As part of our Meet the Team blog series, our new Safeguarding Lead Clare Knox has spoken about the roles she's held since starting out as a Sessional Worker in 2017.
How long have you worked at Changing Lives, and what roles have you had in your time? Tell us a bit more about your roles.
I started in 2017 in Newcastle as student on placement. At the time I was studying a youth and community work degree with Sunderland University. In 2018, I became a sessional worker, and then in 2019 I became a support worker in Durham. I fell in love with Changing Lives and the services that we provided. I then went onto become a Senior Support Worker and then a Project Lead. I was Project Lead of The Fells, which provided accommodation for 49 males.
In my time as Project Lead, I led on a team of twenty people who were support workers, senior support workers, maintenance and a mental health hub; which I developed with our commissioner’s. I was really lucky to have a passionate and committed team. Together we worked together to support the men in our service. Late on last year I became the service manager of Durham, where I have oversight of a number of accommodations in Durham, including dispersed properties, a women’s service and two male services.
Within my time as service manager, despite it being short. I worked with a great project lead and adult social care commissioner; where we developed two hospital discharge beds for people who were facing homeless on discharge. Also, worked with housing commissioners and my manager on developing a women’s service for a longer-term accommodation for women in Durham to hopefully to break the cycle of homelessness with more intense and longer support.
We have also had the news that the mental health hub for Durham to support a forty-nine-bed accommodation will be going into year two. We are taking a new approach and will be recruiting social workers. This is so exciting and vital, to have social workers embedded in an all-male accommodation. I can’t wait to see how this progresses.
What does your new role entail?
My new role as the Safeguarding and Safe practice Lead will have oversight of the organisations approach and responses to safeguarding. I will be focusing on our internal practices, mitigating risks and responsible for our polices. I will be providing safeguarding advice and guidance to all staff. I haven’t started yet but I am taking the lead on Safeguarding week in November, and I am so excited for this.
Also, this is a national role. So, I will be able to travel and visit all services and meet and work with different members of staff.
How does your role differ from your former role now you hold more responsibility?
In my current role as Service manager no day is the same, one day I could be developing a new service or project to supporting in a service with the people who access it as we could be short staffed. Within my new role, I will be able to focus on one element which is something that I am really passionate about.
Both roles bring their own responsibility but in different ways. As service manager I was responsible for four services and buildings, including staff and most importantly the people accessing our services. In my new role I will be responsible for developing policies and processes, creating a culture of safety and safe practices in the organisation and developing further safeguarding training for all staff and volunteers.
How do you feel you had to develop professionally (and personally) in order to secure your new role?
To develop professionally I have worked with some great managers and colleagues who I have learnt so much from, I have been quite lucky to work with the people that I have. I embrace challenges and I am always learning from lessons to develop further. Any training that comes up, I do. I’m always curious and asking questions.
I think personally, it's not taking work home with me. Sometimes it can be difficult as we deal with some really sad situations or tough situations. But it’s important to have that cut off when you go home to have that work and life balance. Having factors at home such as going for walks or gym to help you clear your mind set is important - I’m no good to Changing Lives or my family if I don’t get that right.
