Being a Senior Residential Support Worker: Insight from Mia Bage

We caught up with Mia Bage , one of our Senior Residential Care Workers (RCW) to ask a few questions about her role at Care Hubz. Mia has recently been promoted to deputy manager but this interview was conducted when she remained senior.
1
What is your background? And how did you become Senior RCW at Care Hubz?
“I worked for 10 year in SEN school. When Youth Hubz opened in 2019 I soon began working as a Bank Support Worker and made the transition to full time employee when the company expanded and opened Care Hubz in 2022. I started at care hubz as a RSW then after 8 months I progressed to a senior. My senior role also encompass the independence championship role, which will illustrate to all professionals and Ofsted how we are developing the independence of the young people in our setting”.
2
What is most rewarding aspect of being Senior RCW?
“It is everything we do for young people and tailoring our support to their needs. In this job it is the little things that count. Seeing the positive change through developing positive relationships. I also find that the PACE model aligns with my approach and that is something I didn’t realise until I started working for the company that everything I do is paceful”
3
What does a typical day look like as Senior RCW?
“As a senior, I am responsible on shift as the shift lead I will support the residential worker and also complete their supervisions. I also cover health care standards, so making sure everything to do with health is covered. Depends on day as we do have a routine and I have developed lots of visual aids which the young person prefers. I also am starting life skills work so my role focuses on developing independence and illustrating this with mixture of key work sessions and activities which are carried out in the home or community”
4
Do you feel supported in your role?
“Withing my home I have a very supportive team and feel supported as everyone recognises each other’s individual strengths and difficulties and are supported”
5
What do you think makes Care Hubz stand out compared to other Children’s Homes in the area?
“It’s a new company and bringing new ideas with the expansion from Youth Hubz and Care Hubz”
6
Would you recommend joining Care Hubz?
“Yes, I find it a really rewarding job and I love the difference we make for young people”
7
What would your advice be to someone who is joining the Care Hubz Team and awaiting induction?
“Be prepared that it may take a while to start due to safe recruitment but know once you start it can feel challenging but you will have a lot of support from the team in your home.”

April

Floating Support keyworkers
After leaving school, I worked in the textile industry for over 20 years. To support and encourage my daughter to attend college I completed an access to higher education course, where I had the chance to volunteer at a homeless shelter as part of the curriculum.

My passion for helping others then led me to start working with young people, initially in a mother and baby unit. In 2003, I joined Calderdale Council as a casual residential worker, becoming a permanent staff member in 2007. I then moved to a short break unit for children with learning disabilities in 2011, where I stayed until 2015 before changing my career path to focus more on support than care.

For the next 8 years, I had the privilege of supporting 16-18 year old care leavers, and I was even promoted to manager in 2018. It was a very rewarding experience, but I was eager for a new challenge when the opportunity to become a team leader working with Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) became available. I'm really enjoying the new experiences and the chance to support these young people as they navigate the asylum process and work towards living independently developing skills for community safety and involvement, personal hygiene, and basis English.

Outside of work, I cherish my time with my children and grandchildren. It brings me great joy to be able to spend quality time with my loved ones.

Babita Mehta

24/7 Operational Manager
Babita has worked with children for over 20 years. She has worked in the Education sector in a safeguarding role, before transitioning into Safeguarding Lead with Youth Hubz Semi Independent Support where she has worked for the last 18months. She is currently completing Level 4 in Children, Young People and Families Practitioner and ensures she keeps up to date with her role by attending various Safeguarding Leadership courses with new legislation and guidance. Babita has been Safeguarding Lead since 2021. She supports the implementation of policies and procedures with safeguarding practices. She ensures staff are up to date with all the developments in child protection policy, research, practice and guidance. In 2023 Babita was promoted to Operational Manager for 24/7 support.