Martin - Day Service Officer

Martin Squires - Day Service Officer at Staffordshire County Council

If you are looking for a rewarding job that makes a massive difference to the lives of adults with complex needs, then a career in a care service could be right for you. 

I’m Martin. I’m a Day Service Officer and it’s such a pleasure to work at a care service for adults with learning difficulties and other complex needs such autism or epilepsy. 

Each of our service users have a tailored support programme to meets their needs, developed with Social Workers and social care assessors. Some come to the service to give elderly parents and other carers some respite. 

Many of our users need a lot of nonverbal communication so we have different sorts of sensory stimuli we can use, such as electronic image projections. For others, too much sensory stimulation can be overwhelming. One gentleman with OCD and autism goes outside with two team members doing activities based on his anxiety levels and places of interest to him. A visit to Warwick Castle proved a success but it can be as simple as a meal out or a visit to a park. 

What I love most in this role is working within such a dedicated team. Whatever our role as carers or drivers, we are united in doing our best for people. We always look for better ways to do things. For example, we’re now using a different mini bus for a larger man that has a flatter tail lift to make it easier to get his wheelchair up the ramp. That was an idea from the team, to make it safer for our staff to get him there. 

I’m part of various council wide groups like cyber security to find out about the latest scams and I’m a digital champion too – that means I can help my team get to grips with the new tablets we have arriving with the new care management system. 

What really motivates me is the daily difference I make. Our users fully feel their emotions, they are real and raw; they shout when happy and cry when sad. Caring for others makes me a better person and teaches me about compassion and empathy. I used to work in a factory and was desperate to find more purpose in my work, so started as a volunteer with the Prince’s Trust in a care project and now I get paid to do the job I love.

Martin is featured in our Local Government Career Guide, click here to find out more about working in local government and the wide variety of career options available. 

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