Day in Life : Registered Service Manager

We caught up with Andrew Lewis, our valued RSM to ask a few questions about his role at Youth Hubz.
01
What is your background? And how did you become RSM at Youth Hubz?
“My background has always been working with children and young people since graduating from university with a degree and masters degree. I got teaching qualifications and was a school teacher, I then spent short time as personal trainer before returning to education sector. I then left education to become a support worker. I managed a 7-bed property successfully due to the matching process implemented. I became the registered manager due to Ofsted's involvement and my experience with Ofsted and education and it being the next step, when I came for my interview for Youth Hubz RSM role I saw the positives in the company in terms of accommodations and work done with young people.” “During my interview I had these crystals in my pocket which now I place on the windowsill of my office. “
02
What is most rewarding aspect of being RSM?
“Seeing the progress the company making, the staff thriving, and the continuous hard work the staff do, including the stuff staff do which is not always noticeable as the staff always go the extra mile and that’s really rewarding since Ofsted involvement we have come together as a team and it is gathering momentum now at a rate of nots and I can see it with the strength of the managers we have in place. We have a lot of positives and we are only going to continue to gain pace, momentum and strength and everything is about having young person centred support.“
03
What does a typical day look like as RSM?
“No day is the same but I do try stick to a morning routine by checking Teams chats and make three phone calls when im on the road into work to the operational managers to see where we are at and what needs to happen to support the young people. All this is done before 8.30am then every day is different it could be meetings, forecasting, health and safety, updating policies and procedures. I work cohesively with all the departments in the company from HR with safer recruitment to attending house meetings with young people. Everything I do is to benefit the young people to ensure they are safe, protected and making progress.”
04
What do you think makes Youth Hubz stand out compared to other supported accommodation in the area?
The key is the accommodation and the love that goes into that with the finer details. They are homes, not accommodation. It is evident with how young people respond as we carefully match the young person with the placement after doing all the relevant safety checks.
05
Would you recommend joining Youth Hubz?
100% recommend, we are a vision based company that are progressing in fantastic way. We do follow safer recruitment process.
06
What would your advice be to someone who is joining the Youth Hubz Team and awaiting induction.
“Trust your team around you, the team leaders and managers, get to know the company and young people, build the rapport to develop trust. There is a good induction and strong probation period with lots of training to provide you with all skills required.”

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.