Meet Priya

Priya used to work in a nursery, but wanted a career with more opportunity to make a real difference.

How did you start working in children’s homes?

I started working in children’s homes because I used to work in a nursery, but I always knew that I wanted to work with kids. I wanted to find a career that I was happy in, that I found rewarding and where I could give back a little bit more.

What’s the difference?

Oh, you don’t have a hundred screaming toddlers around your feet, but this is different in terms of I feel like obviously you can communicate a lot more. As I said, it’s a lot more rewarding. I’m somebody that will always put other people before me, so I felt this was the perfect job.

Tell us a little about the needs of the children you work with.

For me, personally, I feel it’s basic needs they might not have got in the past. For example, love, care, nurture, stability, and during the summer holidays making their days as action packed as we can, getting them out and things like that.

I think that children in children’s homes need what they lacked before. They need love, they need the stability, they need nurturing, because at the end of the day they’re still kids no matter what situation they’re in. They need to have a great childhood still, and that’s what we all try our best to do. Give them on a day to day everything that they didn’t have before.

What does a typical day for you look like?

At the moment it’s summer holidays. In the morning we’ll come down for breakfast and we’ll sit together and eat. Then probably just chill out and then plan some activities for the day, just making sure that we are constantly doing something with them – whether that be chilling out, or going out either to the park or ice skating or something like that. Just as long as we get that time with them, but making it worthwhile.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

There’s so many rewarding things about this job. Anyone who puts their trust into you from the get-go, I feel that’s rewarding in itself. Feeling they can come to you about anything. For example, we had a little leaving party the other day for one of the residents, one of the kids, and we were doing karaoke. We all just came together like staff and the children and everybody was singing. There wasn’t a frown in sight. Everybody was so happy. All the kids are smiling and singing.

At the start all the kids were like, “Oh, I want to sing, but I just don’t have the confidence at the moment.” But where all the staff were really encouraging them and building up their confidence, by the end of it it was just so amazing to see. It was really, really lovely. Everyone was so happy. Everyone went to bed on a high. Everybody was just feeling really great. It was so lovely. For me, for everybody, for us to see, it was just so nice. Just to see all the kids happy at once and doing what they wanted to do in the first place, and had finally got the confidence to do.

And any particular challenges you experience?

I think for me, the challenging part is seeing a child upset or hurt in any way – maybe they might wake up and not have a great day and stuff like that. For me, that’s challenging.

For me, personally, I’ve had a great time since working here. Every day is different. Every day is so different and of course obviously from time to time we all have our mood swings or we wake up feeling like it’s not going to be a great day, but if we can get the kids out of that, then for me that’s a great day. At the end of the day, we just know it will be a good day.

What are your career plans for the future?

I really, really, really hope that I’m in this career for a long time. It’s because since I started working, I’ve constantly always been changing jobs. As soon as I started here, I just knew. From the first day I started I was like, “Yeah, I absolutely love it here.” Everyone was so welcoming and all the kids were great. It’s weird because even though they’re not your kids they just feel like your kids. I’ve got attached straightaway and it was lovely, and I think that’s really important as well.               

If you’re going to come into a job like this, I do feel you should plan to stay for as long as you can because you are building up relationships and you are there for the child every single step of their life until they move on. It’s been great.

Your message to others considering a role in residential childcare?

I would say do it. A hundred per cent do it. I’m not a parent myself, but since working here I’ve found so many emotions that I thought I couldn’t even have yet. I’m so grateful for every day. No matter if it's a good day, no matter if it’s a bad day, you still come away thinking you did your best. You did something good today. I always think caring for other people is so special because someone like me I would always put other people before myself, a hundred per cent, and I think people like me and anybody else who’s the same, this is the perfect job for you. The kids are so great. I’ve only been here a little while and my relationships with them are amazing and I wouldn’t change it at all.