Gina's career goes from strength to strength
No matter where you start in social care there are always opportunities to develop and progress as Gina Evans has proved since joining Lifeways in 2014.
Now an Area Manager, Gina began her career with Lifeways in April 2014 as a sessional support worker which worked well alongside her role as a teaching assistant in a primary school.
The skills she developed working with children with additional needs from ADHD, ASD, GDD, to cerebral palsy allowed Gina to bring understanding and empathy to her role at Lifeways and she thoroughly enjoyed the work. After three years she was delighted to then be offered the role of Team Leader in May 2017. Being keen to progress her career Gina gave up her job at school so that she could concentrate on her new role and then in November 2017 Gina was successful in securing the role of Service Manager.
Opportunities to progress
“Since joining Lifeways in 2014 there have been many highlights but one of the best has been the support to develop professionally. I have achieved my NVQ 5 thanks to Lifeways, I would never have had the opportunities to progress in the way that I have in any other field".
In November 2017 Gina was successful in securing the role of Service Manager. After taking some time off to be with her new-born son through late 2018-19, Gina returned to Lifeways and when a position became available, she applied and was rewarded with the position of Registered Manager in August 2020. Then earlier this year, following a restructure, the opportunity arose to apply for an Area Manager role for Future Home Care, part of the Lifeways Group.
" I was delighted to be given this opportunity and I am really excited to put my mark on the new area and build on everything that Future Home Care has achieved over the last 18-24 months”.
Welcoming feedback or criticism
Talking about her career Gina feels that one of the things that helped her progress and develop her knowledge was engaging with the different teams across Lifeways.
“I respect my colleagues in other teams and always welcome feedback or criticism – it’s important to remember when you’re being chased for something that everyone has a job to do too! We are really lucky in Lifeways that the support function teams have a wealth of expertise in their areas for us to tap in to rather than needing to know all the answers”
What’s the one piece of advice you would give to any looking to grow their career?
“Reflection is key – looking back, making sure that you remember the things that went well and building on this but also learning from your mistakes and putting things in place to prevent them happening again”.
Is there one person you would like to thank?
“I honestly couldn’t single out one person from my time here at Lifeways, I have been lucky enough to work with some truly experienced colleagues who are all working towards the same goal, the best life possible for the people we support. I feel very lucky and grateful to have received support from my family, friends and colleagues throughout my career”.
If you are looking for a change, head over to our careers page to explore our current vacancies. Or, if you'd like to find out more about the role of a support worker, read our blog. Find out here what we look for in a potential candidate.