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Damien's story

After working in retail and floating support, Damien joined Look Ahead as a support worker and worked his way up to team leader in a service supporting young people.

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When I first joined Look Ahead, I liked what was on offer -training, opportunities to progress, the variety. It felt like a bit of me, and the rest is history.

As a team leader, I manage up to nine support workers, and they really are fantastic. As far as I’m concerned, my team are the best! Other than my outstanding team, the thing I love most about my job is that no two days are the same. It never gets boring!

The most rewarding thing about working for Look Ahead is helping people to make positive changes in their lives. It’s true of both the staff and the people we support.

Being able to support young people on their journey, as they become more independent and move on into homes of their own is fantastic.

We often invite people we’ve supported back for barbeques with our current customers. Events like these are beautiful. We get the pleasure of seeing our young people being encouraged by someone who has already been in their shoes and done brilliantly well.

Seeing a former customer able to offer that peer-to-peer support because of something we’ve done is indescribable.  I think that's why I am here. I would describe the culture here as “amazing, supportive and fun.” I live by a motto, “go where you are celebrated and not tolerated” and Look Ahead is a place that does just that.  

My work is about supporting others to move forward, but I have been supported by colleagues to develop my career too. I worked my way up from support worker to senior support worker and then a team leader.

Look Ahead has also supported me to take an accredited Insititute of Leadernship and Management as well as an NVQ Level Three in Health and Social Care. It felt good that my colleagues see that management potential in me.

I was seconded to a contract manager post for a period during Covid. After the secondment, I came back to my team leader role, but now I have both professional qualifications and practical experience that has left me feeling prepared to take on a contract manager job when the time comes. I know it’s going to continue to be an amazing ride!

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