I had friends who were doing all different kinds of care work, so I had some idea of what it was about. I’d joined them on holidays to give extra support with their service users.  But really, if you’re not working within this industry, you’re not quite sure what it’s all about.

Of course, I’d also seen support and care workers going out in the community with wheelchair users and things like that, and I wondered how you came to work in care. I was interested in the fact of just how people are and learning about their individual backgrounds. That process is still ongoing – you’re constantly learning in this job. Everyone has a personal history about how they came to be in care. It’s always interesting to talk to them and hear their stories.

Before working in care, I did a lot of things actually! I worked in retail, I worked in administration, I worked in art. In fact, I studied an arts degree.

I’d previously worked in care for about 4 and a half years, working with people with mixed learning difficulties and challenging behaviours, all different ages. I wasn’t happy with the management in that job, so decided to move on. Be Caring were the first company I applied to, mainly because Allendale was advertised as a place specifically for people with autism and learning difficulties. The timing was just right really – I applied and got the job.

As I joined right at the start of the programme, I did a few shifts and sleepovers and got to know the people who were going to move in here. I met a couple of guys up in Northumberland to get to know them and help them transition.

You get the satisfaction of getting on with a certain person you’re working with – forming a connection with someone, it really makes the job worthwhile. You get a smile, and you think ‘great, I’ve achieved something there’.

Sometimes people will say something and it’s so surprising and you think ‘oh, that’s brilliant! How do you know about that!’ Or they might confide in you about certain things. Like today, I was having a talk with two service users and they were telling me about their past – their school days and the terrible things they’ve gone through, but also the good times. It reminds me of certain things that I went through when I was young, a long time ago, but it brings it back.

A lot of people here are really into music like me. It’s just really good to get on with someone on that level and share things you’re both into.

There are different levels to everyone, but the more you’re with somebody and hit it off, you really get to know them. And it gives them a chance to know you too, which is really important. Rather than having this barrier where you’re the worker and you’re there because you have to be, and they’re here because they’ve been put here. It’s not like that.

When you feel as though you’re not getting anywhere with a certain person you’re working with, that’s disappointing.  But as in general life you don’t get on with everyone, so there’s always going to be the occasional mismatch. Occasionally it doesn’t work, though you’re not forced to work together, other arrangements can be made. It’s better for everyone’s happiness.

Most of the time though, once you reach that point where you have a working relationship and there’s trust, common interests as well as experiences, then yes, it’s really good.

The other challenging thing is that with Allendale being only a two year residency, I think a lot of people don’t actually want to leave. They get to know people who work here, and they get that security, and then they move on. But that’s our job really – to help people become more independent and move on with their lives.

I think a lot of people in my age group have been through certain things, or been made unemployed, and it’s a good thing to get into. There’s a lot of satisfaction to be gained and it’s a stable job really, open to most people.

In fact, my brother has recently trained as a carer! I never dreamt he’d work in this sector as he’d done all sorts of engineering jobs before. He was recently made unemployed and as he’s coming up to retirement age, he wanted to do something different. He says he’s really enjoying it! It shows you get all kinds of people doing this job, which I like.

Before I came into care, I didn’t really know it existed, only the care in the community side of things. I didn’t know how vast it is – there are so many aspects to care. Allendale is a specialised unit really, but you can move around in it. I never fancied domiciliary care as I always wanted to be in one place.

Having some life experience helps, but I don’t think it’s necessary. People come in quite young to work here and they’re usually open minded with a fresh outlook. Young women especially seem to get a lot out of it. Sometimes they’re the same age as the people we support, which can help, or much younger so they learn from each other.