WeCare Wales Ambassador Blogs: Kat Jones

Role

I am a principal social worker working in a long-term adult care and support team. I’m one of two principal social workers and along with our team manager, we manage a team of five social workers and four care and support practitioners. I hold a reduced caseload as I also supervise three care and support practitioners and a social worker.

I work with adults of all ages who have care and support needs as defined by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act (2014). I support individuals to access care and support where there are eligible care needs, ensure their personal outcomes are met and safeguard them, as far as possible, against risk of harm to themselves or others. My day-to-day work includes writing statutory assessments, care plans and reviews which enable clients to be cared for in the community or in a care setting, but while I do spend a lot of time at my desk, there is so much more to being an adult social worker.

How I got to where I am

My inspiration to study to become a social worker came from my own support worker, who was assigned to me while I was living in temporary accommodation as a young adult. She helped me secure a grant to get a laptop, and helped me find secure accommodation, but most importantly she gave me confidence as I knew she believed in me. When she asked me what I wanted to do next, the answer was simple – I wanted to help others, as she had helped me.

I’ve always worked with adults as I wanted to be able to work side by side with people, helping them to realise their goals and overcome setbacks in their lives. I realised early on, when working in a hospital discharge team, that anyone can experience health, social, financial, emotional or psychological issues and can need support to get back to where they want to be.

The moment I’ll always remember

You need to be able to reflect on your practice and strive to improve it, and a big part of that is listening to your clients. I remember working with a gentleman in hospital who had a chronic lung condition and was really struggling with personal care. When he told me how hard this was, I told him ‘I know what you mean.’ He said ‘You don’t know what I mean, you are not me, and this is not your health we are talking about.’ This taught me to consider the language I use and the importance of choosing the right words.

What I love about what I do

I love meeting people from all walks of life and hearing their stories. I especially enjoy listening to older people’s experiences; they have often lived a rich and interesting life before becoming unwell, and I feel privileged to hear about it.

One thing I wish I’d known when I’d started out

The small things often have a big impact in someone’s life. When we think of service delivery, we often think of things like putting in care packages or arranging accommodation. However, I’ve learned not to underestimate the difference you can make by doing something small – for example, picking up someone’s medication when there’s no one else to do it that day. These are often the things that clients and their families appreciate most.