Celebrating #WorldSocialWorkDay

Kelly's story

Last year I worked with Clare, a 40 year old woman who was born with a condition that means he needs to use a wheelchair, and needs support to get out of bed, or into the bath, and sometimes needs help to do other day-to-day activities. 

With two young children, Clare schedule changed a lot, and the type of help she needed would change each week, which meant scheduling regular help was difficult. Instead, I offered Sarah the chance to use Direct Payments, which meant she could choose what type of support she needed and when.

Clare now uses Direct Payments for two Personal Assistants, who work around Sarah’s schedule to provide her with the support she needs, so Clare can focus on other things in her life, maintaining her independence and enjoying time with her children.

I’m really happy to have been able to work with Clare to find a care solution that works for her. Now she has the right level of support and flexibility she needs to manage the demands of having two young children as well as her job. 

Direct Payments is a great way of giving people in Kingston the flexibility to choose the care that’s right for them, maintain their independence and focus on what’s most important in their life. My role is to make sure Clare has what she needs, and give her the information she needs to make the right choices for her and her family.

Amy's story

One of the most memorable people I’ve worked with is Naomi, a 91 years old woman who lives by herself and has memory difficulties. Naomi needs help remembering important things - even things that many of us take for granted - such as eating, drinking, and when to take her medication. 

To help Naomi manage her situation, I’ve worked with her to arrange for carers to visit her throughout to remind her and support Naomi with these day-to-day tasks, as well as to ensure Naomi doesn’t feel lonely or isolated. 

To help tackle this loneliness, Naomi has a pet cat, which carers help her to feed and look after, as Naomi can often forget. 

As well as the in-home support, Naomi also visits a day centre three times a week, where Naomi can spend time with others from her community, as well as enjoy the occasional music and dance session!

By working with Naomi to find the right mix of care I’ve been able to help her remain in her home, which she was really adamant she wanted to do. I regularly work with others to make sure this is the right solution for Naomi, and can help to adapt her care to meet her needs now and in the future.

Dina's story

Over the last few months I’ve worked with Sandra, a 45 year old woman in Chessington who has a 6 year old child. Sandra is visually impaired, so she finds it difficult to do some things she needs to do to look after her daughter. 

I’ve worked really closely with Sandra to understand what support she feels she needs, and have helped her to find a personal care assistant to help with some of the things Sandra finds most difficult, like cooking, shopping, and getting out into her local community safely with her daughter.

Working with her personal care assistants, Sandra has been able to enjoy more of life as a parent, arranging regular play dates with her daughter and friends, attending birthday parties and making the most of chances to socialise with others in her neighbourhood.

Most recently, Sandra has also had support with her daughter’s homeschooling. With so much of it being computer-based, Sandra has needed a little extra help to make sure her daughter can make the most of the learning that her school has provided while in lockdown, which has been a real boost for them both.

As life starts to return to normal, Sandra is looking forward to being able to enjoy time with friends and neighbours again, and I’m really happy to know that we’ll be there to offer Sandra whatever support she needs in the future.

*People's names have been changed to protect their identity