Why do you choose to work for AWM?

Because I value the work that we do. We look after staff. Staff have the opportunity to progress and develop here. There are plenty of opportunities to learn and be supported by the charity with this.

Could you sum up working for AWM in a few words?

Varied, exciting and a sense of achievement. Working here, you can see the impact your support has on people directly. You can see people’s reactions.

What is it about AWM that you think is Special?

We offer person centered care. The people we support are at the heart of every decision made whether it’s small or complex. They’re always encouraged to be a part of the decision making process. People have restricted choice during the pandemic so it’s great that we can return to doing what they want to.

We invest time, we look at what’s worked in the past and use it as model for the future. We have recently had to do a lot of work with supporting some of the people we support to have the vaccine, due to needle phobias. To do this for example for one person, we used his preferred communication method to ensure he understood and offered him his favorite thing following the vaccine, which worked really well. This only worked because we did what worked for him, not what worked for us. We liaised with doctors, got the right staff who could support his communication needs and understand his behaviour and involved his parents in the decision. It’s so important that we tried.

This is one of the best achievements I’ve felt since I’ve been here. It impacts him greatly as he now has access to healthcare that he didn’t previously, and his mum was over the moon that we were able to support him through this.

If someone were to ask you why they should work for AWM, what would you say?

It’s an exciting job, especially if you are hands on and enjoy supporting people with activities and experiences. No day is ever the same, we have discos and can take people on holiday. We do make a difference to the people we support. Outside of your own family, you don’t get a chance to see others progress. It makes us special.

Also, there’s a variety of hours and contracts. There’s lots of accommodation for hours to suit people. We understand and respect the fact that staff want a work life balance and therefore ensure that staff have weekends off on a rotated basis. We then get days off in the week which allows us to go shopping and do weekend activities when places are quieter in the week. We look after staff.

What do you love about your job?

It’s about the people. I like being a manager as I have an investment in the services. I like to see people smiling and happy and parents picking up their son/daughter for home visits. I’ve always liked the challenges – I didn’t think I’d become an RCM but when the opportunity came up I went for it.

The joy of seeing everyone have a fulfilling life and supporting people to do what they love doing is amazing.

What would you say to someone who’s considering a job supporting autistic adults?

Go for it! It’s the best decision you’ll make. I have no regrets whatsoever. You’ll have an absolute blast.

It’s heart-warming work. You get the chance to support people in a really specific way. You kind of become like family. People build trust with you and rely on you to keep them safe, well and fulfilled.