Dave Phillips joined Green Light in January 2019. He is a Support Worker with the Tresleigh team, who support four adults with autism and learning disabilities in a home split into four self-contained apartments in a popular village between Truro & St. Austell.
Q: What previous experience of autism or learning disability did you have before joining Green Light?
A: I have a family member with autism.
Q: What kind of things do you and your team do on a typical day?
A: Make the most of the time. We encourage and challenge the people we support and ourselves in achieving a normal day but then to do something new.
Q: What kind of things would you be doing to support the people living in your home?
A: Interacting and having fun everyday.
Q: What are the challenges & rewards of supporting people with autism & learning disabilities?
A: It rarely feels like work and it shows when we get our just rewards of a huge smile from the people we support. Only challenge is long shifts but most of the time they fly by, with a full and busy day.
Q: As you head to work; what do you most look forward to?
A: Never knowing what we can achieve and working with some amazing people
Q: What has surprised you most about working with people with autism & learning disabilities?
Tresleigh |
A: The love we get shown and having someone who relies on us to get through the day then gives us some amazing feedback, even from people who may be non-verbal.
Q: Have you learned anything unexpected about yourself or your skills and abilities?
A: I can actually do this and enjoy doing it!
Q: What kind of skills & values would you say people need to have, or develop, in order to be great at this kind of work?
A: Patience and being open to swift changes helps.
Q: What's been the highlight of your career working with people with autism and learning disabilities so far?
A; Having some wonderful feedback from those around me.
Q: As you leave work, at the end of a typical day, how do you know you've done a great job?
A: I smile and feel great
Lovely to read your blog post, Dave. Great to see how Tresleigh continues to go from strength to strength.
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