Craig: Deputy Head of Childcare

I was studying a business studies course at college with no ideas of the career path I should take when I had an opportunity to take year out of education to do a year’s placement as a Community Service Volunteer within a residential special school. I arrived at St Elizabeth’s at the age of 17 for my one year placement with no experience or qualifications in this field of work. After 6 months of my placement I commenced a full time position as an Assistant Houseparent and now 12 years later I am working as a Deputy Head of Childcare. I have shared responsibility for the residential department of the school and the management of approximately 100 residential staff.

I was quickly struck by the atmosphere of the school and the centre as a whole, experiencing how, despite the many challenges both the students and the staff teams face, everyone works together to get through any difficult times with the best possible outcomes. Without this the young people within our care would not be able to progress and achieve their full potential. That is the best part of any job here, seeing individuals develop and grow into young adults leaving school, knowing that we have supported them to have the best opportunities possible to fulfil their ambitions. All students make progression no matter how small this may seem. It’s by no means an easy job working here as there are many challenges to face but these are easily outweighed by the sense of satisfaction by what can be achieved.

I have had the experience of working within the residential houses through my roles as Assistant Houseparent, Houseparent and Senior Houseparent mainly with groups of young males from the ages of 7 – 16 with a variety of needs. I have been involved in the direct care which is required, supporting their emotional well-being and enjoying supporting our young people during the many activities on offer throughout the waking day both on and off-site. I have also had the opportunity to work with some fantastic people along the way from the centre’s multi disciplinary team.

The role of a Deputy Head of Childcare is an interesting role to play and one I usually describe to people as ‘An office job with a difference!’. It involves the usual jobs you would expect to undertake with writing reports, attending meetings,  organising staffing, managing and supervising staff to name but a few but also the opportunities are still there to work directly in supporting the young people within our care. It is a job that requires someone who has enthusiasm, an ability to be organised, is supportive, has a willingness to learn and most importantly to act as a role model to others. I am also involved in leading training sessions for staff in the use of positive handling strategies usually delivering this training to nearly 200 staff throughout the year.

My progression has clearly demonstrated that if someone has a willingness to learn and wants to progress then St Elizabeth’s is a perfect place to work. All staff are supported by their senior staff to succeed and undertake the wealth of training which is on offer by the centre. There is no space to list all the training I have undertaken but I have most notably been supported by St Elizabeth’s to complete my NVQ Level 2, 3 and 4 in Health and Social Care which would support me should I wish to take these qualifications to support my career somewhere else, although I could not imagine leaving what is such a great place to work!