“The biggest satisfaction comes from knowing you have truly helped someone”
After having various jobs early on, ending up in social care was not originally on the cards for Vincent Robinson, yet eight years later, and a packed career journey, Vinnie is still loving his social care role.
Vinnie’s introduction to Harmony Community Care came via his aunt who was a Community Care Assistant and who also worked in the office.
Speaking about the transition into social care, the 29-year-old from Lisburn explained, “It was a much smoother transition than I had expected. I had it built up in my head to be scarier, but within a week of starting, I realised it wasn’t like anything I had in mind.
“I saw straight away the impact my job had on people. I was quite fortunate that I started seeing the same people every day on my own, and sometimes I was calling on them up to four times a day. I was the face they saw all the time. I could see how important that was for them.”
Vincent believes his ‘eyes were opened’ to the way people live.
“I never really thought about the fact not everyone has a solid family structure until I started going out into the community and seeing things for myself. Then I saw that there were so many people who don’t have anyone to advocate for them.”
One of the things Vincent was shocked to find was that his job didn’t revolve just around personal care but involved so much more. This, however, was an important part, and a privilege to support people with.
Explaining what his day-to-day looked like as a Community Care Assistant, he said,
“I would have around eight visits to support people in the morning. Each visit is different, but in the morning, I would be there to help the people I supported to get up, washed and dressed. I would make them breakfast and some would need help eating or taking their medications. At night, I would help them freshen up and get ready for bed. But mainly, we would have a chat about their plans for the day, and how they were feeling. That contact and chat is so important, especially for those who don’t have any other visitors.”
Within a year of being in the role, Vincent found himself moving up to a Senior Care Assistant position, giving him the opportunity to see social care from a different perspective.
In 2018 a vacancy arose for the post of Care Coordinator, Vincent had completed his Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care and with his experience felt confident to take the next step. Vincent said, “I was doing rotas for the first time, and I was responsible for 15 members of staff. I was in charge of monitoring them, as well as checking in with the people they support to make sure everything was okay.
In 2022 Vincent decided to start a Degree in Nursing, thinking that was where he was going to end up if he wanted to continue to progress in his career. During his studies, he stayed working in social care as a member of ‘bank’ staff with Harmony Community Care Services, allowing him to do the occasional support visit and stay familiar with people he had been supporting.
However, after two years and deciding nursing was not the right direction for him, he saw the vacancy for a management position with Harmony Community Care. As this was where is he enjoyed working the most he decided to apply and was promoted to his current position of Home Care Manager in April this year (2024).
Explaining his decision to leave the nursing degree, Vincent said, “In social care, you can make a direct impact on people’s lives in the community in which you live every day. In hospitals, you treat the illness, which is amazing, but in social care, you treat the person in a different way and in a way, I know I am good at. Everything is tailored to their needs and to help them keep their independence.”
“It suited me to work in an environment where I could see I was making a difference, where I could build relationships with people over a long period rather than help them when they had a shorter hospital stay.”
As a Home Care Manager, Vincent, along with his other managers, is now in charge of approximately 90 staff. While his main responsibilities are now focussed on different things like training staff, dealing with issues that arise with people who are receiving support, and aiding with day-to-day calls, he still goes out for community visits to support people by himself on the weekend, something which he finds very important.
“If the people we support see social care managers going out on to provide them with support too, then it proves to them everybody at Harmony Community Care Services – truly cares. There are four managers here, and if there was a phone call to our office concerning one of the 250 people our service supports, one of us would know them really well on a personal level as individuals and about their care,” Vincent explained.
One main thing Vincent loves about his job is the satisfaction that comes from helping people.
He said, “In terms of the office side of things, it’s amazing when I see younger people starting in social care love their job – just like I first did, especially if they may have been unsure if it was the right path for them. But from a community perspective, I feel the most satisfaction from knowing you have helped someone else. Sitting with them and having a conversation can make all the difference to their lives.”
Vincent is currently completing his Train the Trainer qualification, along with his Level 5 Health and Social Care qualification, and his advice for anyone considering a career in social care is to “just get started”, especially men who may be looking for a new start.
Vincent explained, “It’s a predominantly female job, which can sometimes be a challenge when the people you support don’t expect a man to come and help them each day. The percentage of men who work with us thankfully continues to grow.”
“Social care is a great career. There’s no end to what you can continue to do, and you can always change your direction while on the path. I thought my route was nursing, but it wasn’t – all roads led me back to social care.”
Not only does Vincent believe social care work is an amazing way to professionally develop, but he also believes it has helped his personal development.
“I used to be an introvert, but coming into this job and interacting with people every day has helped me become extroverted. I’ll speak to anyone, and it’s all down to the communication skills I have developed in this role. It’s an amazing career choice.”
Feeling inspired? Working together to change people’s lives… Make a difference by embarking on your journey into social care. For more information on how you can start your journey check out our A career in social care page or read more social care stories here.
ENDS