Lifeways rising stars shortlisted in leadership awards
Two graduates of Lifeways’ talent development programme have been named as finalists in the national care awards.
Sabrina Brown and Gina Evans have been recognised and promoted at the UK’s biggest supported living provider to become outstanding leaders - and their talents are now shining on the national stage.
Sabrina, a Deputy Manager, has been shortlisted as Deputy Manager of the Year in the National Care Awards and is a finalist in the Young Leader in Social Care category of the Social Care Leadership Awards.
Meanwhile Gina, an Area Manager, has also been shortlisted as a Young Leader in the Social Care Leadership Awards.
Sabrina said: “I feel so humble to have been nominated. I’ve worked very hard to get to where I am, with highs and lows within my career but getting a nomination and being shortlisted makes me feel it was all worth it, I wouldn't have been able to do it without my team!”
And Gina said: “It’s an honour to be shortlisted alongside other young leaders across the sector! I’m absolutely thrilled!”
From Support Worker to Deputy Manager
Sabrina joined Lifeways seven years ago as a support worker, but through hard work and a passion for learning, she’s risen through the ranks to become a Deputy Manager.
“Lifeways has been amazing. I started off as a support worker at Heath Farm in 2017 with no previous experience in care and, honestly, this was originally supposed to be job to fill in a gap,” Sabrina said.
“But I was given the opportunity and now can't see myself going into a different sector. Lifeways made me realise how important this line of work is and how rewarding it can be to support people with autism and learning disabilities.”
“We have great values and career development opportunities. Supporting people to live their best lives is so rewarding,” Sabrina said.
How a casual job became a fulfilling career
Gina began her career with Lifeways in 2014 when she signed up as a casual worker at the same time as working in education. But the impact she saw she could have on the people we support forced her to rethink and she joined full time in 2017.
“I’ve had some incredible opportunities here at Lifeways, where we make a real difference every day not just to the lives of the people we support but to our employees too,” Gina said.
Gina is a ferocious learner and has taken every opportunity to boost her skills and experiences which led to her mobilising an award-winning bespoke service in partnership with teams across Lifeways.
“I have been really fortunate to get such amazing support from Lifeways in my career development, but they’ve also been a great support to me personally,” she said. “I had a change in personal circumstances a few years ago, which meant I am now a lone parent to my young son. Of course, it’s quite a balancing act – but I’m very fortunate to have the right support to make it work.”
James Westwood-Beere, Chief People Officer at Lifeways, said: “We’re so proud to see two of our own rising stars getting recognised on the national stage after developing their skills with Lifeways.
“We’re on a mission to become the social care sector’s employer of choice over the next couple of years and we can only get there by supporting our talented people to achieve their career ambitions.”
The Social Care Leadership Awards recognise excellence in leadership in the sector and will be held in London on 15 October 2024.
The National Care Awards are amongst Britain’s biggest celebrations of people working in the care sector and will be held in London on 29 November 2024.
About Lifeways:
Lifeways is the UK’s largest team of support professionals providing support for adults in the community.
We support adults with diverse and complex needs, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and mental health conditions.
Lifeways delivers support across three divisions: supported living, residential and mental health services.
As the supported living sector’s largest team of professionals, Lifeways’ extensive experience and national reach mean we deliver extraordinary support to adults, enabling them to live fulfilling and independent lives in the community.
Our 11,000 colleagues currently support around 4,000 individuals who live in our 1,500 supported living and residential services across England, Scotland, and Wales.
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