“It’s all about coming back.”
After leaving school and competing a film and media course, which she quickly determined wasn’t for her, Orla Rogan, decided to explore social care as a career path. Orla applied for a role with the Simon Community’s Housing First for Youth programme which sowed the seeds for a fruitful career as a social care practitioner.
Having now worked with the Simon Community for three years, Orla’s decision to then also explore the possibility of embarking on a Degree in Social Work, came from first-hand experience of creating and witnessing change in real people’s lives. Orla’s journey illustrates why social care is not just a career, but a powerful and personal vocation for life.
Seeing the impact first-hand
As a social care practitioner with the Simon Community’s Housing First for Youth programme, Orla’s caseload comprises of 16-24-year-olds transitioning out of the care system. Challenges for the young people she works with can include housing support, learning new life skills, support for medical appointments, social engagements and much more.
“There are about 4,000 children living in temporary accommodation in Northern Ireland right now,” Orla says. It’s a figure that hits hard — especially for someone who sees the impact of this crisis every day. “These young people have no one to look out for and care for them, so that is exactly what we do every day. We give them safe support and someone to turn to.”
Social care is a mentally tough vocation, but it is tremendously rewarding to see the ‘small wins.’ They may seem minor to those on the outside but can be life changing to those involved. One of the stories that has stayed with Orla is about a young woman many viewed as too challenging to work with. “She was a very complex young person. But we worked hard to build her trust in us and help her understand that we could be a positive influence on her life. She’s still her and she still has her moments, like we all do. But, now we can spend most of the day with her and its really productive; it’s crazy, the difference I saw in just a year.”
The power of showing up
“Social care is not about us fixing anyone, it’s about the person themselves doing the work they need to do and helping them become more resilient. We just continue to show up,” says Orla.
This idea of ‘showing up’ comes up a lot in Orla’s reflections. In social care, consistency, perseverance and presence are powerful tools. From her experience, she has learnt that aggression can sometimes be a form of self-protection and is quite often a ‘test’ to see if she’ll keep coming back to the person she is supporting. “So many people have been abandoned throughout their lives, and this behaviour is a way of asking, ‘Will you leave me too?’.” And that’s at the heart of it — being someone who comes back.
Fighting for justice, not just support
It’s no surprise to anyone that today’s teenagers are growing up in a world that is dominated by conflict, which is heightened through the power of social media. Addressing this is a huge part of Orla’s role as a social care practitioner working with young people. Orla is passionate about the social barriers the people she supports face. From young people navigating gender identity, to asylum-seeking teenagers facing racism, the challenges are daunting and deeply rooted in society. “Social justice has always been important to me,” she says. “It’s the core of what social care practitioners and social workers do – that is one of the reasons why I am wanting to do the Degree in Social Work.”
A role that changes you
Orla’s day job deeply shaped her decision to return to education. Now studying an access course at Belfast Met with the goal of completing a Degree in Social Work, she draws clear connections between her academic learning and her frontline experience. “Studying psychology and sociology has really helped deepen my understanding of my role as a social care practitioner,” she explains. “Last year we were learning about attachment theory, and I just thought, I can apply this to so many scenarios in my social care work.”
That kind of insight is what makes social care such a unique blend of empathy, science, and social justice. “You start to understand why a young person reacts the way they do. You see how trauma and instability shape everything — how they process emotions, how they make connections.”
Looking ahead with openness
So, what’s next for Orla? She is not exactly sure where her future will lead as she is still early on in her career and social care and social work are such diverse professions. Although she is hoping to be accepted on to a Degree in Social Work, if this doesn’t happen, she will continue to pursue her career in social care. “That’s what I love about this field — there are so many ways to be involved and develop my career,” she says.
Orla’s openness and adaptability will be key to a long and fulfilling career in the care profession. Even fields she once found daunting, like probation services (where her mother worked), are now possibilities. “It’s not that it’s easy— it’s not, but it is essential work. Seeing what’s possible and how you can help change lives, makes you want to try.”
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.