Sally Ola

Hi, my name is Sally I have been working with Vibrance, Waltham Forest Day Opportunities for 5 months. Working with Waltham
Forest Day service has given me the opportunity to share my skills with a diverse team and those who use our service. During the times supporting we enjoy accessing the community, participating in therapeutic activities and any other activities that are of interest.

Vibrance has offered me opportunities to improve my skills and knowledge through mandatory training and specialist training tailored to the needs of those I support. The benefits of working for Vibrance are that I gain experience in varied working environments, and is different to my previous job.

Debbie Wallace

My name is Debbie Wallace, I started my career with Vibrance 11 years ago working at Dunelm Nursing home as a Support Worker. During my time at Dunelm I became the Health & Safety Representative, Staff Consultation Representative, Full First Aider, and did my MIDAS (minibus driver awareness scheme) training, which enabled Service Users more access to the community.

During my time at Dunelm the Nurses and Manager gave me so much encouragement and support to develop, that I really wanted to progress in my career; so after 6 years I applied and was successful for a Project Worker post at another service for Vibrance. I started working at Larwood 5 years ago. This was a real challenge for me as it was in a residential setting, also we had a sister home which was low support; both areas was new to me.

During my first year there I decided I would like to progress further and with the support of the Manager I started my QCF level 5 in management, this was a real challenge but my Manager was so supportive allowing me time to complete this course.  During my time at Larwood I have become the IT Buddy, which means I am now supporting other staff with all IT skills.

I am also continuing in my role as  Health & Safety representative and Staff Consultation.  In 2016 I become the Acting Deputy Manager of Larwood, another new challenge for me that I am really enjoying.

Olaniran

Hi, my name is Olaniran, I joined Vibrance in February 2016 as a relief worker since July 2017 I have been contracted as an Activity worker at Waltham Forest Day Opportunities.

Working for Vibrance gives me a good work / Life balance. I find the role rewarding as it give me the opportunity to work with different people of different backgrounds, supporting them to access their local community.

I have undertaken mandatory training courses and I have also been trained as an I.T Buddy which enables me to support my colleagues.

Ola.

Samantha Gatehouse

My name is Samantha Gatehouse; I started working for Vibrance at Corporation road 10 years ago and although I left for a little over a year I returned February this year. My time working for Vibrance has been great; the training offered both mandatory and developmentally is excellent and has given me the opportunity to gain qualifications (NVQ 3 in health and social care) and expand my knowledge in different areas of care, I have completed 4 distance learning courses Inc. advanced medication and advanced dementia care and I am frequently offered other developmental courses which is great.

Corporation road is a lovely place to work; it has a fantastic family atmosphere amongst the staff and our Service Users. We are a great team who regularly go “above and beyond” to ensure our Service Users happiness and well-being. All of our Service Users are treated with the upmost dignity and respect; we try our best to ensure each resident is treated as an individual and that their life goals/dreams are made their reality.

I am really glad that I had the opportunity to return to Corporation Road and I am in no doubt that Corporation Road is the nicest and most caring home to work in and I am privileged to be a part of the team and part of our Service Users lives.

Manny

I started working for Vibrance (Cressing road) back in 2013 and haven’t looked back since. I started by building relationships with the Service Users and supporting them   in their day to day activities. The idea is to promote independence hence doing it with them while supporting them in any way I can.

I have a great team around me and due to the consistent training provided by Vibrance, I feel at ease discharging my duties.

It can be challenging at times but it’s always comforting to see a smile on the faces of the Service Users  at the end of each day. Being a support worker at Cressing is very rewarding as I can clearly see the difference my colleagues and I are making in the lives of the Service Users . It’s satisfying to know that each time a Service User improves in any aspect of their lives; I played a part in them reaching that milestone.

Louis Capillaire

Hi, my name is Louis, I joined Vibrance in November 2017 as an apprentice after finishing college 3 months before that. After college I thought becoming an apprentice was the best way to continue expanding my knowledge in different areas and learning new skills.

I applied for Vibrance’s HR/LD apprentice role because I knew it would give me the opportunity to learn about all these new interesting things that I have never delve into. I have learned so much since joining and I will soon be starting formal training which will help me learn even more then I already have. Since joining I have already improved in many areas such as communication, when answering phone calls from employees, clients etc.

My colleagues have helped me out along the way when it comes to difficult tasks that I have not tackled before and just teaching me some HR/LD common knowledge. Vibrance has given me so many opportunities to learn more.

Paula Campbell

Hello, my name is Paula and I have worked for Vibrance since 1999! I started as a Support Worker and with the support of Vibrance progressed to Project Worker, Deputy Manager and finally to Manager. I was successful in obtaining my current post in 2009.

I currently manage two care Homes, one home is registered with CQC and is home to eight individuals with learning disabilities, challenging behaviours, mobility issues, and dementia. The second is low support and is home to four individuals with mild/moderate learning disabilities.    I am operationally responsible for managing the care and support provided to all service users. I manage a staff team of 21 and ensure co-ordination of delivery of services to service users meeting the regulations laid out by the Care Quality Commission and Local Authorities.

I have truly loved every post that I have held within Vibrance and I can honestly say I have never not wanted to go work! I enjoy supporting service users to achieve things and I like to make anything happen. I do get a personal satisfaction when individuals achieve something however small and you see the enjoyment in their expressions or body language. I enjoy supporting people to be independent and to have control over their lives. I also enjoy supporting staff with their development and I like teaching people.

Vibrance has supported me to become a manager and this was always my goal. They have provided me with opportunities to learn through out my career and when I have not been confident with something supported me in taking small steps and before I knew it I was  confident in it without even realising!. They have also supported me when I have made mistakes and allowed me to learn from them. Vibrance has also looked at particular skills I have and matched with my enthusiasm given me extra responsibilities such as other homes to manage and encouraged me out of my comfort zone.

I feel Vibrance has provided me with the benefit of adapting my hours on occasions to suit my lifestyle and has enabled me to have a great career as well as being a good mum and have a regular hobby. Vibrance has supported me to have a happy home and work life balance and you cannot put a price on that!

Kayleigh Stanton

My name is Kayleigh Stanton and I joined Vibrance in December 2014. I have been supporting adults with learning disabilities since 2006 and met Smiths fields whilst I was supporting a lady with 1-1 activities. After observing the care and support that the residents received from staff, management and Vibrance themselves, I knew that this place was where I wanted to be.

The staff was so supportive to each other as well as the residents they cared for and the personal centre approach was obvious upon me visiting and engaging with the people who work and live at Smithsfield.

In no time of me joining Vibrance, I excelled in training and developed, learning new skills that even after all the years I had worked in this area I had not seen or been introduced to before.

I have gained so much knowledge and better understanding of my job role and Vibrance saw that in me and helped me to progress through training and apply for the position as a project worker at Smithsfield.

I can’t thank Vibrance enough for the guidance and support that they have given me and now I am at present starting my diploma level 3 without the support from Vibrance and management that’s something that I never thought I would achieve.