Meet Dawn, Child Support Worker

Dawn joined Diverse Abilities as part of the Short Breaks Crew in 2019. Hear what she has to say about her career with us:

I was looking for a role that offered flexibility, somewhere that I could work as much or as little as I wanted according to my study and exam schedules whilst finishing up at Bournemouth University.

At the time I was studying film and providing marketing support for another local charity, but I was looking for something a little more permanent and with a little extra money.

It was actually my mum that saw a post on Facebook explaining Diverse Abilities were hiring for zero hour contracts and sent it on to me - it looked like exactly the sort of things I was looking for; fun, flexible, relaxed, and vibrant.

My brother as ASD, so I had an idea of what to expect, but there’s so much training on the job you don’t need to worry if you don’t have any prior experience, as well as plenty of support on session.

As part of the Short Breaks Crew, I worked across the Coping with CHAOS, Project My Time, and Awesome Nights services in the Children’s Team. These services support children with additional needs, and their families, in the school holidays and at weekends with fun activities.

During my time with Diverse Abilities, I’ve realised that I really enjoy helping people. I’ve had great opportunities for growth and am now working full time as a Child Support Worker at Lily’s Place, our respite home for children with disabilities to help provide more support to families.

My one piece of advice if you’re looking for a role in care would be to find your niche. Whether it be helping, adults, children, or families; I was attracted to the Children’s Team because of my experience growing up with my brother and wanted to share my knowledge with the families, as well as supporting them.