Jules has led a team of passionate Family Support Workers in Plymouth for just over a year, inspiring all with her dedication to empowering our customers to live independently within their own home. Her compassion and commitment to put our customers at the heart of all she does enables the team to provide a range of support to help families across Plymouth rebuild their lives.
“I manage a small team of brilliant family support workers in Plymouth, who provide support in all ways possible to enable families to secure a forever home.
“We work as part of the Plymouth Alliance under the umbrella of Plymouth City Council, so most weeks I visit the council offices to complete assessments of families placed in emergency
accommodation. Through this, we can identify those families requiring our support quickly.
“I have a caseload of about 12 families that I meet with regularly. We may meet for coffee, take a walk, or I visit them in their temporary accommodation. Not every meeting has a specific plan, sometimes we just meet to chat about everyday things and to remind them that I am here for them.
“I particularly enjoy working with parents in their temporary homes to increase their confidence, skills and ability to manage daily life.
“At our shared accommodation we have an open-door policy, so you never know who may pop their head in for a chat and a cup of tea or a child who wants to play.
“My favourite part of working with BCHA has to be our customers. I love the interaction with not just the families within our service, but the day-to-day chats with customers from other services, like George House, where we are based. Everyone has a story to tell, and I love listening to them.
“As you can see, each day is different here, so I am learning all sorts of weird and wonderful things I knew nothing about before joining BCHA; if I had known I would have applied sooner!
“I feel so lucky to be a part of such a dedicated, professional, compassionate and fun team. No matter the challenge, they always rise to it and have their customers at the forefront of all they do. The support they have for each other is second to none. Although the team is small, they are mighty!
“Together we have achieved so much, it might be a little cheesy but every small win for one of our families is an achievement worth celebrating. We have made two successful bids from the HSF grant totalling £15,000 which has enabled us to support many families into new tenancies and provide essential items in their accommodation. Every one of those tenancies is an achievement for them and for us.
“I was incredibly proud to receive the Compassion Award at BCHA’s latest Bchangemakers Award Ceremony. To be nominated by my colleagues was wonderful and I feel truly lucky to have won, as BCHA is full of brilliant people looking out for our community.
“It was the values of the organisation that inspired me to apply for my role, and each day they ring true. ‘To honour and empower the people we serve’, particularly got my interest. I love that we don’t just ‘do’, we work with our customers finding ways forward with them and for them.
“Every day I get up and I am happy to come to work. That for me speaks volumes and it is something I have not experienced much in previous roles.
“During my time at BCHA, I have learnt that my family and I are very fortunate. We lived in Spain for over 20 years almost cocooned from most of the challenges families face. As a family, our take on life has altered and for that I am grateful. I hope that I continue to learn from and work with the fabulous people at BCHA for many years to come."
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