As part of the campaign, six members of staff from Cygnet Social Care shared inspirational stories about their careers in social care, why they love the job they do and, what they consider their social care superpower to be.
Ollie
Ollie White has worked in social care for more than 10 years, starting his career as a support worker and successfully climbing the career ladder to become the Registered Manager of The Orchards, a Cygnet Social Care service in Thorrington, Essex which supports men with a learning disability or complex needs.
He said the most rewarding part of his job was helping people succeed. Describing the qualities needed for a successful career in social care, he said people needed to be “bubbly, fun and able to have a laugh.”
He added: “My social care superpower is being as least restrictive as possible.
“I give residents choices to make decisions for their wellbeing and their health, and don’t put so many boundaries in the way. It is about making sure we’re taking positive risks for our residents.
“I would encourage anyone to consider a career in social care. You get to help people, support them and be part of a team which changes lives.”
Hailey
Hailey McLaughlin is a Senior Support Worker at Ranaich House, Cygnet’s residential service on Leewood Road, Dunblane which supports adults with learning disabilities and complex needs. She leads on the care and support we provide to residents and said she has never looked back after first working at Ranaich House in 2018 as an agency staff member.
She described her social care superpower as “compassion”.
Talking about the best thing about her job, she said helping people meet their goals and build their confidence to live more independently gives her a great sense of job satisfaction.
“You can’t get a more rewarding job than a career in social care,” she explained. “It is the best job you will ever have and you get to make a difference every day. Seeing residents’ faces light up is an absolute joy.”
On the attributes needed to thrive in social care, she said you needed to be “caring, patient, kind and have a strong appetite to keep learning”.
“My social care superpower is compassion. Without compassion, you don’t have anything. Feedback from my colleagues is that I’m caring, kind, non-judgemental and passionate. I feel really valued in my role.”
Pete
Pete Kirby is the Manager of Devon Lodge, on Hedge End, Southampton, a specialist residential service for adults with autism and learning disabilities, who may have behaviours that challenge. He started working in social care 14 years ago.
He described his superpower as having X-ray vision. He explained:
“As a manager, you are pulled in all different directions. My superpower is being able to see through all of that and focus on the people living in the home. I am able to ensure that the decisions I make is for the benefit of our residents, not anybody else.
“A career in social care is more than helping people get dressed and cleaning up after people. It is about enriching lives.
“In order to have a fulfilled life, you have to have something that makes you feel like you’ve done something. That’s what social care is. You understand that when you turn up, when you are present and engage, it is about making someone’s life better. “Very few jobs offer that.”
Pete said an often overlooked superpower needed to thrive in social care is a sense of fun. He added: “You have to have that spirit of fun and kindness. If you can have that desire to enjoy your day and take that with you when you are supporting residents, you will make the lives of the people you support better.”
Jamil
Jamil Ali is the service manager at Walkern Lodge, a residential home on Walkern Road, Stevenage, which provides care for adults with learning disabilities, who may have behaviours that challenge and complex needs. He has been working in social care for 17 years, after he previously found a career in retail “unfulfilling”.
“It was my partner who encouraged me to seek a career in social care because of my natural caring side,” he explained. “It was the best decision I made.”
Jamil described his social care superpower as “empathy”. He said:
“There is nothing more rewarding than ensuring service users receive what they need and have the best outcome in our care. We need to be there as a voice for them.
“I often think about what life might be like for me if I had a learning disability or autism. I like to put myself in their shoes and imagine the care I would like to receive for myself. Then I put that into action.”
On the qualities needed to succeed in social care, Jamil said people needed to be caring, patient and have a good sense of humour.
“Social care is more needed than ever,” he added. “Every day gives me a sense of satisfaction. Small things you do can be big things for somebody else and it’s an incredibly rewarding career.”
Sophie
Sophie Clements is the registered manager of The Gables, a residential home on Ipswich Road, Colchester, which supports up to seven adults with learning disabilities and complex needs.
Having climbed the career ladder from a support worker, to a team manager, deputy manager and now registered manager, she described her social care superpower as “leadership”.
She explained: “The purpose of my job is setting an example to everyone else. The team at Gables are focused on ensuring that residents are part of their local community and can access various opportunities to meet their needs. I make sure my staff understand that consistency and continuity of care is important for the individuals we care for.
“I’m always hands on and I like to support the staff team whenever they need it. I would never ask a member of my team to do something that I wouldn’t do myself.
“Seeing a difference on a daily basis, watching the residents progress and meet their goals is the best thing about a career in social care.”
Louise
Louise Ninian is a support worker at Lowry House, a 12 bed specialist residential service in Manchester which supports adults with learning disabilities, complex needs and behaviours that may challenge, including those with mental health needs.
She said the best part of her job is making a difference to someone’s life and the rewarding feeling you get when you put a smile on someone’s face.
She described her superpower as “trust” and talks about how building trust and understanding with service users can be life-changing and can give them the confidence they need to integrate themselves back into the community.
Cygnet are asking social care workers to share your support for #SocialCareSuperPower by posting your superpower online, using the hashtag and tagging in @CygnetGroup.