Staff stories

What does a day in your role look like?

In my senior support worker role, we start off by checking if any of the daily cleaning jobs have not been completed overnight. We then hand out breakfasts to all patients and take their orders for lunch and supper. Throughout the morning, we restock the ward with gloves, thermometer probes, incontinence pads, and all equipment. If any women are not being discharged, we change their beds for them.

We help women mobilise and assist with personal care if needed. We do daily checks on the babies on the ward which involves a set of observations, stripping them from head to toe and checking them over. We report anything unusual to the midwives in charge. We perform blood sugar tests on the women in our care and on babies. We remove catheters and perform urine analysis. We do full sets of observations of the women in our care and take blood samples from them.

We do oxygen checks on babies in the first 12 hours of life, we also spend a large part of our day supporting with feeding, both bottle and breast. We show women how to hand express, support with breastfeeding, teach them about feeding cues, sterilising equipment and we do bath and bottle demonstrations. We perform temperature checks on the bays and side rooms, and all fridges.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy spending time with new parents and teaching them how to care for their baby. I enjoy helping with breastfeeding and providing support in the night when women sometimes need it most.

What has your experience of career progression in early years been and what support did you receive?

I started as a band 2 maternity care assistant in March 2021. I stayed in that position for 12 months, then progressed to a band 3. I completed my band 3 competencies within 8 weeks and then went on to start the band 3 apprenticeship programme. I have also completed my transitional care training. This involves me working with babies who have been on neonatal intensive care units (NICU) previously or babies who are on antibiotics or require feeding through nasogastric tubes.

What would you say to someone looking to join the service? 

I feel it would be beneficial for someone who is interested in joining the service to do some volunteer work with us. Lots of people think that our job is mostly about holding babies, and it is far from that.

Perhaps having a tour of the different units would be beneficial too, as we work across the postnatal ward, delivery suite and maternity triage. All three areas require us to undertake different tasks so it would be worthwhile learning what we do on each unit. 

Working within maternity is a very rewarding job. I left my previous job of 25 years to join. It was very daunting starting a new career path, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey here.

Nearly four years ago, I took a leap of faith and joined Action for Children as a family support worker within the early childhood and family service (commissioned by Norfolk County Council). With over a decade of experience in early years, I was ready for a new challenge. One that would allow me to work more closely with families and make a tangible difference in their lives.

From the very beginning, I was driven by a desire to progress and grow. I quickly realised that becoming a family support practitioner was my next goal. Fuelled by passion and determination, I immersed myself in gaining as much experience as possible to ensure I was ready when the right opportunity came along.

As a family support practitioner, I found immense joy in working with families. Each day brought new challenges and rewards. I also discovered a love for supervising family support workers, guiding them, and sharing my knowledge. This role ignited a spark in me, a curiosity about the operational side of our service and an interest in leadership.

Determined to explore this new path, I enrolled in an apprenticeship level 5 in operational departmental management. This was a pivotal decision. The apprenticeship equipped me with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to push myself forward. It was during this time that a position for family programme coordinator opened up. 

With a mix of excitement and nerves, I applied for the role. When I received the news that I had been successful, I was over the moon.

I have thrived in this position. Each day is different, filled with new challenges and opportunities. I oversee the operations of my district, manage two bases, and ensure that all processes and policies are meticulously followed. Safeguarding is a top priority, and I work diligently to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all families we support.

In my role, I manage budgeting, collaborate with other organisations, and plan groups and interventions to meet the diverse needs of our families. One of my proudest achievements has been leading a project to develop community integration. This initiative has built strong links with families, professionals, and stakeholders, creating a supportive network that benefits everyone involved.

The growth of family hubs has been a significant development. As a core partner, we co-locate with other core partners, playing an integral role in the sustainability of family hubs and the start for life offer. This collaboration ensures that we provide comprehensive support to families, helping them build sustainable networks.

I completed my apprenticeship with distinction. This accomplishment is a testament to the knowledge and experience I gained in my role. I hope to inspire my colleagues and show them that with dedication and hard work, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. My journey with Action for Children and the early childhood and family service has been one of growth, learning, and fulfilment. I look forward to continuing to make a difference in the lives of the families we support and to inspiring others to pursue their dreams with passion and determination.

What does a day in your role look like?

