Andrea | A Career in Care

Andrea’s Story

I started working in residential care when I was twenty-one, as a support worker. This was something I knew I always wanted to do as a career. I had my own personal experiences of the care system, which was my personal motivator in wanting to give back, but also for me the main driving force was to ensure journeys for the people I looked after could be the best that I could give them.

Working with people as a support worker, for me is one of the best jobs you can ever have. Helping people overcome adversity & challenges and sharing special moments with them throughout the journey is a privilege. Your relationship with individuals can have a positive impact that remains throughout their whole life, and in my opinion, there is no bigger honour!

I hold so many fond memories of going on holidays and sharing birthdays & Christmas’ with individuals I have looked after. There is of course a journey to each of these memories built on trust, respect & dignity.

Throughout the years I worked with so many amazing colleagues and teams that shaped my learning and inspired me in every way to become the best practitioner I could be and go on to be a passionate leader.

I think people do not realise there are so many career opportunities that stem from working in the care sector, such as advocacy, safeguarding roles, learning & development & regulative roles to name a few. It is about finding areas that you are interested in within the journey.

One of the highlights of my career was working alongside Police Scotland in an undercover operation to help safeguard vulnerable people in my care. That experience encouraged me to find my voice, even in the most formal settings, and taught me something I have carried with me as a leader: everyone has something valuable to bring to the table, so make sure you are listening.

More recently, I was invited to Strathclyde University to talk about residential care and some of the highlights of my career journey. It was a great opportunity to share the passions and motivations that have stayed with me throughout my career, and I hope that by sharing my experiences I was able to inspire others who are beginning their own journey into care

My journey has now brought me to Camphill Blair Drummond and, well, what can I say other than it is a privilege every day to be able to say I work here. I could try to put into words how special and unique it is, but you would have to experience it to believe it. Throughout my career I have learned to believe in myself, to give things a go and to take opportunities when they come along, even when they have pushed me outside my comfort zone. Every experience is an opportunity to learn and grow, and sometimes the opportunities that feel like the biggest stretch can take you somewhere you never expected.