Home Instead (Bridgnorth, Perton and Shifnal)

As a young newly married father of one, I needed a reliable, flexible job that I could work around my childcare commitments and literally stumbled into the world of care. My first role was as a support worker, helping young adults with Learning Difficulties.

It was a tough role, as I had never done anything like this before, particularly supporting someone who has complex needs; however, I was hooked by the fact that I was helping them enjoy life, in my own small way.

That was over twenty years ago, and in that time, my career progressed. I have worked in residential, mental health, elderly and home care and have honestly seen the good, the bad and the ugly of the care industry. My final role was as Operations Director with a large national organisation. However, I felt that something was missing, and I realised that I hankered after the hands-on, close, personal touch of working directly with clients, seeing the immediate impact that my actions could have on a person's quality of life.

Finding Home Instead was like finding a needle in a haystack. Our approach to caring for someone in their own home is so refreshingly different, where people's wishes and desires are at the heart of their care and where we genuinely support clients as if they were our own family, is fantastic.

We are not the largest provider in the area by any means, and quite frankly I don't want us to be, as being able to keep our service personal, and special for each individual client, and providing a rewarding fulfilling job for each of our team members, enables us to maintain our high quality standards and be the best provider in our area, and that is much more important to me.

Having worked for many years in marketing and sales for a number of businesses, from large organisations such as Kellogg’s and Nestle to a small local school, I always felt that something was missing. After having my children, I realised that we can make such a big difference to people's lives, often by making small, simple gestures, such as a smile or an act of kindness, that I wanted to do something that genuinely made a lasting difference. While trying to figure out what I wanted to do, Jason introduced me to Home Instead, and I have not looked back since.

I am so proud of the fact that we make a difference each and every day, not only to our clients but also to their families, friends and neighbours. It is a real privilege for us to be invited into someone's home, to help care and support them, sometimes during very stressful periods of time, and to make their lives better, in whatever small way that we can.

Our Care Professionals are the most amazing group of people, who constantly surprise me with their ability to put others first, often before their own families and other commitments.

We both love what we do, and if you would like to find out more about how our family, Home Instead Brignorth, Perton & Shifnal, can make your life better, just give us a call.

Since starting as a carer in 2010 for a community care company, my passion for care has grown immensely. I have worked in all areas of the care sector, including community care, independent living, and a care home. I have worked my way through most roles, including supervisor, assistant manager and then manager. I am a very driven person who strives to do the best I can for the clients we care for.

I am very excited about my role here at home instead and feel very proud to work for a company that truly cares and has a great passion for what they do.

Having worked many years in managerial roles, I had the opportunity to change into care, something I have wanted to do for a very long time. I have had 3 years of experience now in the care sector, residential, then when the pandemic came along, I could see the struggles and felt I could help most within the community, and I have never looked back. In my most recent role, my focus was scheduling and supporting out in the field; therefore, I have a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to the Home Instead table.

I have a very cheery disposition, which you will soon hear when I answer the phone. When not at work, I enjoy family time, which is very important to me.

What drew me to Home Instead was the ethos of ‘companionship’ and ‘To us it’s personal. ' I look forward to working with the Home Instead family and our lovely clients as we continue to grow.

One of the reasons I enjoy working for Home Instead is that it shares my personal values. Knowing that clients are at the heart of every decision makes it a truly fulfilling place to work.

For many years, I worked in hospitality; however, after a break from employment due to the birth of my two children and the passing of my dad, I decided to switch careers and become a carer. With my previous company, I was able to progress to a Senior Carer before becoming a full-time Trainer, focusing on supporting those new to care with the Care Certificate and moving and handling practices, as someone once did with me. In December 2018, I was made redundant; however, luck was on my side as I came across Home Instead later that month and joined the team as a Field Support Officer. Due to continuous business growth, I quickly made my way to become Head of Care in August 2018. I really enjoy working with my Home Instead family and take pride in knowing we make a difference in the best way possible.

I started my care experience years back when I worked for the Martha Trust in Hereford, providing lifelong respite care for people with profound intellectual and physical disabilities. I then married, had 3 children and moved to Germany, where I worked for the Army Welfare Service for many years before returning to the UK in 2013. I held a couple of roles within schools before finding Home Instead in 2019, and have never looked back. Starting out as a Care Professional, I have since moved into the office team first as an On-call Supervisor and now as a Client Care Supervisor and Scheduler, which I’m really enjoying, particularly as I have first-hand experience providing quality care for our clients myself. I have achieved my NVQ level 2 in Health and Social Care, a level 2 in End of Life and a level 2 in Dementia Care during this time, and I hope to continue growing with Home Instead in the years to come.

Before I joined Home Instead, I worked in recruitment and also managed a branch.

During my time within recruitment, I would say one of the most rewarding and enjoyable parts of my role was working with people with a range of skills and experiences, from working with those who were seeking their first job to those who were looking for the next level career move. I enjoyed developing my own team’s skills and those of my candidates, ensuring that they had the right information and tools to succeed.

When I wasn’t developing staff and candidates, I was consulting companies with the planning of both short and long-term recruitment goals and solutions. Unfortunately, redundancy forced the end of my employment, and so the job search began. With very few job opportunities in the recruitment sector, I decided to embark on a new career. I always knew whatever sector I worked in would need to consist of working with people directly, as this is my passion. I learnt of Home Instead and was immediately excited about the concept and how unique care is delivered. The warmth and passion of all the staff is apparent; it truly is a customer and people-centric organisation that I am so proud to have joined.

After finishing my A-Levels in psychology, law and history in 2015, I knew that I wasn’t yet ready for university. So while my friends were busy cramming all of their things into suitcases, I decided to apply for an apprenticeship here at Home Instead.

This way, I could gain experience in a working environment and also a qualification in Business Administration at the same time. Having been here for a few years now, I have progressed to the role of HR and Compliance Administrator, and I can definitely say that the decision to join the company was the right one, as I have been able to develop existing abilities and learn new skills necessary to succeed in the world of work.

I have been involved in delivering care training over the past 20 years, and I am excited to be involved in the training, development and support of care professionals and their learning journeys, as well as my own.

In the past, I owned my own care company, supporting clients with learning disabilities, autism and clients with brain injuries.

After a short sabbatical, I didn’t want to return to having the responsibility of running a business but wanted to return to delivering training, where my passion lies. I sought to find a company and like-minded people for whom I would be working who shared the same values and ethos that matched my own for supporting clients and the staff who cared for them.

Home Instead is just what I have been looking for, as we work together as a team to help provide quality service and give support and confidence to those who choose to join us as Care Professionals.

My care journey began when I was 12, watching my mom take care of my grandad and me, helping the elderly neighbour next door. I started my 1st job in a care home when I was 18, where it honestly didn’t feel like work whatsoever, as I enjoyed being there, and it is here where my passion for care grew. To know I could make a small difference in people's lives to help them live safer, happier and give them a purpose was what I worked for.

During my career path, I switched to domiciliary care and quickly became a senior caregiver and senior team leader, working towards and achieving my QCF levels 2 & 3 and dementia care qualifications. I had a few breaks for my growing family, but always returned to care. When I moved to Telford, I was happy to see a Home Instead office, as I have previously worked for a HI franchise and am familiar with their standards, ethos and values, which I also carry. I have a passion for care and a drive to learn and I'm looking forward to growing at Home Instead.

I joined Home Instead as their values align with my own. They really care about the work they do and the people they support.