Each day is different. It can include:

• Home visits to referred families for initial assessment
• Meeting extended family members
• Completing final reviews and saying goodbye to families as support ends
• Visiting volunteers to provide supervision (6 weekly)
• Training or meeting volunteers at families' homes to match them with referred families
• Delivering coffee mornings

Within my day there will be admin processes to follow to keep all records up to date recording contacts. I also meet and communicate with other professionals either in person or via zoom for babies' early help assessment plans (EHAPs) and family hub meetings.

I also run infant massage groups. I meet new parents and their babies, helping them to build their confidence and secure attachments to their babies. My role involves a lot of travelling and some weekend work.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy meeting new families. They are sometimes at their lowest and most vulnerable. To allow us into their homes to offer support is a real privilege. To support a volunteer and see a family grow in confidence and into a better place (not always) is very satisfying. Meeting new families with their babies for infant massage and seeing the babies and parents grow in confidence each week is beautiful. For example, witnessing a baby's responses develop over time and supporting attachment with their caregiver.

I love working alongside the volunteers who all have amazing life experiences and skills to share with the families they support. I feel part of a wider team who all support each other.

What has your experience of career progression in early years been and what support did you receive? 

I started at Home-Start Norfolk as a volunteer. I then progressed to running groups. A year later I had the opportunity to become a family service coordinator in the Breckland and South Norfolk area. I had the opportunity to become a baby massage instructor and have trained in parent-child play and learning sessions. I have supported my manager with coordination of county wide groups and delivery on a commissioned project to support Ukrainian families across Norfolk.

What would you say to someone looking to join the service? 

If you enjoy working with people, look forward to new challenges working for an amazing team of staff and volunteers - I would highly recommend Home-Start Norfolk. You will always feel well supported, offered chances for new training opportunities and to be part of a team. Even when lone working, you are never alone.

What does a day in your role look like?

My day is varied with no two days being the same. However, in general it could incorporate several of the following:

• Planning of my diary to accommodate home visits to new families and undertaking initial assessments
• Multi agency early help asssessment plans (EHAPs)/reviews to attend
• Chairing and/or taking minuting of meetings
• Reflective practice to facilitate
• Supervision to attend
• Team meetings
• Facilitating parenting group
• Direct work supporting families and numerous telephone calls and emails to undertake
• Lastly but not least there are various case notes to record

What do you enjoy most about your work?

My work enables me to use my skills and way of being to support children and their families and to facilitate and enable positive changes within the identified areas. I very much believe we all have the capacity to change and relationships are key to this. Therefore, the relationships that I foster with families are significant and it is this aspect of my work that motivates, inspires and is my passion. Being congruent, having empathic understanding and unconditional positive regards enables me to see another's experiences from their frame of reference. Being honest and transparent within my communication, accepting  and valuing of another, I feel, are profound elements of my interaction with families. Seeing families and/or individuals flourish and acquire autonomy, move to another mindset and to provide a different experience for themselves that leads to improved outcomes for their children, is my satisfaction within my work. Working with my colleagues in delivering parenting groups also brings enjoyment and satisfaction for the same reasons.        

What has your experience of career progression in early years been and what support did you receive?

My experience of career progression within early years was overall a positive and enriching experience. This enabled me to further my skills, whilst acquiring new ones and harnessing a way of being, that I feel, is conducive to supporting, facilitating and enabling change. My progression to working in a family centre in a diverse London borough was enriching and I was supported within this transition by training in various aspects of areas of my role.

For example:

• Writing court reports
• Attending child protection case conferences
• Diversity and inclusion
• Working with interpreters
• Life story work
• The Children's Act and writing reports

There was also extensive training with the Tavistock and Portman Foundation NHS Trust where I undertook in depth child observations and supporting adolescents with the marlborough family service respectively. There was also collaborative working with the Marlborough Centre delivering various services such as family support group, using systemic family therapy and infant feeding group with a psychotherapist. All of which were enriching and positive experiences.

In terms of progression there were also two different bandings for family support workers and I progressed to the upper band after applying for this and undertaking a formal interview with a panel that consisted of HR, chair of safeguarding and a manager.    

What would you say to someone looking to join the service?

