John Paul’s career progression journey to Service Manager!
John Paul is the Service Manager at Lorenzo Drive, our specialist brain injury rehabilitation service in Liverpool. Starting his journey in care as a Bank Support Worker at one of our nearby residential care homes, he worked with compassion and commitment to climb the career progression ladder!
While working in a factory, John Paul knew he was missing passion in his work. That’s when he ventured into the world of social care. Since then, he hasn’t looked back, striving every day to change people’s lives for the better.
A rewarding career path
In 2010, John Paul began working at Jaguar Land Rover as an agency worker. Lacking passion for his work, he hoped to find something that would spark his interests and allow him to pursue a more meaningful role.
Seeking change, he became a Bank Support Worker for Voyage Care. But with no full-time positions available, he needed more security and joined the Jacob’s Biscuit Factory.
Then, something great happened! In 2013, John Paul’s family friend was the Service Manager of Tate Lodge at the time, and contacted him about a role at Tate Lodge, one of our residential care homes specialising in mental health support in Liverpool. John Paul has family members with different mental health needs, meaning the role was ideal for him. He already had the necessary experience and knowledge needed for this complex job.
Taking a leap of faith, John Paul applied for the role and was offered the position of Bank Support Worker!
As soon as he started, John Paul instantly felt connected to the work he was doing, feeling increasingly fulfilled as the days went by. So, when he was offered a full-time contract, he waved goodbye to his role at the factory and pursued his career in social care full-time.
His passion for helping people grew each day, which showed in his work. It wasn’t long before John Paul was offered shifts as an acting Senior Support Worker, which eventually earned him a promotion into the role. He did this for a few years, gaining the relevant skills and experience that would prepare him for a management role.
Before long, John Paul was offered the role of Deputy Service Manager. He was overjoyed, knowing he was doing an excellent job of supporting vulnerable people. John Paul was very happy at Tate Lodge, but always imagined eventually becoming Service Manager if the career progression opportunity came along.
An unexpected change
One day, John Paul was asked to support at one of our nearby brain injury rehab services, Lorenzo Drive. At first, he was reluctant. He had no interest in working in brain injury, but always willing to help and mindful of career progression, John Paul agreed to support Lorenzo Drive for three weeks.
After only a week there, John Paul realised his misconceptions about brain injuries were just that – misconceptions. He quickly realised how fulfilling it was to support someone to navigate an unexpected life event. The most difficult one they’ll probably ever have to navigate
Playing a part in their rehabilitation, seeing them reclaim their independence and move out of residential care, gave him a sense of satisfaction he’d not felt before. He fell in love with Lorenzo Drive so, when he was offered the chance to interview for the Service Manager job, he took it! John Paul was successful at interview and started his career progression in a Manager role in January 2019. Since then, he has worked with unmatched commitment to support both people with brain injuries and his colleagues.
Instantly welcomed into the Lorenzo Drive family, John Paul was empowered to ask any questions he needed to. This support, and his dedication, is what allowed him to thrive so quickly in his new role!
Stepping into a new role
When John Paul first arrived at Lorenzo Drive, many improvements needed to be made. Our brain injury rehab Operations Team visited him almost every day, meaning he had a lot of support during his transition. He was able to watch others and gain advice from people who had more experience with brain injuries than he did.
As part of his new role as Service Manager, John Paul ensured the people we support would feel empowered to achieve positive outcomes. Using his problem-solving skills, the changes he made benefitted both the people we support and his team.
He was mindful that people with brain injuries may have not always needed support, and wanted to ensure their rehabilitation journey was as comfortable and consistent as possible.
As part of this, he changed the structure of the team so the people we support living in both the residential and supported living parts of the home shared one team. Using empathy, this helped ensure that individuals transitioning from residential to supported living felt comfortable and didn’t have to navigate meeting new people that didn’t know them.
A local legend!
John Paul lives locally to Lorenzo Drive, which he absolutely loves! He knows everyone in the community, and everyone knows him. This can be super helpful when the people we support access the community as it allows them to integrate into the local community easily.
John Paul’s ensured local shopkeepers and neighbours know who lives at Lorenzo Drive, educating them to understand their behaviours. This has promoted inclusion and wrapped a safety net around the people we support.
If any issues ever arise in the community, there are always people willing to help and let the team at Lorenzo Drive know what’s happened. Humble about his achievements, John Paul’s gone above and beyond, ensuring the people we support are always safe when they venture out alone!
Finding joy in every day
Entering the world of social care changed John Paul’s life for the better. Sometimes, as an individual working in the sector, you can often forget just how special what you do is. But the people we support, and their families, are always here to remind us.
This is exactly how John Paul feels – seeing how he’s supported them to thrive independently, watching their happiness and confidence grow, is a rewarding feeling that nothing else compares to. Not only has he built relationships with the people we support, but he’s built relationships with their families too.
For John Paul, this sense of family and inclusion brightens up any tough days. Supporting someone to achieve their goals and become more independent means the world to John Paul, and he wouldn’t change his role for the world!
Learn more about our roles!
We have a range of career opportunities across the UK and work hard to reward colleague dedication. If you are interested in joining Voyage Care and enhancing the lives of others while benefitting from clear career progression pathways, view our latest vacancies and start your next best decision today!