Sarah
Having worked as a carer in a residential home for many years, Sarah Barber found that elements of the job were beginning to take their toll on her emotionally. She knew she wanted to stay in care but was keen to find a new role which would utilise her extensive skill set, while leaving her feeling more uplifted and fulfilled – enter, ECL!
“I’d always felt supported by my team at ECL and I knew that they would be behind me 100%...”
As an experienced and compassionate carer, Sarah prided herself on being able to build close relationships with the patients she looked after in her residential care home.
However, as a result of her empathetic nature she often struggled to come to terms with the loss of those she had grown so fond of. With a heavy heart, she decided it was time to move on from residential care in 2018 and began looking for her next challenge.
Sarah says, “I originally joined ECL as a Community Care Assistant (CCA), working with the company’s reablement service. I used to get so upset when elderly patients would pass away in my previous job and I thought that taking on short-term placements would stop me getting so attached. That didn’t quite turn out to be the case – it’s amazing how strong your relationship with a customer can become, even over a four-to-six-week period – but I knew that at the end of it I would be leaving them stronger and more independent which was fantastic to see.”
As her daughter got older, Sarah found herself with more time to focus on mapping out her long-term career goals. She was keen to take on more responsibility, so when the opportunity to apply for a position as a Trusted Assessor came along her colleagues encouraged her to go for it.
“With my daughter growing up, I was able to think about what I wanted out of my career,” says Sarah. “I’d always felt supported by my team at ECL and I knew that they would be behind me 100% when I decided to pursue the Trusted Assessor role. The idea of being able to see a case through, from the initial assessment of a customer, to watching them progress towards self-care really appealed to me and I was absolutely delighted when I found out I’d got the job.”
Now, Sarah spends her days supporting both customers and CCAs alike. She says, “As a Trusted Assessor, I’m directly involved in evaluating a person’s needs and ensuring that a bespoke plan is put in place to meet them. Helping our customers to achieve their goals is a hugely rewarding part of the job and it’s important to me that our community carers benefit from that same level of support. I’m learning all the time and so far, I’m loving it!”