‘We treat people like we’d want our own family to be treated,’ says Sheffield residential service manager

Gemma Parkin has been working in care since the age of 16.

Two decades on, Gemma’s the Registered Manager of Kingdom House, Lifeways’ residential service in Sheffield. The service is home to seven individuals who live with complex needs.

After an early start in care, Gemma went on to get a degree in Humanities and Social Science.

“My interests have always been to care and support people with different complex needs,” says Gemma.

In her career, Gemma’s supported people who live with Learning Disabilities, and older people.

‘A home, not a service’

Gemma started at Lifeways as the services’ Deputy Manager, before moving up to the position of Registered Manager.

She’s passionate about making sure Kingdom House is a warm and welcoming place to be. “Kingdom House is a home, not a service people use,” Gemma says. “We have a good community support network and lots of exciting activities within our community.”

What makes work at Lifeways different for her?

“The hours are more flexible and the training is outstanding,” she says. “There is so much support from the senior team above you and everyone is treated with respect.”

“We work closely with professionals, families and friends of the people we support to ensure we deliver the best care possible,” Gemma adds.

‘Amazing achievements’

“As a support team we support each other, we listen and respect each other. When supporting day-to-day living arrangements we have group discussions on how to achieve the best outcome for the people we support.”

Gemma adds a key piece of advice she’s learned: “We treat the people we support within Lifeways how we would want to be treated, or as I would want my own family members to be treated. I learned that we can support such positive changes to someone’s life.”

“When the support team are willing to put the time and energy in to delivering the best outcomes possible, amazing achievements can take place,” says Gemma.

We have only two placements still available at Kingdom House in Sheffield. To find out more, contact our referrals team at [email protected]. 

About Kingdom House:

Based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Kingdom House is a welcoming and supportive residential service for individuals who live with complex needs. These needs include learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and autism.

Kingdom House is made up of two four-bedroom self-contained units. Each bedroom contains an en-suite wet room.

Kingdom House is part of Lifeways, the UK’s largest team of professionals who support close to 5,000 adults in the community.