You know you’re on to a good thing when work is your passion rather than just a means to an end. Vicki may have become a support worker by chance, but her commitment and compassion quickly propelled her into management…
A career of opportunities
Shaftesbury is more than a job to Vicki; it’s a career – one she is deeply invested in.
When she joined us 15 years ago, Vicki had never been on a plane or left her home town of Newcastle. Various roles within Shaftesbury have since taken her around the UK to live in South West England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Never shying away from a new challenge, over the years Vicki has been a support worker, manager of a Shaftesbury supported living service, a training lead and a compliance officer.
Currently, she’s Head of Care for Shaftesbury North East; part of a team providing supported living services for adults with intellectual disabilities. Based in Gateshead, Vicki has responsibility for supporting over 40 people with disabilities and leading a staff team of over 100.
Starting out as a one-to-one support worker is what fuelled her career trajectory and the fulfilment that comes from directly improving lives is still what drives Vicki.
As a graduate in Childhood and Professional Practice, the plan was to work with children. That changed when in 2009, Vicki spotted an advert for local charity, At Home in the Community, which was recruiting support workers.
As a child, she’d tag along with her mam, a support worker, so it felt like second nature to visit people in their homes to support them with day-to-day tasks. At Home in the Community later came under the Shaftesbury umbrella and Vicki has never looked back.
Shaftesbury has an inclusive, open and listening culture. There's always someone who you can turn to if you do need support.
- Vicki, Head of Care, Shaftesbury North East
With no experience of working with people with disabilities, she recalls feeling terrified before her first shift. Her initial encounter was with a young woman with Downs syndrome, a huge Strictly Come Dancing fan with bags of confidence and charisma: “This young girl looked me up and down, giving me the onceover before asking if I was an X Factor or Strictly fan. We had a laugh together and I knew instantly it was going to be ok.”
It seemed Vicki had found her calling.
Fiercely proud of the Shaftesbury North East team, she believes they deliver “the best possible care and outcomes for the people we support.”
Reflecting on people of a comparable age who are living with a learning disability, Vicki recalls one in particular who made a lasting impression; a woman she supported early on in her career who’d always wanted to see Phantom of the Opera in London. It meant two nights away for them, a daunting prospect for Vicki, still in her early 20s having never left home: “It took a lot for me to take her, but seeing her face at that show meant everything,” she says.
Why not join us?
Join Shaftesbury for a challenging, rewarding career that helps make a difference to people living with disabilities.
