Could a career in care be for you?
Caroline, deputy manager at our Jellicoe Court supported living service in Basingstoke, has had a long and varied career in social care. She spoke to us about why she would recommend career in care.
Caroline says
Social care is all that I’ve ever known and for me, the residents make the job. They’re why I come to work. They make me laugh, I love it.
Caroline kicked off her career in care almost 35 years ago working in a home with adults with learning disabilities. Caroline says “It’s all been fantastic. With my most recent job, I ended up travelling all the time and working seven days a week. The idea of being in one place really appealed to me and I decided to apply for the deputy position at Jellicoe Court. I’ve been here since last summer and it’s been great.
“We support 18 residents here, each have their own flats, but we also have some great communal areas where they can hang out and meet up.
“We’ve got a great range of people, from late 20’s up to mid 60’s with mostly mild to moderate learning disabilities. I love that when I am sitting in the office, the residents come in and we can have a laugh and a joke. And it’s great that you can just step out the door and get hands on and be part of it. It’s a really lovely place to work.”
“The role of deputy is a very varied one, from making sure rotas are covered, to updating the digital support plans, dealing with medications, health and safety issues and being there for the residents, if they have a problem or just want to talk. No two days are the same, you don’t know what you‘re coming into and that’s what I like about it.
“I do think you have to be a certain kind of person to work in social care, you need be caring, have patience and be mindful of professional boundaries, but I would definitely recommend it. In fact, I already have recommended one person who now works here and there’s great room for career growth too, from support worker up to a service manager.”
Want to find out more about a career in care?
We are always on the look out for caring, motivated and creative people to join Team FitzRoy – you will get all the training you need to be an excellent support worker. Take a look at our current vacancies.