From support worker to manager

Manager Stef explains his career journey at NCHA and recommends a career in adult social care because no two days are ever the same. Stef gains great job satisfaction from knowing that he can make people happy and give his team the support they need.

Stef started working at NCHA in 2004 as a Support Worker and steadily progressed to a management role. Here’s how he did it;

“I joined NCHA at the age of 21 as a full-time member of staff, sharing my role between floating support and a young person’s service. I really enjoyed the role and felt like I was making a real difference to people’s lives. I found the job really rewarding so ended up staying and changing my career plans, which had originally been in Health and Safety!

“I felt like part of the NCHA family and I can say that I have grown up here! I feel valued, as they have inspired me to develop my skills and progress in to a management role.

“I was like a sponge, I wanted to soak up as much experience as I possibly could. I have worked across 12 different services at NCHA including young persons, floating support, learning disabilities and mental health supported housing and supported living.“

Stef had no formal care experience but had the right values and transferable skills for the role. In 2014, Stef applied for a permanent Assistant Manager position, he was later promoted to a manager role in 2020 and now manages a team of 17 people.

Stef enjoys his current role of managing multiple services for NCHA. He’ll continue to learn new ways of working to improve what he does and believes continuous learning is crucial so that he can keep up-to-date with the sector and learn new ways of supporting the people around him.

If you think you would like to give working in care and support a go, take a look at our current job vacancies.