Swanton CEO Andrew Dalton swapped the boardroom for the service floor this autumn as he tackled a shift as a support worker.
Members of the senior team will become a ‘Godfather’ or ‘Godmother’ for a chosen service and regularly work alongside care colleagues to gain valuable insight.
Andrew headed to Emerald Care’s Station House service in Dinnington, Sheffield, to begin his work under the watchful eye of Team Leader Julie Whitworth.
After completing the required training in safeguarding, autism and infection control, Andrew shadowed Julie as she supported Phillip in completing his morning routine.
He later worked with another person supported at the service on an activity in the afternoon.
The experience gave Andrew a chance to understand better the work done by support workers and to talk openly with the Station House team.
Andrew said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the experience – it was great to spend time with two of the people supported at Station House.
“I also got the opportunity to sit with the team at the kitchen table to talk about their work, experiences and ideas.
“It was fantastic to hear what they had to say and to get a better understanding of their day-to-day lives. I’m looking forward to going back again soon.”
Andrew will return every month to Station House, and plans are in place for other senior managers to enrol in the scheme.
Regional Director Lisa Warren, who helped plan Andrew’s visit to Station House, said it had been a big success.
Lisa said: “Andrew did really well – it’s very brave of a CEO to do a support worker shift when they’ve never done one before!
“We believe these experiences are imperative for the senior team because they provide valuable insight.
“I’m so proud that Andrew chose Station House and that our team there coped well with their CEO working alongside them. That’s pretty daunting.
“He could see all the hard work our care colleagues put into making the people we support safe and giving them fantastic lives.”
