It is Monday morning and 45-year-old Bukky Adenipekun is reviewing the case of a man in his 50s with complex needs. Within hours she arranges a home visit, and finds extra help for his elderly father.
It is a typical day for the newly qualified social worker who has recently relocated and joined Medway council’s adult social care team. Only about 30 miles from central London and a 34-minute train ride by high-speed railway, Medway is a beautiful place to live and work, boasting everything from castles to a cathedral and riverside walks to cycle pathways.
Keen to create a nurturing workplace culture, the unitary authority is focusing on helping staff develop their careers in social care while improving the lives of vulnerable adults. For Adenipekun, one of the newest recruits, the job offers a chance to support its clients to make positive change while pursuing her dream of a career in social work.
“In the recent case, it became clear the client didn’t want to go to a daycare centre, so we agreed to look into other options,” she says. “At the same time, I discovered his father was entitled to extra support. He was delighted and rang to thank me straight away. The job is really satisfying. It is an amazing feeling having people say thank you when services improve.”
It has been a long journey for the mother of three, who, after qualifying and working in social care in Glasgow, began studying a master’s degree in social work at Nottingham University two years ago. Juggling work and childcare is a challenge, but thanks to support from her employers, Adenipekun, a single parent, says she has been able to combine her career with the needs of her children.
With the help of a relocation package, she was able to move and now rents a house near a green flag award-winning country park. Meanwhile, study days are protected and she receives regular formal and informal supervision from her team.
“I graduated with a degree in accounting in Nigeria and moved to the UK 17 years ago, but I’ve always wanted to work in social care. I’m passionate about my job and love working here.
“It was important to me to work for a team with multicultural staff and to be close to London where I have family. I really enjoy meeting new people and I live in a beautiful area. My children are happy and settled and I am encouraged to think about what I want to do in the future.”
The council covers five towns: Rochester, with its historic castle and cathedral, and Chatham, with its maritime heritage, as well as Strood, Gillingham and Rainham, the Hoo peninsula and outlying villages.
As part of its transformation and improvement programme, Medway council is encouraging staff to come up with ideas for improving services. And Kim Nicholas, 41, has been doing just that.
Twenty years ago, Nicholas joined Medway council after graduating with a business degree from Brighton University. Today, with a career spanning more than two decades, she is a team manager in the social services department, helping young people as they move to adult services and improving support for older people.
Having a mum who was a social worker sparked an interest in care and, as a student, Nicholas spent her summers in her home town of Gillingham working in respite care for people with learning disabilities.
She was supported by the council to study a foundation degree in health and social care at Canterbury Christ Church University, followed by a degree in social work with the Open University, qualifying in 2011.
Over the years, she built up a wealth of experience in frontline social work where she helped people get targeted assistance. She says her managers have supported her development and in 2015, while on maternity leave, she was encouraged to apply for a job as a senior social worker involved in complex cases. Five years later she was promoted again – this time to become a team manager.
“The council invested and took a chance on me and I feel they have been supportive all the way. Being part of the management team within adult social care gives me a sense of achievement.”
Nicholas is now responsible for 12 staff and their career development and has helped streamline processes to improve the experiences of young people about to receive adult services. She has also been closely involved in a pilot to make self-assessment for services more accessible, as well as working with providers of assistive technology to help increase independence, using tools from traditional hoists to floor sensors linked to telecare systems.
Encouraging staff to apply for opportunities and further training remains important – whatever their age. Nicholas says she recently supported two people to start social work apprenticeships – one in her 20s and one in her 50s.
Meanwhile, Adenipekun, who is coming to the end of her first year post-qualification, is already planning how she can further her career within Medway council. Inspired by her work at a mental health project in Glasgow, where she supported people with long-term conditions back to work, she hopes to train as an approved mental health professional.
“I love my job and I am looking forward to supporting people in any way I can.”
Find out more about the career opportunities in Medway council’s adult social care team #CareForMedway
