Meet Paige

Paige was a hairdresser for ten years before making the move into residential childcare, and has never looked back.

How did you start working in children’s homes?

I used to be a hairdresser actually for ten years, and I wanted to change my career. I love working with people. I’ve always loved people, and my friend and my sister used to do this job. They said, “We think you’d be really good at it, because of your personality.”

I used to be really interested as well and ask loads of questions about it and I just thought, Why not? I applied, got the job and I’ve not looked back ever since. Been doing it for four years now.

Tell me about your career journey.

It’s four years since I started. I started as a residential childcare practitioner. Absolutely loved that, and then progressed into my role. Completed my Level 3. Went up to a Shift Leader, Level 1, 2 and 3, and a job came up where I am now as Assistant Manager. I went for it and I got it.   

I’d love to be a Registered Manager. I’m Level 5 now.

Tell me about the needs of the children you care for

They just need consistency, routine, lots of love, lots of nurture. Obviously they’ve all got their own little needs, their emotional, behavioural difficulties. Some have autism, ADHD, but they need lots of love, lots of consistency and that’s what we give them and they respond really well to that.

What does a day in a home for you look like?

An average normal day in a children’s home, you’d think if you’ve got children yourself at home – you wake them up, bring them up a cup of tea in bed, make sure their breakfast is ready for them. Encourage them to brush their teeth and get ready, take them to school. They’ll come back. You spend some time with them – might go to the park or take them to a club, get their dinner ready. Spend some time with them in the evening, playing games or whatever they like doing, and then it’s settling them to bed. Encouraging them to go in the bath, get their PJs on. Some like a little cuddle and a bed time story at night, and putting them to bed.

What do you think the children and young people need that children’s homes provide?

The children need lots of encouragement to follow their routines. A lot of them come from chaotic backgrounds and they’ve not really had routines and things, so we establish them with them. They are a part of that planning. They might need incentives and rewards, to work towards. Once they’ve done them for quite a long period of time it gets engrained into their life, which is actually quite nice to see.

The children I care for come from quite chaotic backgrounds. A lot of neglect, abuse, emotional trauma, and things like that. Not a lot of consistency in their life. They may not have been to school for long periods of time, not attended any health appointments, not had regular meals and experienced nice things in life. A lot of children that are in residential care have often come from foster care homes. A lot of times those placements have broken down. I feel a lot of children in foster care sometimes struggle with that environment because it is quite a family environment, and I think residential is better for them because there’s more staff caring for them and they get different faces and things like that.

I think sometimes a lot of children are still quite loyal to their family, and being in that foster care environment, I think they do struggle with that personally.

And it depends on the behaviour as well and their emotional needs. Sometimes they need that additional support in residential care. That’s what we can give them.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?   

I think sometimes the children can go through really difficult periods, patches in their life, and they can sometimes struggle with their self-esteem and their self-worth. It’s quite difficult seeing that, and it’s just working with them every day and making them have that self-belief that they’re great and they’re amazing. In six months’ time you can look back and think, “Wow, they’ve come so far.”

It's coming every day with a fresh slate and trying again, and we’ll try every day for them.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? 

Seeing how far they’ve come. I’ve got a 15 year old lad at the moment, and he’s just learnt how to ride a bike. It’s just little things like that, I just think, “Oh, my God. It’s great.”

We had a talent show last week with all the kids. They all got up and did a little performance, they’re singing and dancing, and DJ’ing and all sorts. I think it’s amazing that you can get up in front of all these people and perform. I wouldn’t be able to do that, so things like that – little moments.

I’ve got a boy that didn’t go to school for three years and now he goes full time. He’s in a mainstream school and he’s doing really well. That’s great. So I think little things like that – the little wins are a huge feeling.

Tell me about a child / young person that you remember, their journey and outcomes.

A lad that’s no longer with us actually, but he’d been with us since he was 13. He had quite a troubled background. He came to us and he went to school full time and then he went onto college, and he achieved his Level 1 and 2 in Carpentry. He got a job and then he moved onto Supported Living, and he’s doing great. He drives a moped, and I think he’s going to go to university. I’m like, “Wow, that’s amazing. Just seeing where you’ve come from and where you are. You’ve made the most of this experience.” He’s done really good.

What are you career plans for the future?

I’d like to be a Registered Manager myself one day. I’m going towards that direction in my career.

I started as a residential childcare practitioner. I was then put on my Level 3 qualification which I completed. I then progressed within my role naturally up to Shift Leader Level 3. An opportunity then came up for me to go for an Assistant Manager role, which I took. During that I completed my Level 5, which is great, and now I’m in line to getting a Registered Manager’s role.

What would you like to say to someone watching this who is thinking about working in a children’s home?

You won’t find a job (well, it’s not really a job) as rewarding as this. You don’t feel like you’re coming into work. You’re coming here to change children’s lives and you can see them progress and develop, and just help them have an amazing life.