Josh: A Day In The Life

A lot of what makes Henshaws what it is are the people who work for us. Through our A Day In The Life series, we’re celebrating our fantastic and dedicated employees.
This is to give an insight into how everyone at Henshaws works together to provide our services. We also want to highlight the day-to-day work of our staff. We hope you’re able to gain a sense of what working for Henshaws is like beyond the job description.
Josh works for our Sight Loss Support Team. Our Sight Loss Support Team supports people with sight loss of all ages in Greater Manchester. You can find out more about the amazing work they do at the link below.

Below, Josh talks about his role, how he supports service users, and what working for Henshaws is like for him. This is Josh’s own words.

1. What is your role?

My role is Enablement Officer. I cover the Salford & Trafford areas of Greater Manchester. I’m part of the wider Sight Loss Support Team.

2. Who are the people that you support?

I work directly with adults over 18 who are experiencing issues with sight loss. This can range from someone who is brand new to sight loss, to someone who has had sight loss for a number of years but needs further advice and guidance on something they are unsure about, or indeed regarding a new issue that has come to light.

I work with them to do a person centred plan of action. This is where I find out more about their current situation, listen to concerns and look to tackle some of the issues they’re facing. From this, I then look to signpost to services both internally and externally.

3. What can a typical day look like for you?

This is a difficult one to answer. No two days are ever the same!

My duties range from delivering groups and courses such as Living Well With Sight Loss or our Visual Impairment Awareness Training (VIAT), to making appointments to speak to service users on a 1-2-1 basis. This can be either over the phone or in person in venues across the community.

It could also be spent liaising with other groups, charities and organisations to complete referrals, or visiting our friendship matters groups to offer further support to our volunteers and attendees. I’m certainly kept on my toes day to day, anyway!

4. What questions and challenges do service users come to you with most often?

I’d say a challenge is navigating the emotional impact of sight loss with service users. If someone has had their sight loss happen suddenly, they find that they now have a ‘new normal’. This can be difficult for them to come to terms with.

It’s important for me to listen and take any burning questions they may have. I’ll either answer myself with the knowledge I’ve built up, or if I’m unsure, take the query to other colleagues or external organisations for further help so I can come back with the correct information.

A lot of the questions I get asked about in calls or appointments actually relate to travel. This doesn’t surprise me much, when I think about it. A number of people I speak to are often former drivers. They’ve been used to just getting in a car and driving to wherever they need to go. Without this being an option, some service users can feel a bit stuck and isolated. Having me there to discuss options such as travel passes, Ring & Ride, Travel Vouchers, Blue Badges and mobility / long cane training etc is a real help to them. It’s always great to pass on knowledge to people that gives them a boost they need.

5. How do you tailor your support to meet the needs of different service users?

Listening and creating a rapport is absolutely key. Sometimes that’s easier said than done.

Some service users will open up easily. As a result, you can get into their wants and needs quickly to establish a clear plan of action. Others, however, can be a bit more closed. There’s sometimes a bit more digging required, a bit more sensitivity needed, or even asking others who they already trust to help me also have that connection eventually so I can support further.

It’s important for me to remember that with every person I speak to, whatever they have going on at that moment in time is huge to them. Navigating it with care, compassion and sensitivity is crucial. I’ll always offer my time and work with someone for however long is needed until they hopefully feel better about things going forwards.

6. How do you stay up-to-date with information to pass on to service users?

I’m signed up to various newsletters and bulletin boards regarding events and latest information. If something is of interest, I’ll usually pass it on during any meetings or calls that I make to let people know about it. If it’s something that needs sharing wider, I’ll sometimes liaise with the marketing team to share on social media or get in touch with group leaders to ask them to let the members know and spread the word.

I also keep a close eye on legislation and any changes in services. Again, I look to communicate these in the same ways as mentioned.

7. How does your role fit into the wider team and Henshaws as a whole?

As already mentioned, I’m part of the wider Sight Loss Support Team. It’s us who will often be the ones meeting people in the community. This can be in hubs, venues and spaces where appointments can take place.

I’ll often ask people if I can base case studies on them if their journey is one that is particularly unique. Our marketing and fundraising teams will also often use these to highlight the work we are doing to the wider public as well as funders. This in turn creates more opportunities for important funds to come into the charity which will ultimately see us help more people.

I’m often called into meetings with other teams to highlight the work the Enablement Team are doing. It’s great to be able to showcase this to others to show the work we’re doing ‘on the ground’ as it were.

8. How do you demonstrate Henshaws’ values of ambition, respect and empowerment?

It’s so refreshing to work in an environment where there are core values that everyone demonstrates daily. I try my best to embody them in every piece of work I do, demonstrating them through:

Ambition

Thinking outside the box, coming up with solutions via different methods, and even using failure as a way of learning and improving. I’ve found that due to the work I do, there’s a determination within me to succeed in getting the best solution all round. It’s this ambition to succeed that drives me to get the best for our service users.

Respect

I always try and show respect to those I work with or alongside, whether that be service users, colleagues or people from external organisations/agencies. I know that if I listen, take on board views and be open and honest in communication and managing of expectations, it will lead to a mutual respect that will open more doors and see me reach solutions faster and efficiently whilst keeping standards high.

Empowerment

This is definitely the biggest one of the lot. Service users will often have goals, wants and needs that ultimately lead to achieving something. It’s a priority of mine to ensure that they feel supported to succeed whilst also being independent.

It’s a fine balance to find, but letting go and giving people that gentle push to try it themselves can show them they can achieve anything with the right support. This leads to them growing in confidence and strength which is always amazing to see.

9. What would you tell people considering working for Henshaws and the wider Sight Loss Support Team?

Working for Henshaws is unique, I feel. Every single person here – no matter which department they work for – all care and ultimately want what is best for our service users. I think that’s the biggest trait needed for someone wishing to work here.

In terms of the Sight Loss Support Team, we often go above and beyond to support someone. We do so in various different ways. This can be over the phone, in person on a 1-2-1 basis, or as part of a group setting.

Some questions and cases can be complex, but the feeling of helping someone do something or achieve something they once thought was impossible is an incredible feeling and extremely rewarding. It’s something that you don’t get in many other fields of work. I’m confident that everyone who works here will say the same thing in regards to how rewarding it is being part of working here.

10. What does Henshaws mean to you?

It means an awful lot. Being VI myself and giving something back to a community that I identify with is a great feeling. It’s extremely rewarding to work with others with sight loss and show them that despite whatever setback may have happened, there are still lots of ways in which they can regain or keep their independence and stay upbeat. Seeing someone’s journey from when they are first referred in to a year or two down the line and the difference my help has made is what keeps me going and motivates me to keep doing a good job.