Christina’s story

Christina is our Head of Care at Henshaws Specialist College. Here she shares her story about how she progressed from being an enabler to leading the care team.

About me

My name is Christina Turner and I am the ‘Head of Care’ and Registered Manager at Henshaws Specialist College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

My background

I first began my career in care working at my parents Residential Home on a Saturday morning whilst I studied at college. I then went on to have a variety of different jobs from Gardening to working within the banking sector. I decided I wanted to go back to care work and in 2005 I happened upon the college, who at the time were recruiting student enablers.

My Henshaws journey

I instantly felt like I had found an organisation I wanted to be a part of, the students, the staff teams and the environment were so welcoming. I worked as an enabler for approx. 18 months, due to the support of my manager at the time I was able to develop my knowledge and skills in order to push myself and take a promotion to the role of Senior Care Officer.

This meant I was responsible for a house of 9 residential students and the team that supported them. I really enjoyed this role and completed a number of management training courses as well as my Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

In 2009 I received my next promotion and became a Deputy Head of Care, this role allowed me to really refine my management skills and develop my knowledge. Henshaws supported me to complete both my Level 4 in Health and Social Care and my Level 5 in Leadership & Management.

I worked very closely with my manager who both developed and challenged me so I would be ready to take over from her in the future. In June last year, the opportunity arose for me to take the next step and become ‘Head of Care’.

Enabler to Head of Care

I am thoroughly embracing the challenges of this more senior role and learning to become a strategic leader. I am very much looking forward to undertaking my Level 7 in Leadership and Management and becoming an established member of the Senior Leadership Team.

I am extremely grateful to Henshaws for the opportunity and development they have given me as an organisation over the years. Although I do not directly support students as much as I did, I still get to be an integral part of their journey, which gives me enormous sense of pride and great job satisfaction.