Following her career as a civil servant, Rachel started working for BCHA after the Plymouth team was awarded a grant from Nationwide.
“As a Family Health & Wellbeing Advisor, I support the Complex Needs Support Workers in ensuring families who are experiencing homelessness, or are in temporary accommodation, have everything they need. I regularly source food and clothing parcels, as well as children’s clothing, supplies and furniture. I am also on hand to assist with those who may need help with administrative tasks such as signing up to dentists, GPs and childhood development courses.
“Some families may have additional needs that require a bit more help with moving on to stable accommodation, so ensuring those families are helped in an accessible way is also a key part of my role. I also curate and co-ordinate events that can help foster strong communal relationships and build a healthy support system for the families we help. I do this along with the rest of my team, who are all fabulous!"
“The BCHA values reflect the good in our team and in our wider community and being in a team that holds these values so highly is hugely important to me. We are so driven in ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to thrive and our work reflects this daily. Being a part of positive change and helping our families through their journey with BCHA makes me feel lucky to do the work I do.
“My work revolves around ensuring our families stay mentally and physically healthy, as well as looking after their general wellbeing. I have to be flexible with how I can cater to every family, as all families are different and have different accessibility needs. I regularly have face to face meetings with our families in support sessions but can also have these sessions over the phone to ensure I accommodate and support as many families as possible.
“The Nationwide grant was awarded to organisations that with the funding would be able to help the most vulnerable in our community to thrive in their homes. As this was a new role thanks to Nationwide, I had no predecessor which felt like quite a daunting task."
Feeling like I am truly making a difference in our community is priceless.
"I have been able to shape and create the role into something that is valuable to both the team and vital to the families we support, ensuring they are able to access support for their health and wellbeing. Without having a blueprint to follow and being able to develop the role from customer feedback is something that I am really proud of.
“The Nationwide grant also came with additional funding to promote the health and wellbeing of our customers within the role. In the summer of 2024, we used the funding to hold a summer picnic out on the Hoe in Plymouth. Luckily, the British weather held out and it was a beautiful sunny day. As well as the picnic, we had garden games and some sensory activities. It was attended by many families and was a real success, as well as a great way for both the children and the parents to make tangible community connections. We also had a family support worker on hand to answer any questions that the families had during the picnic."
“I have learned that there is so much more support for those facing disadvantages that I wasn’t previously aware of that families can really benefit from. With groups such as the Plymouth Alliance it is nice to see that people in the community care and are willing to help those who are in need. Plymouth as an area has a high rate of homelessness and poverty, so seeing companies in the community band together is both uplifting and encouraging for the work I do and gives me continued hope for the future."
Jordan Carter, Senior Practitioner for the Families Team, said “Rachel exemplifies a can-do attitude that greatly enhances the team's dynamic. Her positivity and tenacity are invaluable in driving success, ensuring that customer support processes run smoothly and allowing the team to meet a broader range of needs. She has developed strong, collaborative relationships with multiple agencies both within and outside of the Plymouth Alliance. Rachel is constantly expanding her network and partnerships so summing up Rachel's impact in just a few words is challenging as she is truly a tremendous asset to the team.”
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