Are you looking for a career with real development potential? St Christopher’s is the place for you!

Frederick, a member of night staff in a children’s home, has worked at St Christopher’s since 2019. He is a Practitioner with St Christopher’s Academy, our training and development programme that helps staff to reach their full career potential.

Discover how Frederick was supported to gain qualifications and learn new skills – and find out how you could do the same through our Academy.

Why did you want to join St Christopher’s?

When the opportunity came up, I read about the company and what’s offered – it ticked a lot of the boxes of what I was looking for. My passion and calling is working with children. I want to be part of having a positive influence on their upbringing. For me, the best stage of life is when you’re aged 10-17, so if I have the opportunity to be part of that journey then that’s what I want to do. I love it.

I was looking for a job where I could improve myself and use what I’ve learnt over the years. Since starting the job, I’ve had no regrets and know this is the place for me.

What experience did you have when you applied for the job?

I have worked in social care for almost 15 years in virtually all sectors – a day centre for adults, a secure unit, a centre for young people with epilepsy, elderly residential care and hospitals, to name a few. My experience over the years has made me think about where I can fit with my qualifications and experience.

All social care jobs have the same values – to make a difference to people’s lives. You might need to learn new things in a different setting or provide different levels of support but the same values underpin it.

I was also working towards completing my degree in social work when I joined St Christopher’s, but you don’t need a degree to apply for a job here.

What support did you receive as a new employee?

At the children’s home I work in, there is an open door policy for all staff to ask questions or request help. The team is fantastic and received me with warmth, and the deputy manager supported me tremendously well through supervision to work on my concerns. I also completed the introductory training.

What skills or qualities do you need to work at St Christopher’s?

Working with young people is a huge responsibility so you need to be prepared for the challenge! You need to have the interest in helping young people – if you are not interested you aren’t going to be committed and therefore won’t help deliver the support. That the whole reason why we come to work.

Is working night shifts different to working in the day?

I’ve worked both shift types in the past and the challenges are quite different on night shifts. However, whether you work days or nights, you still follow the same policies and legislation.

You have to help young people maintain a nightly routine – this can be hard for young people (especially for teenagers, who want to play games or go on their phones!), so we have to help them. For example, we encourage them to get a good night’s rest so they are prepared for school in the morning. We want to make sure things are done properly so that we can support them to be the best they can be and help them achieve their goals.

We also have to deal with young people going missing or coming home past their curfew, so can end up spending a lot of time on the phone.

What professional development opportunities have you had at St Christopher’s?

St Christopher’s offered to support me with securing my Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare, so I was up for it. The assessor was very understanding and I want to thank her for the support she gave me. It was a challenge I wanted to overcome and I did it in the end! It has been a wonderful journey.

Where do you see yourself going next with your career?

I think I’ve overstayed my welcome in the non-managerial role so it’s time for me to think about career progression and what I need to do to make those changes.

I want to go into management at St Christopher’s. Over the next six months I want to work towards completing by Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. One day I would like to be a children’s home manager.

Thank you Frederick for sharing your story! If you would like to start your career at St Christopher’s, apply for our vacancies today.