Rachel Campbell is a Senior Support Worker (Band 5) who works in a supported living learning disability service within the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT). She has been in this role since 2021.
Prior to starting in the social care sector, Rachel was a carer for a family member who was physically disabled from a young age due to a condition called Muscular Dystrophy. The family member also had eating and drinking difficulties. Rachel was brought up to treat everyone with respect and dignity. Her grandfather and parents have all been employed by the SHSCT—her grandfather and father worked as disability bus operators, and her mother worked in social care—so she was aware of the long-term benefits, potential career progression, and job security of having a position within the SHSCT.
Rachel left school with A-Levels in Art and Health and Social Care and then completed a Level 2 Certificate in Animal Nursing, as she was planning to become a veterinary nurse. Rachel loves animals, horses in particular, and had applied to study veterinary nursing. Unfortunately, due to issues with the course licensing and her placement falling through, she was not able to continue. She decided to apply to work in social care, as this appealed to her skill set and values.
Social Care and Learning and Development Journey
Rachel started employment in the social care sector in 2013, at the age of 25. She was employed as a Support Worker (Band 3) in a residential care home owned by an independent service provider and worked there for four years, supporting individuals with behaviours of concern. This position required working 12-hour shifts. During this time, she completed her Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas in Health and Social Care.
“From the completion of both my Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas, I was able to gain a better understanding of my role as a support worker and carer. This also helped in my professional self-development, as I felt more confident in my role and in my decision to progress professionally within the health and social care field.”
Rachel decided to apply for a day care position within SHSCT, as she found the care home shifts challenging. In 2017, she successfully obtained a position as a Support Worker in a SHSCT day centre, which provides day care for adults with complex disabilities who require a high level of support. In this role, Rachel had the opportunity to meet and work alongside a variety of individuals with different and complex care needs.
“The staff team were fabulous, supporting me to gain confidence as a Support Worker and offering me the opportunity to work across two day care facilities for a short time, prior to being redeployed to another day care centre.”
The new day centre provides care for adults with learning disabilities. Rachel worked there as a Support Worker and, after successfully achieving her ILM Level 4 Certificate in Principles of Leadership and Management in Adult Social Care in 2019, she began interviewing for Band 5 positions. Rachel successfully obtained a temporary Senior Support Worker (Band 5) post while working in the day centre. However, during COVID-19, the centre was closed, and she was redeployed to a SHSCT Supported Living Service in Bessbrook, which provides long-term housing support to 11 individuals with learning disabilities.
Rachel found the ILM Level 4 Certificate excellent and enjoyable.
“The course was delivered weekly in the day centre. Outside of the weekly sessions, communication was by email and attachments, as video calls were not commonly used at that time. While the day care management team did not have much input, their support was available when needed. The Belfast Met tutors were very knowledgeable and supportive, helping me and the other students build our knowledge and skills in managing a team in a busy environment.”
In 2021, a Senior Support Worker (Band 5) position became available in the Supported Living Service. Rachel applied and was successful. She manages a team of six to ten staff on a rotating basis depending on the rota. She has been in this role for four years and receives strong support from her line manager.
Rachel completed the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care in 2021 and found the course very beneficial for her personal development.
“As a new Band 5, I was able to better understand my role—not only as a senior staff member responsible for tenants and the facility but also as a leader responsible for delegating, guiding, and supporting a staff team. One of the biggest areas of learning for me was the leadership models and how best to utilise them within my role and in the future if I aim to become a manager.”
Other Learning and Development
Rachel has completed all SHSCT mandatory training, delivered both online and in person with in-house trainers.
“Learning within my role is partly mandatory—we need relevant training to support the individuals we care for and to maintain a high standard of service. I have also chosen to complete specific training that benefits both myself and my team, such as communication training (bespoke/SALT), line managers’ adult safeguarding, and supervision training.”
Rachel had completed a range of eLearning courses as follows:
- Adult Basic Life Support
- Corporate Induction
- Dysphagia/Swallowing Awareness
- Fraud Awareness
- Safeguarding People
- Towards Zero Suicide
- Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS)
- Infection Prevention and Control (T2s)
- COSHH
- Cyber Security
- Waste Management
- Information Governance (Record Keeping/Data Protection)
- Equality, Good Relations and Human Rights
- Falls Awareness
She has completed the following in-person training:
- Food Safety
- Fire Training
- Manual Handling
- Safeguarding
- Safety Intervention Level 3 (MAPA)
- Medicines Management (incl. Oxygen)
- Medicines Management Competencies
- Transcribing and Transcribing Competencies (Band 5)
- Administration of Buccal Midazolam
- Epilepsy Management
- Ethos of Supported Living
- Bespoke Communication Course
- Line Managers’ Adult Safeguarding and Supervision Training
Rachel actively supports her team’s development, recognising that her staff are her biggest asset. The staff team are there to deliver person-centred compassionate care and support for the tenants and this can be challenging for new staff when working with adults with behaviours of concern.
“When a new person starts, as part of their induction, I take them on a walkaround to meet the people they’ll support before they see a care plan—so they see the person first, rather than reading about their past behaviours, which may no longer reflect who they are.”
Rachel has also helped develop Dysphagia training to support communication champions and raise awareness among staff about food textures and thicknesses.
“While working in day care, we worked with the Newry SALT team to introduce communication champions to encourage effective communication and better support for the supported adults. This included developing key content for eating and drinking training for adults with complex needs. This was done via the action group I was part of.”
Rachel feels the management team are very supportive of staff learning and development and demonstrate the Trust's values in action. Since joining social care at 25, she has been supported to complete qualifications from Level 2 to 5, helping her grow into a confident leader.
Career Progression
Rachel has applied for Assistant Manager (Band 6) roles. While not yet successful, the experience and feedback have been valuable. She remains highly motivated to progress.
“I’ve always believed in bettering myself—at work and in hobbies like equestrian sport. That drives my competitive and ambitious nature. I'm happy in my current role, but I aim to move into a Band 6 position and eventually a senior management role. Until then, I’ll continue to build my skills and knowledge.”
Rachel has no regrets about not becoming a veterinary nurse and is committed to her chosen path.
“I’ve booked onto the Adult Safeguarding Decision Making for Persons in Charge (NIASP Level 3), as I believe it will help my team and me make safeguarding decisions and document them properly. I may also explore further qualifications like the Open University’s Social Work or Nursing programs.”
Care in Practice Framework
Rachel is aware of the Care in Practice Framework and learned about the Continuous Professional Learning Pathway during her Level 5 course. She understands that the framework supports the integration of Trust values and the development of social care practitioners’ competencies and skills. She recognises that the learning needs to be tailored to each practitioner’s role and experience and that development plans should be regularly updated in supervision sessions.