Social Care Apprenticeship Programme

Community Wellbeing & Independence Team

These stories are from Support workers who have worked directly on the frontline delivery care and support to people living in their homes.

Bethan Morris Thomas 

I completed 2 year diploma in Health and Social Care at Pembrokeshire College when I left school after finishing my GCSE’S.  When I finished my course, I was 18 years old and started working as a Support Worker with a Care Agency. I moved from there to work in a Residential home and then last year (2020) in September I joined the Community Wellbeing and Independence Team (CWAIT) providing support and care to people who live at home.

I did lots of training when I first started with CWAIT, there was a lot to learn and it was good quality training and lots of it!

Since I have joined CWAIT I have not looked back, it is good and one of the best things about my job is being able to help people and knowing that I make a difference to a person’s life being better. I think getting to know people and building trust is one of the most important parts of my job. For me seeing people happy and knowing that I have made that happy makes me feel happy.  One of the hard bits of my job has been when a person who I have looked after sadly passes away. We have good support in place and I know I can always contact my Team Leader if I need to talk about anything.

My advice to anyone thinking about a job in social carer is to give it a go and see how you get on.

Julia Rees 

I used to work in a café and I am new to the care sector. I joined PCC CWAIT as a care worker in December 2020. The care sector was a completely new world to me.

When I started, I did lots of training – induction, moving and handling, medication, principles and values in social care. Then I moved on to working alongside an experienced care worker who I spent time with shadowing. She was good, very friendly, made me feel at ease and showed me what the job entailed.

I then moved on to doing the role on my own, at first I was nervous and it very soon all felt like things slotted into place. All the training I had done and the shadowing all gave me the knowledge, understanding and skills to get me to where I am now. My team leader comes to some of my home care calls to observe me and I have my ‘competencies’ checked so I know I doing tasks correctly.

I am one month into doing my job on my own now and I am really enjoying it. I love meeting new people, spending time with people, helping and supporting people to be able to stay living in their own home is brilliant and knowing that I am part of that gives me a great feeling and the pay is great too! I am supported by my Team Leader and know that if I need anything at all she at the end of the phone which is reassuring.

I am so pleased that I made the decision to do this job and have this opportunity. The best parts of the job so far for me are getting to know people; I work in my locality so have a good idea of the area,

I work 12-hour day shifts starting at 7am until 2pm then have a 2-hour break, which helps to separate the day and gives me time off. Then I start work again at 4pm until 10pm. The day flies by as you are out and about doing varied home care calls.

Ron Powell 

I feel privileged to do my job as a home care worker. I think I have one of the best jobs in the world.  This is much more than a job to me, it is about people, community, and making a difference. 

I think that trust, kindness, humility and having a bright personality are important qualities of a home care worker.  You may be the only person a client will see during the day or evening so it is important to make the time you spend with a person as enjoyable and positive as possible.

As a home care worker, I have my regular set routes each day. I get to know how each person likes to be treated. How they like their tea made. Which jumper a person wants to wear. What type of food a person likes? The small idiosyncrasies of the person’s character.  Where people have a family member living with them I endeavour to build a good working relationship so to help make their lives a bit easier too. I believe what I do is far more than just a job it is all about people having good lives and making a difference. 

Dawn King

I used to work as a cook assistant in a kitchen and decided to change careers based on a friend who worked in the care sector recommendation.

I feel that the best things about being a home care worker is ‘that feeling I get knowing I’m making a difference in a persons’ life, being there for people, a smile and making sure people are treated kindly’.

Cerys Luly – CWAIT Care Worker

I am 19 years old & started in March 2021 a Support Worker with the Community Wellbeing & Independence Team. Before that, I worked in a residential home as a Senior Carer.

I enjoy my job as it gives me a feeling of responsibility managing my own work, I have my rota that I follow & work with people in their own homes who I get to know really well & have quality time together. My work is all about helping people to maintain control of their life & be as independent as possible.

Whilst I work as part of a team I really like the fact that my day to day work is mainly working on my own, I work in one area & go around to people’s houses supporting each person with their individual care needs. It is varied, as each person is an individual, has his or her own care & support plan that I follow so I know what I am supposed to be doing with each person. Some people need a lot of help & support & others just need a little help.

For me the best parts of my job as a support worker are getting to know people & their families, building up good work relationships with people, knowing what I do ensures people can carry on living in their own homes & the one to one time I have with people I feel is quality time I’m able to give to a person.

When I started with CWAIT I did lots of good training, some of it was refresher training such as manual handling to help make sure I am maintaining my skills & doing the job correctly. I’ve just recently completed my All Wales Induction Framework Training & I learnt so much from this as it covers all aspects of care & I really feel that I have gained a lot of knowledge & this has helped me improve my skills.

The parts of the job I sometimes find harder are when I have a new person to support & the person is not always too keen on having a new support worker. It’s important to remember that this is a person & for them I am stranger so I have to be gentle & allow time for the person to get to know me & vice versa.

The advice I would give to anyone who is unsure about their career choices & thinking about whether a support worker job is for them or not is if you are sociable, kind, caring & want to make a difference then go for it! It is the best job in the world - I have grown in confidence, learnt so much, I meet new people, I am out & about so not just in one place all the time, it is really rewarding & most of all I really enjoy what I am doing.

Lily Evans – CWAIT Support Worker

Last year back in March 2020, I got a job as a PCC temporary care worker during the Covid pandemic. I had just finished a level 1 & level 2 Diploma course at Pembrokeshire College in Child Care & found myself in a place where I was unsure what I wanted to do next. I had seen the PCC temporary care worker post advertised through Facebook & straightaway something about it appealed to me.

I applied, was shortlisted, had an interview & was delighted when I heard I had been successful. I had to go through a DBS & health check then went on to do my Induction training. The training was a mix of on line training & fact to face. I enjoyed the manual handling & first aid training the most. Soon into my temporary care role, I had another interview & transferred to the Community Wellbeing & Independence Team to a permanent support worker role.

I can honestly say I have grown to love my job. When I started I wasn’t sure & struggled with my confidence as everything was totally new to me & I hadn’t really had any care work experience – this was literally my first job! My nerves settled & my confidence has grown. I have a brilliant team leader who is my supervisor & gives me support, guidance & help when I need it. I worked closely with one support worker who really helped me & this I feel gave me the most confidence to believe in myself.

Sixteen months on now & I am really enjoying my support worker role. The best part of the job for me definitely ‘knows that I help people’. I’ve learnt from my colleagues & feel that I am a cheerful, happy person & this makes a difference to people; as for some people I am the only person they may see in a day & knowing I can make someone happy gives me a really good feeling about myself that I can do this for a person. I am still learning & now doing my All Wales Induction Framework, which will enable me to do my professional QCF level 2 in health & social care & then register as a social care worker with Social Care Wales.

One of the harder parts of the job that I have found so far is very sadly one person who I supported died & this was really my first experience of death. I was upset & went to the funeral with some of my team; they supported me & I knew that I had helped the person have a good life; even at the end of their life & this makes a big difference.

My family say they think I was born to be a support worker as I am happy, kind & have really grown in my job! Who would have believed it 16 months ago where I was leaving college & not know what to do & where I am now!