Waltham Forest · East London
Care Jobs for People Living in Waltham Forest
If you live in Waltham Forest, you can apply to us as a live-in carer, a role that can be anywhere in London and doesn't need a daily commute. Visiting care work is based around our Lewisham office, which is a workable trip from Leyton and Leytonstone but a long one from Walthamstow and Chingford. Our supported living homes are in west and south-west London.
Which of our roles fits where you live?
Waltham Forest is long and narrow, and the answer changes as you go north. These journey times to Lewisham are rough guides:
- Leyton, Leytonstone and Cann Hall (E10, E11): the Central line to Stratford, then the DLR to Lewisham. About 45 to 55 minutes. Visiting work is realistic from here.
- Walthamstow, Wood Street and Blackhorse Road (E17): around 55 to 65 minutes, usually by bus down to Stratford (the 97 and 257 both run there from Walthamstow Central) and then the DLR. Possible, but it is a long day once you add travel between clients.
- Highams Park, Chingford and Chingford Mount (E4): 70 to 80 minutes or more each way. Live-in work is the better fit.
We sometimes take on visiting clients in Waltham Forest itself, but only when a carer is available, so we can't promise you rounds close to home.
Live-in care: work that starts from any Waltham Forest postcode
A live-in carer moves into a client's home for an agreed period, with their own bedroom, and helps with washing and dressing, medication, meals, housework and company. Breaks and time off are agreed and covered. You travel at the start and end of a placement, not every morning, which is why it works from Chingford as well as it does from Leyton.
Placements can be anywhere in London, and many homes will look familiar. In a Walthamstow Warner flat, the upper flat has its own front door and a full staircase inside, so a client upstairs may rarely get out without help, and the bathroom is often small. The interwar semis around Highams Park and Chingford tend to have more space and a spare room for the carer. The live-in care page gives the family's view.
Shifts at our supported living homes
Support workers at our supported living homes in Whitton, Kingston upon Thames and Uxbridge help adults to cook, shop, budget, keep appointments and get out into the community. From Waltham Forest, every one of them is on the far side of London. Whitton and Kingston are roughly 75 to 90 minutes by the Victoria line to Vauxhall and a train; Uxbridge is about an hour and a half via King's Cross and the Metropolitan line. Unless you are planning to move, that is a hard commute to keep up.
What the job involves
- Personal care: washing, dressing, continence and skin care
- Giving or prompting medication and recording it
- Safe moving and handling, including hoists and stand aids
- Preparing meals and helping someone eat and drink
- Company, conversation and trips out
- Noticing changes in health and reporting them
Our clients include adults living with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments, and people nearing the end of life.
How much do care jobs pay in Waltham Forest?
We don't list pay on this page. It depends on the role, and on the placement for live-in work. Ask us when you get in touch and we will give you a straight answer.
Driving to clients in Waltham Forest is slower than it looks on a map. Large parts of Walthamstow, Leyton and Leytonstone are in controlled parking zones, and many residential streets are closed to through traffic. The council's carer's parking permit is for people getting Carer's Allowance and for foster carers, not agency staff. The whole of London is in the ULEZ, so check an older car on TfL's ULEZ page, and the Blackwall Tunnel to Lewisham is now tolled.
Checks we must carry out before you start
Because we are registered with the CQC, the law requires the same pre-employment checks for everyone, however much experience you have:
- Enhanced DBS check including the adults' barred list, from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
- Right to work in the UK, checked under the government's right to work rules, including any limit on your working hours.
- References from your most recent employer and any previous care work.
If you are new to care, you will work through the Care Certificate, the Skills for Care standards for new care workers, before you work alone.
How to apply
Use the contact form and choose “A job with you”, email your CV to info@
The work we offer people in Waltham Forest
- Live-in carer roles across London
- Visiting roles in south-east London
- Support worker roles in our homes
- Care Certificate training
- Enhanced DBS check arranged
- Small team, manager on hand
- Work that fits around your life
- Apply online in minutes
Areas of Waltham Forest we cover
Care across the borough, including these neighbourhoods. Each has its own page with local detail.
Care in the borough
How we can help in Waltham Forest
If you are looking for care for a relative rather than work, these pages cover Waltham Forest.
Visiting care in Waltham Forest
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Waltham Forest
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Waltham Forest
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Waltham Forest
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Waltham Forest FAQs
Questions from Waltham Forest applicants
Questions families ask us about Waltham Forest. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionI live near Leyton station. How would I get to the Lewisham office?
Take the Central line one stop to Stratford, then the DLR to Lewisham. Our office is at Tower House, 67-71 Lewisham High Street, a short walk from Lewisham station.
I'm in Chingford and don't drive. Is it worth applying?
Yes, for live-in work. Daily visiting rounds in south-east London would mean three hours or more of travel a day before you reach a client. A live-in placement means one journey in and one journey out.
Can I get a Waltham Forest carer's parking permit if I work for you?
Not as a paid carer. The council's carer's permit is for people on Carer's Allowance, foster carers and, case by case, unofficial carers with a doctor's letter. In a CPZ you would normally use the client's visitor permits or pay to park, so check before a first visit.
I already care for my mum in Walthamstow. Could I still take live-in placements?
Only if her care is covered while you are away, so sort that out first. You can ask Waltham Forest Adult Social Care for a carer's assessment on 020 8496 3130, and Carers First on Russell Road, Leyton (0300 303 1555) supports carers in the borough.
Get started
Looking for care work in Waltham Forest?
Send us a message or call. No agency fees, no obligation.