Proud to Care ambassador takes another step up

In July 2019, we published a blog from one of our support workers who was keen to explain how and why she’d taken a big leap and changed careers. Carol Stephens had been a civil servant for 25 years but was in need of something different.

Keeping her daughter company at a recruitment event, Carol ended up chatting with the Brandon team and before she knew it, she was filling out an application form for a casual support worker position. She then moved to a permanent support worker role, and we’ve just heard that she has been successful in yet another step up, into the role of team leader.

‘Make a Difference’ ambassador

Throughout the last two years, Carol has been an active ambassador, spending her free time sharing her experiences and promoting care work. She was a joint winner in the Proud to Care category in the Cornwall Adult Health and Social Care (CAHSC) awards in September 2019, and she has been interviewed for several national recruitment campaigns.

In June 2021, she featured in the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) ‘Care for others. Make a difference’ campaign video, promoting and inspiring people to consider care work as a career.

‘Star Letter’

Following on from this, she was delighted to win ‘Star Letter’ for her story that was published in issue 26 of British women’s magazine, That’s Life. She has generously donated her prize money to the Flicka Foundation Donkey Sanctuary.

Reflecting on the past two years, Carol said:

“I can't quite believe where my journey has taken me, but I'm still loving it.

“Hopefully my story will encourage others to join such a wonderful and rewarding profession.”

Join our team

If Carol’s story has inspired you to think about a career in care, visit our jobs section to find out more about working with us and to browse our current vacancies.