Darren Bradshaw is the Registered Manager employed by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) to manage an older people’s Day Care service in Newtownards. The service provides activity-based therapy, support, and care to older people, individuals with mental health difficulties, dementia, acquired brain injury, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities who need support to continue living in the community. While the service accepts referrals across all categories of care, since COVID-19, the user group predominantly comprises adults over 65 and adults with more complex conditions.
“The legacy of COVID-19 is that adults are being referred too late in their journey, and sometimes the service can only support them for a short period before they require nursing or residential care.”
The Day Care service offers a range of activities such as pottery and art, discussion groups, health promotion, reminiscence, storytelling, cookery demonstrations, armchair exercises, and quizzes. These provide diversional therapy, support, and structure for attendees. Activities are co-produced with service users to ensure choice and a person-centred approach.
Social Care Journey
Darren spent a year working for a not-for-profit organisation before moving into further education. During this time, he became interested in supporting people by using his arts and crafts knowledge, skills, and interests with groups.
Initially aspiring to attend art college, Darren instead chose to study a BTEC in Health and Social Care at the Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education (now Belfast Metropolitan College) in 1990. As part of the course, he completed a three-month student placement at the Day Centre he now manages. Darren enjoyed the placement, especially the activities that included an artistic element, and supporting the adults.
However, Darren struggled with some coursework and was unable to complete the course. His college tutor suspected that he needed additional educational support and referred him to Bryson House, where an assessment led to a diagnosis of dyslexia. Darren withdrew from the BTEC course but was able to complete a certificate-level social care course, attending college one day per week.
He continued attending the Day Centre placement four days a week, assisting staff with arts and crafts-based activity groups such as woodwork, pottery, and decorative mosaic art.
After his course ended, Darren remained involved with the centre through its "Friends of" group and later registered as a volunteer, continuing to assist with activity groups.
A change in the centre's services created a new Care Assistant role with transport escort duties. This involved collecting and returning service users, supporting group activities, assisting with personal care, and helping with meal service. A temporary part-time position (equivalent to today’s Band 2) was created, and Darren successfully applied. He started this paid role in 1992. He particularly enjoyed supporting adults in activity groups and building relationships.
Darren progressed to a Day Care Worker (Band 3) position in the mid-1990s, which he held for six years. At the time, the centre had a rehabilitation-focused approach with goal-setting for service users. Today, the service is less goal-oriented—unless the individual wishes it—focusing more on long-term community support and respite for carers.
“We work to ensure adults feel valued by providing meaningful activities they enjoy and want to do—focusing on their abilities rather than their deficits. Some earlier assessment tools had a deficit-based focus, which was negative. The introduction of person-centred care and co-production has kept me in the sector. Working with individuals and recognising their lived experience—acknowledging that they are experts in their own right—makes all the difference.”
A Senior Day Care Worker (Band 5) position became available as an expression of interest at another SEHSCT Day Centre in 2002. Darren worked in this role for five years. As a Team Leader, he oversaw daily staff rotas, supervised a care assistant team (six staff working at Band 2 level), and helped develop 12-week activity group programmes alongside the manager, day care workers, and care assistants. He also took the lead on infection control audits and various health and safety responsibilities to ensure the team’s compliance with Trust policies and regional standards.
Darren also led internal training sessions, including mandatory refreshers on topics such as infection control, supporting service users in personal relationships, and facilitating day centre review meetings.
A manager position at his previous workplace became available in late 2007. Darren applied and became the Registered Manager in March 2008.
From 2014, for 18 months, Darren also managed his former workplace when that centre’s manager transferred to another role. This dual responsibility included overseeing services at both centres, supervising staff, delivering in-house training, supporting staff development, setting rotas, resolving conflicts, and ensuring operational continuity. Darren has now been a manager for 17 years.
Darren enjoys his role as a Registered Manager. He appreciates being able to plan and develop services that respond to service user needs and enjoys anticipating future developments to benefit those who use the service. He is particularly passionate about problem-solving, embracing challenges, and facilitating training. He identifies a core challenge in balancing person-centred thinking and principles with a service model that requires some institutional structure to function effectively.
