administration, care planning and manual handling, holding a full Care Certificate and Enhanced DBS. Known for building trust quickly with residents and families while maintaining dignity and safeguarding standards.
Example experience bullet points
Adapt these to your own roles — keep the verb-first structure and swap in your real figures.
- Delivered person-centred care to a caseload of 12 residents, adapting support plans around individual preferences and mobility needs
- Administered prescribed medication safely under supervision, maintaining accurate MAR chart records with zero recording errors over a six-month rota
- Supported residents living with dementia using consistent routines and calm de-escalation techniques, reducing incidents of distress during personal care
- Assisted with manual handling using hoists and transfer boards in line with training, protecting both resident and staff safety
- Provided compassionate end-of-life care alongside district nurses, ensuring residents' comfort and dignity were prioritised at all times
Section-by-section structure
- Personal summary — three sentences, lead with role + years + a measurable result.
- Key skills — 8–10 bullets, mixing the keywords above with one transferable soft skill.
- Certifications — bullet each credential with the awarding body and year.
- Experience — reverse chronological. Each role gets 3–5 bullets, each bullet starts with a verb and ends with a number where possible.
- Education — institution, qualification, year. Skip A-Level / GCSE detail if you have 5+ years of experience.
Common care assistant CV mistakes
- Leaving the DBS check and Care Certificate status off the CV entirely — recruiters filter these out before reading anything else
- Describing duties generically ('helped residents') instead of naming specific competencies like medication administration, manual handling or dementia care that map to NVQ Level 2 standards
- Failing to mention any end-of-life or safeguarding experience, which many residential and nursing homes specifically screen for even in junior roles
Frequently asked
Do I need an NVQ Level 2 in Health & Social Care to apply for care assistant jobs?
Not always for entry-level posts, but most UK care homes expect you to work towards it within your first year, and many prioritise candidates who already hold it. If you don't have it yet, say so on your CV and mention you're willing to enrol — this reassures employers you understand the sector's qualification pathway.
How do I show care experience on my CV if I've only cared for a family member, not worked professionally?
List it as genuine experience under a heading like 'Care Experience' rather than omitting it. Describe specific tasks such as medication prompting, personal care or mobility support, and be honest that it was unpaid — many employers value this transferable experience highly, especially alongside a completed Care Certificate.
What ATS keywords matter most for a care assistant CV?
The strongest signals are: person-centred care, medication administration, safeguarding, manual handling, care planning, dementia care, end-of-life care. Include them in your skills section AND in the body of role descriptions — ATS systems weight contextual mentions higher than skill-list entries.
Should I add DBS check to my CV even if it's just in progress?
Yes — list it clearly with "(in progress, expected [date])". Employers screen-out CVs missing the credential entirely; partial credit is normal when the path is visible.
How long should a care assistant CV be in the UK?
Two pages, ideally. For roles with under five years of experience, a single tight page outperforms a padded two-pager. Recruiters spend 6–8 seconds on the first scan.
See live care assistant jobs by city
- Care Assistants in London
- Care Assistants in Manchester
- Care Assistants in Birmingham
- Care Assistants in Leeds
- Care Assistants in Glasgow
- Care Assistants in Liverpool
- Care Assistants in Bristol
- Care Assistants in Sheffield
- Care Assistants in Edinburgh
- Care Assistants in Cardiff
- Care Assistants in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Care Assistants in Nottingham
- Care Assistants in Southampton
- Care Assistants in Reading
- Care Assistants in Coventry
- Care Assistants in Leicester
- Care Assistants in Brighton
- Care Assistants in Milton Keynes
- Care Assistants in Belfast
- Care Assistants in Aberdeen