Bank Support Worker - Supported Living

At Making Space we care about people. We embrace the diversity of our people and celebrate our shared ambition of making a difference to people’s lives. Our service users and their families are at the heart of everything that we do.

At Making Space we have a strong workforce that every day, continue to play their part in supporting our charity and are always celebrating our shared ambition of making a difference to people’s lives. The team at Making Space are dedicated, skilled and most importantly, friendly to others.

We aim to work in true and equal partnership with our service users, across all levels of the organisation.

Employee learning and development is really important to us as an organisation. If you were to join the Making Space team, we can ensure you that we will help you with all the training that you need. As an organisation we can help you develop the skills and knowledge to go further in your career with our extensive learning and development programme. On the job coaching, mentoring, team briefings, action learning sets and peer to peer coaching are just some alternative methods for our employees to consider when learning.

Meet Toni – Involvement Co-ordinator in Liverpool

And discover her career in care supporting vulnerable and isolated people.

Meet Danielle - Flexible working helps busy mum of twins Danielle support carers in Calderdale

Danielle Lewis is a carer support worker with the Calderdale Carers Wellbeing Service. After working in a range of care roles since she was 19, Danielle (now 32) says Making Space gives her the flexibility to combine a job she loves with being a busy mum of five-year-old twin girls.

“I’ve only ever worked in the care sector – ultimately it’s just because I like helping people,” she says. “I didn’t have the greatest of upbringings so I always feel like I want to make a difference to people’s lives and do what I can to help. I can’t wave a magic wand and make their problems go away, but I can listen and make sure people are heard and feel valued.

“I started off doing home care at 19, then moved onto be a senior carer in a residential home for people with dementia. I worked in a hospital for a few years as a healthcare assistant and spent seven years working in radiology before moving on to work with care leavers aged 16 to 18. After that I came to work with Making Space.”

In her current role, Danielle works in a team of five people who support carers in the Calderdale area. 

“I work in the Lower Valley locality, supporting carers with whatever they need,” she explains. “That could be anything from emotional wellbeing to carer needs assessments and emergency back-up plans. People can contact us whenever they need help and we’ll never turn them away.”

A former carer herself, Danielle says she knows the types of struggles that people face.

“I was a carer for a family member for a while and it was a real struggle for me,” she admits. “So I can see things from a carer’s point of view – you get thrown into a situation where you feel like you’re the only who can provide that care and you can feel trapped.

“Part of the support we offer in Calderdale is helping people to bring their caring role to an end and find alternative care. That’s a really tough decision to make but it’s a perfectly valid one. I have a lot of empathy for people and will do anything I can do to make their lives easier, and I would never judge anyone for the decisions they make.”

As a mum of twins, Danielle says the support she gets from Making Space allows her to focus on the wellbeing of carers while also taking care of the needs of her family.

“Making Space is the best employer I’ve ever worked for, and Lydia is the best manager I’ve ever had,” she says. “They’re so flexible and it makes such a difference to know that if I have commitments I can just speak to Lydia without worrying about it being a problem.

“It takes the pressure off just knowing they’re approachable and that if anything was to happen I can just call in and explain. In the past, even asking for time off caused issues. I’ve worked for companies where I had to go in even when I had a contagious sickness bug. When you feel like you can’t even ask the question it makes life so much more difficult and stressful.”

As well as providing flexibility, Danielle says that Making Space and manager Lydia support her with her own mental health needs.

“We have access to a wellbeing programme, and I’ve also been able to speak to a counsellor who has experience related to my needs,” she says.

“I’ve never known an employer who is so focused on the wellbeing of its employees before, it’s just amazing. When people are interested in you and what you do, it makes you feel so valued.

“I want to pass that on – to make sure other people feel seen and heard because I know what a difference it makes.”

Read the blog we wrote for Care and Support Jobs here