“There is a lot of satisfaction in being able to plan and deliver a service with the people who use it—looking at what’s possible, assessing any risks, managing them safely, and helping people experience meaningful interactions and purposeful activities at the day centre.”
Learning and Development Journey
Darren has completed all required mandatory and refresher training, including Manual Handling, Basic Life Support, Infection Control, and others. He maintains a personal learning and development plan, which over the past two years has included the following:
- First Aid Training (April 2022) – Delivered over two days via Zoom with an in-person assessment. Covered responsibilities of a nominated workplace first aider, emergency response, primary and secondary assessment, breathing disorders, resuscitation, airway obstruction, circulation disorders, burns and scalds, bone and muscle injuries, poisoning, heat/cold effects, and child and infant life support.
- Safeguarding Children Awareness – Level 1 (June 2023) – Online course covering everyone’s responsibilities in protecting children, relevant legislation, case studies, and types of abuse.
- Safeguarding Children – Level 2 (January 2023) – Online course focused on recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns using a trauma-informed approach. Covered harm to children, response protocols, legislation, policies, procedures, and referral processes.
- Cyber Security Awareness (Regional, January 2023) – Online course that increased Darren’s awareness of cyber threats, how to assess risks, and understand his responsibilities in safeguarding digital information.
- Safeguarding Adults – Level 2 (March 2023) – Online training on supporting adults at risk or in need of protection, types of abuse, reporting procedures, and safeguarding roles.
- Adult eBasic Life Support Training (October 2023) – Delivered online with in-person assessment. Covered signs and symptoms of choking and other critical conditions requiring intervention, including back slaps, abdominal thrusts, CPR, and AED use.
- Safeguarding Adults – Level 3 (November 2023) – Online course focused on safeguarding definitions and best practices, recognising abuse indicators, reporting procedures, and understanding legislative responsibilities.
- Epilepsy: Administration of Buccal Midazolam (January 2024) – Online and in-person practical course covering the medication’s use, preparation, effects, administration procedures, and a competency assessment.
- Patient/Client Handling Update (May 2024) – In-person training on safe lifting and moving techniques, user support, and emergency collaboration with medical staff, including the Log Roll technique.
- Infection Prevention and Control (June 2024) – In-person training covering hand hygiene, PPE, environmental cleaning, and incident reporting aligned with regional standards.
- CPI Dementia Capable Care (June 2024) – An eight-hour, in-person course offering a comprehensive framework for Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Covered dementia stages, behaviour management, and care techniques grounded in the Allen Cognitive Levels, Thomas Kitwood’s Person-Centred Care, and the CPI DCC Model.
- Complaints and Improving Service User Experience (June 2024) – Online course covering Northern Ireland legislation and the HSC complaints procedure. Covered how to appropriately respond to complaints and use feedback to improve services.
- Equality, Good Relations and Human Rights (June 2024) – Online training promoting respect, dignity, diversity, and alignment with HSC values and legal obligations.
- Fraud Awareness (June 2024) – Online course that increased awareness of fraud in the HSC, its impacts, and the responsibilities of staff to report concerns.
- Information Governance Awareness (Regional, June 2024) – Online course covering data protection, records management, and Freedom of Information legislation, including best practices for accessing and storing information in the HSC.
- Epilepsy Awareness (June 2024) – Online course that deepened Darren’s understanding of epilepsy, seizure types and management, associated risks, and the importance of individualised care plans.
- Fire Safety Awareness (August 2024) – In-person course covering fire theory, ignition causes, fire safety legislation, and responsibilities during evacuations.
- Fire Warden Training NFO (SET-EST, August 2024) – In-person follow-up training that expanded on fire safety, outlining leadership responsibilities for fire prevention and emergency evacuation.
Darren notes that the volume of mandatory training has significantly increased over the past 10 years. Currently, 39 courses must be completed within a three-year cycle to maintain compliance. Much of this is delivered online through the HSC Learn learning management system.
