Senior Support Worker Review

My role is to line manage a staff team of support staff, delivering front line care to individuals in their own homes. My role is to motivate, inspire and support the team, as well as evaluate, analyse and audit their work. I am the person responsible for updating and reviewing the daily paperwork and care files of all service users and staff files.

I have developed lots of knowledge in many areas of my work role, there have been many modules I have completed which have forced me to research theories, opinions and understanding in areas that I didn't look at before. Also my research project has shown me that I am able to produce decent and useable data analysis.

My programme has been full of ups and downs. I have been with a different provider before I was transferred to Paragon Skills, and have worked with 4 assessors overall across 2 years. When I joined Paragon Skills in March of 2020 I had done 15% of total work needed, and this stayed the same until August 2020 when I was given my final assessor, who was brilliant. He gave me lots of work to do, and backed that up with support and clarity of explanation of any task set, and always made himself available to me if needed - even on his annual leave.

I would have to say that due to my experience with Paragon Skills I have a very mixed feeling towards this, for the first 6months of the course I wasn't set any work, and given no support by the assessor. The second 6months of the year was a direct contrast to this, was very structured and organised, releasing work regularly and explaining it to me as we went.

My employer was not very helpful at the beginning of the course, they didn't chase up my tutor when I explained that I was struggling to get work done, and had not heard from them. In the second half of the course my employer was really supportive, they made it clear that I could access company policy and documentation to support with my assignments and research project, and my line manager has been really helpful at providing documentation when needed for witness statements.

[This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] has been very supportive of me when doing the qualification. He has been available on email, phone and WhatsApp when I need him. he made it clear that he knew the lack of support that I had received from previous tutors, but that he would help me to catch up and submit before the original deadline.

I think having learned so many new things and valuable pieces of information from the modules, that my expertise has grown. This increased knowledge of management systems, styles and approaches can only serve to build my range of skills in managing staff teams. I have also learned how to use software in a new way while I was completing my research project.

No. My company has no extra-curricular support for staff. There no sports teams, clubs, groups or social nights. The staff have asked the owner and senior management on many occasions for support to set something up for staff to be a part of something more than turning up for their shifts, but the owners say that it is down to the staff to organise things outside of their shifts, and they will not pay for social activities for staff.

No

Although it is a larger company within the health care sector, it is one that doesn't support the staff as well as some of its competitors; it only pay minimum wage to staff, it doesn't offer any Christmas Party or any activities for the staff team to socialise, there are no benefits offered to staff such as gym membership. I feel the company has a mentality that everyone is undervalued and replaceable, and ignores the experience and knowledgebase of their staff in favour of cheaper options, and by cost cutting lose the quality staff who join the company when they move on to better paid roles elsewhere.

I would advise people applying to this company the same as I would to any company, give yourself 3 years, and if after 3 years you have not been given a pay rise or a promotion move on. If you are not being developed towards a new position and are stagnating in your current role, then move on. The company will give staff a good insight into working in the Health and Social care sector, but it does not pay competitively so it can serve as a stepping stone to better paid roles within the sector.