When we said we needed help with recruitment and letting people know what the benefits of working for St Michael’s are, our deputy manager, Hannah said she’d help. She works in one of our Family Assessment Centres and wants more people to know how important the work we do is. Here she explains how she’s making a difference to families lives and developing with us professionally. Thanks Hannah.
What did you do before you came to St Michaels as deputy manager?
Before working for St Michael’s Fellowship, I was working within a private (for-profit) residential family assessment centre. This gave me experience within this setting and allowed me to see how varied and unique the work was. I moved to St Michael’s as I felt that the values it holds and promotes match my own values. Prior this worked in charities including Young Minds, NSPCC, and ICYE Bolivia, and before this early year’s care and education.
What is the best thing about working as a deputy manager at St Michael’s?
As deputy manager, I can not only work alongside families, but also contribute to the daily running of the assessment centre. It is a challenging role due to the breadth of work that you are involved in. But this also makes it unique in that no day will be similar and there are always opportunities to think creatively in problem solving.
What made you want to work at St Michael’s?
I liked the fact that St Michael’s Fellowship is a charity that works hard to support disadvantaged children and families. The approach it takes is to consider the whole family while keeping the child’s needs as central and this is a value that is reflected across the organisation and matched my own.
What support do you get at St Michaels?
I have a highly supportive team around me at 46. We meet weekly for team meetings and also attempt to hold social events every few months when we can; also, within the centre I receive fortnightly supervision from my manager, as well as there being an open door policy for informal supervisions. I am supported to access appropriate training and to use my strengths in being creative and problem solving on a day to day basis. I also have peer support from the other deputy managers within St Michael’s, as we meet every six weeks for deputy manager’s meetings.
What are the benefits for you of working here?
I have been able to build on my skills around working directly with families, as well as be in a position to develop resources to support change for parents. I have also been able to strengthen my position as a manager through training, developing my knowledge and confidence around supporting others. I enjoy the commitment that the teams across St Michael’s have to their work and to improving the lives of families, whether assessments are successful or not – this is reflected by the long-term relationships we build with parents.
What would you say to someone wanting to come and work here?
St Michael’s is a charity that is committed to working hard to offer outstanding assessments for families. It is challenging work, but unique in that you will work with families with multiple complex needs and be able to build trusting relationships which can support parents to achieve change. In my experience there is no other work like it!
If you want to know more about the benefits of working for us read here. You can also sign up for our job alerts at the bottom right of our main page.