What is your role? My role is a Commissioning Officer in health and care.

My Passion is helping people, and it reflects in the day job as well as outside my day job. I volunteer outside of work for an organisation, a key thread in all my roles is HELPING people.

I’m responsible for commissioning in the Health and Care directorate.

I play a role in supporting the most vulnerable clients of our society, ensuring social care budget is used appropriately, and I help to develop and shape services based on evidence. 

I ensure I have proactive relationships with partners within and outside the council and that all priorities and projects are delivered on time.

Whilst working on any project I raise any quality issues. I lead by example when supporting on case management with partners. 

I’m responsible for my own knowledge and need to ensure that I’m up to date with best practice, policy guidance and legislation. Ensuring I’m a good communicator with all involved in social care by a number of different channels is important.

What does your typical day look like? A typical day for me starts with an earthquake of the kids waking up in the morning and getting them ready for school before I begin my working day!

Then it’s a coffee to start my working day ( it’s a Costa if it’s an office day, I’m always partial to a Costa run) and then I’m ready to check my emails to gain priorities for that day.

Beauty of any job in social care is that it never goes to plan and can be unpredictable which I love!

My friends often ask me what a commissioner does and if I asked myself what a commissioner does I probably wouldn’t have been able to say.

I can be dealing with something very urgent, ensuring someone has the right care and support in place. The next day I could be setting up a new service with several teams to meet the future demands and needs in social care.

Why did you join Staffordshire County Council? I knew from a very young age I wanted to help people.

I hit a bit of a fork in the road, and I took a year out after college as I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go into social care or nursing but what I did know is I wanted to help people.

I took a job in 2006 with Staffordshire County Council with the expectation it was a year out to gain some experience in the sector and never looked back due to all the amazing opportunities they offer to employees.

There are so many opportunities, and my social care career hopefully demonstrates this to you all.

What might people not know about working in the council? It’s easy to fall in love with working in social care, the reward you feel each day is amazing!

Social care offers so many career choices.

The job can be demanding but rewarding too.

For me it’s also the good work life balance, I’m a mum and it provides flexibility for me to fulfil that role and having flexitime allows me to still attend those important things and allow me to be a good working mum.

What is your most memorable moment? Dressing as an Elf at Christmas for the team Christmas meeting and the brokerage buffet, if you know you know!!

What is the worst part of your job? Thinking creatively within budgets, unfortunately we do not have an endless pot of money and what we have we really need to ensure is spent wisely.

What is the best part of your job? Building those relationships with so many teams in and out of the council to co-produce amazing work and achieve the best outcomes for our people of Staffordshire.

Working with the voluntary sector to achieve outcomes for clients and ensuring our Staffordshire residents have the care they need at the time they need it.

What would you be doing if you didn’t work here? I’d probably be a dog groomer or florist as you can apply your creative mind to those roles. 

What advice would you give someone considering a career at Staffordshire? Most importantly they support and encourage your growth. I started 18 years ago in the organisation as a care worker and I’ve been encouraged, supported and developed throughout my social care career in Staffordshire County Council.

They offer a good supportive environment, great benefits like pension and the employer’s contribution, Viv Up discounts, training courses, apprenticeships, Lease car scheme and flexible working!