This week is #CarersWeek. Carers Week occurs annually, aiming to raise awareness of caring and highlight the challenges carers face throughout the UK – particularly unpaid carers.
Although, our carers are not unpaid, they go above and beyond for the young people we care for. Therefore, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to celebrate some of our wonderful residential care team.
Today, we are celebrating Donna Shrimpton, Registered Manager of the Orchard. Although Donna joined CCL in June 2013, she started her career in care in 1998 and has 23 years’ experience in the care industry. At the time, Donna was completing a Nursery Nursing course at Sixth Form College when she needed some extra money, so applied for a part-time caring job. She was very nervous about it, as it wasn’t something she had previously done. However, she is so glad she did it and hasn’t looked back since!
On speaking in more depth with Donna about why she joined the care sector, she said “My parents have always fostered children since I was young, so I have been brought up in a caring environment. When I applied for the part-time caring role during college, I decided that’s what I wanted to do. I then went on to apply for BUPA home health care, which involved caring for younger and older people with complex needs in their own homes. This helped me gain experience in care, and it still helps me today”.
Donna started her career at CCL in June 2013 as a Support Worker, progressing to Deputy Manager, then Registered Manager of Hall Bank Mews and she is now Registered Manager of the Orchard. When speaking to Donna about what she loves about working at CCL, she said “It is like an extended family. The residents are great and the staff that work for Condover have the vision to help our young people to experience everyday life as it should be, helping them develop, mature into adulthood and be part of their communities”.
She added “Every day is different, and you’re kept on your toes, which make the job interesting. The support we get from the senior management team is great and they are always there to listen, guide and support you whenever they can”.
Donna also said her favourite part of working in the care sector was “Seeing the excitement on the young people’s faces when they see friends and family, and seeing the joy that parents feel when their young person has achieved a mile-stone. I also love listening to parents praising out team for their continued hard work – this is why I love my job, as we always have a goal to work towards”.
A lovely story! A huge thank you to Donna for taking her time to discuss her career in care, and for helping us celebrate carers – I think we can all agree, they do a marvellous job.
Carers Week is the 14th- 20th June. To see how else you can get involved, follow the link: https://www.carersweek.org
Please note: some of these photos are pre-COVID.