I would say working with children and families can be one of the most rewarding and worthwhile jobs, where you are able to use many skills and competencies, enabling positive outcomes for children. I would also say that the role requires:

• Resilience - coping with difficulties
• Being reflective - looking beyond the surface
• Tenacity - to stay with families
• Courage - to bring the unspoken into awareness
• Enjoyment - taking pleasure in small but significant changes

What does a day in your role look like?

My role as a family support worker varies from day to day. At present I am responsible for delivering stay and play sessions in the local community. This involves planning ideas and themes and selecting suitable resources to set up inviting activities and play areas for families to enjoy and explore. Each session ends with a song time and bubbles. Information about the service is shared in conversation with families and if needed I sign post and assist to receive additional support.

Another aspect of my role is helping to run forest school. This is offered to families through referral who may benefit from spending time together outside in nature. I visit the families in their homes and work with them to make a plan of support. We plan lots of activities and experiences that are centered around the children's interests. This is with a goal to help build:

• Confidence
• Resilience
• Communication
• Personal, emotional, and social skills

Within my week I also deliver a communication cafe group for families to share key messages with parents about how they can best support their child's emerging understanding of language. This is delivered 1:1 in the home or in a small group with another colleague at one of our bases or out in the community.

Around these groups I plan my own diary. I may need to book meetings and communicate with other professionals completing all admin processes.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy all aspects of my role but especially have a passion for setting up inviting and aesthetically pleasing play environments. I like the freedom I am given to plan and deliver the groups. It is really rewarding to observe families exploring activities together and great to get positive feedback from them when they share they have tried some new ideas at home. We have a lot of families that return to the groups regularly. It is evident the groups have a positive impact on the children's development when they participate with songs, actions and games.

There is a strong feeling of community at the sessions and it is great to see new friendships being built.

I enjoy the variety of responsibilities and feel supported within an amazing team of experienced professionals. 

What has your experience of career progression in early years been and what support did you receive?

I began my role as a family support worker after working in early years for over 20 years.

As a qualified early years teacher I wanted to move away from a role working directly with children in educational settings and use my experience to share knowledge and support for the whole family within the community and home.

Since starting the role, I have been able to widen my knowledge with training on the solihull approach, parent-child play and learning sessions, educational talks and perinatal training. There is also extensive online training opportunities available. 

What would you say to someone looking to join the service?

I would recommend the role of family support worker if you enjoy working with young children and families and value the importance of early intervention and support. I have enjoyed the challenge of taking a different pathway with my knowledge and experience.

The role provides varied opportunities for further training, progression and new challenges. 

What does a day in your role look like?

My role as a speech and language therapist involves supporting children and young people's speech, language, and communication skills through a wide range of assessment and interventions.

I work in the community, and this involves going into:

• Mainstream schools
• Complex needs settings
• Early years settings
• Patient homes
• Clinics

We also provide video calls when necessary.

With additional specialist training, I also work with children and young people who have eating, drinking, and swallowing needs (dysphagia), helping to make mealtimes safer and more enjoyable. 

No two days are the same. I might spend one day carrying out assessments and working closely with teachers, parents, and other professionals. Then another day delivering therapy sessions, writing reports, or observing mealtimes - helping to plan the most effective support for each child or young person.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

What I love most about my work is the variety and the impact. It's incredibly rewarding to see children and young people progress with their skills, whether that's improving their speech, communicating more confidently, or enjoying mealtimes safely. I also really enjoy being part of a collaborative NHS team, where we share ideas, learn from each other, and celebrate small successes together.

What has your experience of career progression in early years been and what support did you receive?

After qualifying with a degree in speech and language therapy, I started as a newly qualified therapist and was supported by a supervisor to complete my competencies. I had plenty of opportunities to shadow experienced colleagues and received regular supervision. This helped me build confidence and develop my skills. Now, I work more independently, but supervision and guidance are always available when needed, ensuring ongoing professional support and development. 

There are also plenty of opportunities to explore preferred areas of speech and language therapy and develop these skills further. For example, specialisms such as:

• Developmental language disorder (DLD)
• Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
• Cleft palate
• Deafness
• Stammering
• Dysphagia

What would you say to someone looking to join the service?

If you enjoy working with children and young people, joining this service is a fantastic opportunity to learn, grow, and make a real difference. You'll support a wide range of speech, language, and communication needs, while working in a friendly, supportive, and collaborative team. The role is varied and flexible, allowing you to adapt to individual needs and make a meaningful impact every day.