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Career Case Study - Emma's Story
Emma – Customer Services Manager
"Bluebird Care Wandsworth understand that everyone has individual aspirations, skills and strengths and that's why, whatever path our Care Assistants take, there is always an opportunity to develop your career."
Emma is a Customer Services Manager for Bluebird Care Wandsworth, leading her own team, supporting vulnerable adults to live independently and safely in the comfort of their own home.
She started with Bluebird Care Wandsworth as a Care Assistant and progressed to her current role through her eagerness to learn, her friendly, helpful personality, her desire to exceed expectations and her willingness to take on extra responsibilities.
Emma was promoted a number of times to reach her present position of Customer Services Manager following her successful completion of Level 5 Health & Social Care.
What is a Customer Services Manager?
Emma's role involves:
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Meeting new Customers and assessing their care needs
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Developing care plans and setting up the package of care
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Introducing Care Assistants to new Customers
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Performing regular Customer Reviews to ensure the service is running as it should
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Delivering on-the-spot training to Care Assistants as required
How did she get here?
Emma studied Health and Social Care at college and gained a Level 3 qualification. She underwent a variety of placements before deciding her passion lay in helping older vulnerable people. After college, she joined a care agency as a Care Assistant and loved it. She found the work rewarding and went home with a smile on her face nearly every day.
Emma joined Bluebird Care as a Care Assistant. She was promoted to part-time Field Care Supervisor. This meant she continued delivering care and in addition, took on more responsibilities such as spot checking, medication checks and meeting with Customers to ensure they were happy with the care they were receiving.
After a year, she was invited to work in the office learning their administrative procedures and supporting the Co-ordination team. This gave Emma the opportunity to learn a range of new skills and she began to realise what went into keeping a care business running well!
As the organisation grew, Emma had proved herself ready for promotion and she was made Care Supervisor in a full time position and then Customer Services Manager reporting directly to our Care Manager and with a small team of her own.
Where can it take her?
Throughout her career Emma has understood the importance of continuing to learn new things and she undertaken a range of short courses to support her career including dementia care and Parkinson’s disease.
Emma’s ambition for the future is to carry on doing what she feels passionately about and perhaps one day become a Care Manager, something her level 5 Diploma will support her with.
What would she say to others interested in a career in care?
Emma says:
not everyone can work in care; you need to be the right type of person.
She suggests approaching your work as if you were caring for your own family as this will mean you always provide the best care you can. If, like Emma, you would like career progression, her advice is:
If there’s an opportunity – always take it and look for ways to shine. Always do your best.
She explains that a bad experience in social care can be just as valuable as a good one, as it will help you learn, understand more about your own abilities and help you decide which role is really right for you.
If you’re keen to progress and develop, she suggests looking for an employer that offers good support and ongoing training.