He questions the sustainability of continuously adding more training requirements but acknowledges that continuous learning and development is beneficial and adds value to your practice as it supports you to build your knowledge and skills.
“Mandatory training reinforces that your practice is safe and effective. It ensures your work and interactions with service users align with best practices, standards, and current policy. Basic Life Support and manual handling, for example, have evolved significantly—providing vital, updated skills. Staying current is also important for personal development.”
Darren particularly enjoys sharing best practices and fostering team learning by leading training sessions.
In August 2007, Darren completed a Level 4 Diploma in Health and Social Care when he was working as a Senior Day Care Worker. This qualification helped build on the following: skills of care planning, chairing service user reviews, managing staff and understanding the importance of formal supervision with his team. It also supported Darren to understand legislation that helped to transform and grow community care in Northern Ireland from 1990 onwards - sparking a curiosity for understanding what best practice in social care is and why it’s important for leaders to share this with staff and teams, so they too can understand what we do and why we do it.
In 2019, Darren completed the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Health and Social Care (Adult Management). The course included outside and in-house contributors and he found this very useful to support him in his managerial role.
Other Learning and Development
Darren completed a Diversional Therapy course in 1996/97 at Bangor College. The one-year course provided both theoretical and practical knowledge. Darren found it highly relevant to his practice, especially in developing active listening skills.
“It covered a lot, including basic counselling skills and how to manage individuals’ behaviour—providing an introduction to diversion therapy.”
In 2012, Darren also completed a Quality Improvement (QI) course. This six-month programme involved lectures and 1-to-1 tuition. As part of the course, he conducted a QI project focusing on how care plan changes were being made.
Due to service pressures, some care plan updates were being completed without service user involvement and, in some cases, in communal settings. Darren's project assessed the frequency of such incidents and found the process lacked inclusivity. This led to staff training to raise awareness of the impact on service users and resulted in a more inclusive, user-centred approach to care planning.
In his current role, Darren manages a team, which presents both opportunities and challenges. To support staff wellbeing and cohesion, he has introduced wellbeing training, organised team-building events, and focused on fostering positive working relationships that value each team member’s contribution.
Darren also has experience collaborating with the Social Work Training and Vocational Team, delivering person-centred thinking and planning training across SEHSCT over five years. If the opportunity arises, he would be keen to return to a teaching or mentoring role.
Career Progression
Darren has no aspirations to move into more senior roles but remains committed to continual learning and development. He wants to build his leadership, mentoring, and coaching skills, and deepen his understanding of team dynamics and effective leadership.
He is also passionate about supporting staff to grow in their roles and enhance their interactions with service users. However, he notes that structural barriers in job specifications can hinder staff progression. Job descriptions often define the level of responsibility required to access qualifications or higher roles, limiting progression for staff in lower bands.
“There are mixed barriers. To apply for a Band 5 position, you need to complete the Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care and have two years of supervisory experience. But you can’t start the qualification until you’ve been in the role for six months.”
Despite this, Darren feels that SEHSCT is highly supportive of learning and development. He has personally benefited from continuous support throughout his career.
The SEHSCT also uses a values-based recruitment approach, ensuring candidates entering the sector share the appropriate value base. Once in post, new staff are supported with training to help them learn and grow.
The Trust has also partnered with South Eastern Regional College (SERC) to support student placements. Since October 2024, students have had access to year-long placements, helping them gain valuable experience in the social care sector. Darren’s team welcomed a Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care student for a one-day-per-week placement from October 2024 through June 2025. This initiative was championed by the Assistant Director of Primary Care and Older People.
Care in Practice (CiP) Framework
Darren was made aware of the Care in Practice Framework through managers’ and team meetings. He recognises the value the framework brings in terms of staff development and raising the profile of social care roles.
He views it as a positive initiative that offers a clear structure for career progression and supports supervision discussions. He believes the introduction of the Social Care Practitioner title is a helpful development that acknowledges practitioners’ knowledge and expertise, while also helping to dispel misconceptions about the sector.