Community Support Services

I started working for East Riding Council in November 2002 within the lifeline service. Previous to that I worked in the private sector providing care to vulnerable adults in the community.

I have worked for the Community Support Service since 2005 and was a Team Leader, then Deputy Manager and more recently the Registered Manager.

The service is primarily reablement and our aim is to support customers to reach their baseline of independence.

Our team consists of Team leaders (managing day-to-day duty issues and managing the front-line workers), Assessment officers (completing assessments and reviews and setting goals for the customers), Technicians (receive referrals from the hospital teams and other hubs, and add them onto a rota management system) Then there are the Community Support Workers (they deliver the care and support to all our customers).

I have been part of the service since 2012; firstly as a Community Support Worker; then as a Team Leader in 2014; progressing to Deputy Manager in November 2022. I have a focus on ensuring our whole team work together to provide the best outcomes for vulnerable adults in our community with an emphasis on working with the customers to maximise their independence.

Prior to working for CSS, I worked for Hull City Council providing support to Children and Families with Disabilities and prior to that, I also with HCC - I worked with Children in Residential Care and also the Children's Safeguarding Team all of this experience has helped me develop an understanding working with vulnerable people in a social care setting. Prior to working in Social Care, I worked in design and marketing for 25 years where I developed strong staff management, customer service and project management experience. All this previous experience has helped me develop a strong empathy and understanding of both staff and customer needs - I see my role as providing all the support necessary to ensure that our whole team can provide the best care possible to the Vulnerable Adults of the East Riding.

I have worked for the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in Adult service since August 1999. I spent the first 18 years working for the Lifeline service in various posts from an operator, handing calls to the team leader for the technicians who install lifelines throughout East Yorkshire. In Nov 2017. I transferred to Community Support service as a team leader for a group of community support workers in the Bridlington/Driffield area. I work hard to support the front-line staff in providing an excellent level of care and support to customers discharged from the hospital with a package of care. I pride myself in being available to support staff who are lone working, maintaining regular communication and ensuring they have the correct equipment and training to carry out their role providing care and support to the highest standards.

I take pride in being the best version of myself for the team I have around me. Being a team leader is more than managing a group of staff, it is about being a part of that team and setting the best example you possibly can. Community Support Services is fuelled on pride, dedication and incredible team work

I joined Community Support Services in August 2018 in the Technician team, taking new referrals from social workers and care co-coordinators and looking at capacity on staff rotas to offer care calls to clients. I then progressed to Senior Technician, having line management responsibility for the small Technician team.

In March 2022, I joined the Team Leader team, and now support the Community Support Workers who are the face of the service and work hard to deliver the best possible care to our service users. I love working in this service and I am proud to be a part of a brilliant team, that does such an important job in supporting people in the community.

I enjoy my job and enjoy being part of a team maintaining daily contact with the staff who play a key role in providing the best care possible for the customers and my role is to make sure all customers are visited and progressing and all the staff feel valued and appreciated.

The Technician staff team are essential to the running of the Community Support Services and play a key role in dealing with referral requests and organising care for new customers that have been recently discharged home from the hospital, along with those with reablement potential. This post supports the delivery of a high quality, cost effective service that is compliant with CQC Standards and GDPR.

The Assessment Officer role is crucial to maximising the independence of our customers. They undertake a strength-based assessment where the customer sets their own goals and agrees a plan to meet these with support, help and guidance from a dedicated team of community support workers. This can include identifying support around medication, self-care, confidence building and signposting to community resources.