Dannie-Leigh Carpenter
from Support Worker to Deputy Care Manager...
I am Dannie-Leigh and I have worked for the Hesley Group for 3 years. Since leaving school I went on to further studies and completed my A-levels in Health and Social Care which lead me to a career in the care industry. This led me to working for the Hesley Group. I had never supported anyone with a learning disability before, so at first was nervous as I was going into the unknown. However, after giving it a go I realised that this job was made for me.
There have been days that I have found my job challenging and there have been days that I have found my job rewarding, which have both taught me lessons and improved my skills and knowledge to be able to support young adults and make their quality of life better.
Every day at work is different, one day I have supported someone to make a drink independently for the first time, to the next day supporting someone through a difficult time. This job has given me many rewarding opportunities both for myself and for the people we support. In my time at Hesley I have supported young adults on holiday, on home visits, into the community and day trips.
I was first attracted to the Hesley Group after hearing about them in a local paper, I had completed my studies and was looking for a career in care. Hesley Group provided me with a 4-week induction that was absolutely fantastic and gave me the knowledge I needed to begin my career with them. Within the 4-week induction they covered various things such as First Aid, Health & Safety, Autism & Learning Disabilities, Makaton and lots more which made me feel positive and ready to start the job. I was also given a shadowing schedule before I started to help me see what it was all about without being thrown in at the deep end! Hesley Group also have lots of benefit schemes that you can sign up to as an employee which was exciting.
I began working at Low Laithes as a Support Worker, I was unqualified but they put me through NVQ training with an external assessor to help me gain my NVQ Level 2 in Health & Social Care as well as my NVQ Level 3. The company have been very supportive towards me in terms of progression and have supported me through my qualifications to be able to progress.
After working for the Hesley Group for 2 years I became a Senior Support Worker/Team Leader. I worked within this role for a while and progressed further to a Deputy Care Manager. Within this time the company have put me through lots of different training courses to better myself as a manager.
For anyone looking for a career in care whether it be a Support Worker or a Manager, I would definitely recommend the Hesley Group.