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 Sarah Lofts, Deputy Manager of the Crescent. Pictured is Sarah with Keiron and then Sarah with Sam at the Crescent. Sarah started her caring career 19 years ago in an elderly residential care setting. Over the years, Sarah has worked in nursing environments and residential care settings with adults with learning disabilities and the elderly. During this time, Sarah had a short break to start her family, but soon knew she needed to be back in the care sector, which is when she applied for a Support Worker role at CCL in September 2014.
When asking Sarah why she joined the care sector she said “I liked the idea of working in healthcare, but wasn’t sure if it was right for me. I learned to love the job role and was able to study finance at college part-time too. I really enjoyed making others comfortable and helping them live the best lives they could”.
Sarah also added “I’ve always been compassionate and empathetic to others. After a few years of working in an elderly care setting, I felt I could give more, so sought something more challenging. Whilst I was living in Yorkshire, I worked for another company within the SEND sector and I loved it and that’s when I realised I wanted to stay working in this setting”.
Sarah also talked about how she loves working at CCL, adding “All the training opportunities they’ve given me over the years have helped me pursue one of my passions, and the learners I’ve had the privilege to work with has been fulfilling. It’s great to know I’ve helped some fabulous guys live meaningfully lives. It gives me a great sense of achievement.”
Sarah also mentioned that her favourite thing about working in the care sector is that no day is the same and those who she has cared for over the years have made her who she is today.
A huge thank you to Sarah for taking her time to discuss her career in care and for helping us celebrate carers!
Carers Week is the 14th– 20th June. To see how else you can get involved, follow the link: https://www.carersweek.org
