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• A friendly, diverse and innovative culture
• Individual learning and development opportunities
• Experience, knowledge and a professional outlook on our evolving services

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My name is Alice and I am a deputy head of care and care lead at Henshaws Specialist College.

I started working at Henshaws when I was 19; having worked previously in retail and nightclubs, care was new to me and quite daunting to start with!  I can honestly say I don’t know exactly at what point I realised that Care was the career for me. After the first few weeks, I was actually convinced that it wasn’t something I could keep doing!

Something I do remember is going to the seaside on a Sunday afternoon on a mini bus full of staff and students. We ate fish and chips, walked on the beach and took a picture on the pier- taking that photo, seeing the staff/students so happy made me think to myself, I never wanted to do anything else.

I started as an Enabler, which involves helping students aged 16 to 25 develop their independence and confidence with skills for life such as; cooking, cleaning, shopping, personal care skills and social skills. During evenings and weekends, we would support the students with leisure activities like discos, going to the local pub as well as going to places like the deep… anything the students wanted to do with their time! I was supported to do my level 2 and 3 in health and social care, which helped me develop understanding of social care and how important care work is to society.

I briefly worked in another care provider, before returning to Henshaws as a Senior Care Officer where I was responsible for residential house of students and a staff team who support them. I then gained another promotion to Care Lead where I am responsible for overseeing a service within college specific to meeting the needs of learners with autism and sensory difficulties who benefit from a low arousal environment. It is hard to say what I love about my job because there isn’t anything that I dislike. Every day is different and there is never a day that goes by where I don’t laugh. I get to work with a staff team who are dedicated to the students and our values; I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t have a team behind me who were as passionate about helping support young adults overcome challenges so they can become more independent and confident in their lives. I often think people see care work differently to how it really is; it isn’t all how the media sometimes portrays it. Care staff are genuinely passionate, fun and interesting people. People with disabilities do live a life that is exciting and happy; just they need a little help along the way. Some of my students have a more exciting social life than I do! There isn’t any other career I’d rather have.