Stevie, Senior Support Worker

Before working in care I worked in the entertainment industry as a P.A to a producer. Then I left to care for my father who had terminal cancer.

After my dad sadly passed away I was at a loss as what to do, I knew I didn’t want to go back to the world of entertainment as that now seemed shallow so looked into the care sector.

I’ve now been working in care for three years. I’m currently a Senior Support Worker in a residential unit for adults with learning disabilities and severe autism. My job involves leading the team, making sure the team are supported, the residents are going to their day activities and are happy, delegating any jobs that need doing and making sure all policies are being adhered to.

Every day I laugh in my job because we have a great team and the residents are the happiest bunch of people, also I feel so supported by my management. I feel very lucky to work where I do, it’s a pleasure to work in this industry. It’s so rewarding, and every day is a learning curve.

The main skills you need to work in care are compassion, respect, empathy, patience and common sense. This is not a job you do because there is nothing else around, you really do have to care about what you do. It can be unsociable and stressful, so you need to be able to self-manage and self-care.

I am very lucky as I don’t have any trouble connecting with my residents and I have very different relationships with each one. You need to adapt to their level of comfort and boundaries.

My employer Elysium supply an amazing amount of training online, in person and on the job, I have never felt in over my head. Ideally, I would like to train to become a mental health nurse.

I would say to any other men thinking about working in care to go for it! Men need help with care and often prefer a male to do this. Care is still seen as a woman’s job, but I think that is slowly starting to change.

Inspired by Stevie’s story? Find your role in care today!

Or get in touch with the Proud to Care team to find out more about careers in care.