My Career in Social Care: From Support Worker to Service Manager

At Moray Lodge, Leonard Cheshire assists up to 10 disabled adults to live their lives as they choose. I started here as a support worker, joining Leonard Cheshire a few weeks before this supported living service opened in 2021. I’ve loved it from day one.

A great bunch of people

We’re in the village of Duston, close to Northampton. We help a great bunch of people to be as independent as possible and to learn new skills.

Everyone supported by Leonard Cheshire lives in their own flat on one side of the building: each person also has an acquired brain injury (ABI) or a physical condition.

I liked the feeling that I was helping someone

When I was 17, I began supporting a family friend. He had a spell in hospital after a series of mini-strokes. So when he came home, he needed some assistance.

That’s when I first realised I might like a job supporting other people. I liked the feeling that I was helping someone.

While I have great support from my adopted family, as a child I didn’t really have that from my birth parents. It was empowering to realise that I could give support to others and help make people’s lives better.

I got my first job at 18, working with older disabled adults. They lived in a residential home, Nazareth House, which was run by nuns. Again, I quickly realised that I enjoyed helping people get the most out of their lives.

After my first job, I enjoyed various support worker roles in Skegness and Northampton. I knew I definitely wanted to support disabled adults, and one day, younger adults.

Joining Leonard Cheshire

In 2021 I saw a job listing at Leonard Cheshire, assisting disabled adults of all ages. That’s when I applied for and secured the support worker role at Moray Lodge.

After completing training in the first few weeks, it was brilliant helping the new tenants to move in and get used to their new surroundings.

Helping with daily living, boosting independence

Support workers will help people with day to day living. You might help with meal preparation, medication, getting out and about in the community. You are there for when someone needs you. Every day is different.

You might have to prompt someone to remember to do things, and not just the medication reminders. You might be prompting someone to do shopping, cooking or cleaning. You might be listening to someone who’s feeling down and helping them to do everyday tasks. After all, social care is about so much more than just support with personal care or mobility.

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At Moray Lodge and other supported living services, we might be teaching people key skills – helping someone learn basic cooking by breaking it down into small tasks. Over time, that person is achieving their goal – in this case eating better and feeling better. We see people getting a sense of accomplishment and a boost to their wellbeing.

Flexibility and the importance of understanding

Everyone living here lets a support worker know what they’d like to do in their one-to-one time. Sometimes people want to do shopping, batch cooking, bill payments. Sometimes people just want to share a coffee and have a chat. Other times people want to get out and about. People usually decide this in advance but can of course change their minds. Flexibility and adaptability are crucial.

People like going out in Northampton and beyond. They might want to go to the local park, the bowling alley, the cinema or the theatre. Or they might enjoy a meal out at a café or a restaurant.

It’s important for staff at all levels to get to know the people we support – really understand their preferences, likes and dislikes and what’s important to them in their lives.

Moving to Team Leader

After about six months, I moved to the role of Team Leader at Moray Lodge. Team Leaders still get to assist disabled people in their day to day lives. They also line manage support workers and conduct appraisals, working with the service manager to deliver the right care to the people living here.

Leonard Cheshire senior staff encouraged me to apply for the role. They told me I gave good advice to others and if I wasn’t sure of something, I’d happily ask people. While I didn’t have a huge amount of self-confidence, I took their valuable advice: I applied, and I got the role!

As a Team Leader, you should set a good example. You should make it clear what’s expected without being demanding. You need patience and good communication skills, including the ability to listen to your team members. We’d have regular individual and group chats, discussing what was working well and what could be improved.

Moving to service manager

Geralden, a previous service manager at Moray Lodge, taught me a lot and she was really encouraging. She is currently part of Leonard Cheshire’s Quality and Improvement Team, driving standards across the organisation.

Geralden said to me: “One day, Tina, you’re going to run this service.” I was flattered. In the roles I’d had so far, I knew I enjoyed helping tenants to do what they wanted to do. Geralden said I could still do that as manager.

So, without making it obvious, she mentored me into management roles. She asked different questions and set tasks for review. I understood more about what makes a high-quality service for people living here, and how we comply fully with CQC guidelines. I grew in confidence, knowing I had the skills to go for it.

When stepping up to any role, you need to learn from your past experience – the good stuff and the mistakes. You need be prepared to step out of your comfort zone and take on new tasks.

Today, I still have a great relationship with the tenants at Moray Lodge. That’s what counts. I like the fact that I can help us reach high standards, and I can help maintain the wellbeing and safety of people we support, staff and visitors.

Promoting social care for others

My friend Cassie started as a support worker at Moray Lodge at the same time as me. Cassie, who didn’t have prior care experience, proves that Leonard Cheshire is willing to consider people with the right attitude. We’re actively seeking people with a supportive nature who will look out for others.

Two days after she started working with tenants at Moray Lodge, I clearly remember Cassie saying it was the best job she’d ever had.

I then helped Cassie build skills to become a Team Leader, a role in which she excels. I’m glad she took the plunge as lots of people might not even know about the great opportunities in social care.

Social care is so valuable

I know why Cassie feels so positive about her role. I like supporting people. I like the warm feeling it gives. We develop many skills in our work. And crucially, each one of us working in social care can make a positive difference to people’s lives.

The UK government needs to give substantial, long-term funding for social care. This will mean more people can have the hours of care they need and deserve. But I know that good quality support will always make a big difference.

It really brightens up my day when I know I’ve helped make someone smile. If I can contribute to someone’s happiness, that makes me happy.