A day in the life of a Community Support Worker – Damon

What drew you to a career in mental health?

Through late secondary school and college a lot of my peers suffered with their own mental health problems, and my parents have worked in mental health throughout my life, so after coming out of uni, I had a think about what I really wanted to do and it seemed like this was the right kind of path to go down to help people and give back to the community.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Going out into the community, meeting the people I support and helping them to have a more fulfilling life. That ranges from going out for coffees or helping them go shopping or sometimes just having a chat. Every day and every person is different.

What’s the training like?

The training has been great so far. There’s some online training that you have to go through which runs through the basic stuff around the role but then there’s also been loads of in-person training that the team book you on to do, and that’s been really, really good. Great training from that.

What do you enjoy most about working as a Community Support Worker at Step One Charity?

I think it’s just a really nice, rewarding job. The whole team have been really so welcoming which has made it really easy to kind of get into the job. It’s never felt uncomfortable and I’ve never felt anxious coming in because everyone is so friendly and helpful.

How flexible is the job?

It’s extremely flexible from what I’ve experienced so far. I’ve occasionally had other commitments and as long as there’s enough notice given, then the team can move the rota about which has made my life a lot easier!

What’s the most rewarding aspects of your job?

So far, definitely reading the notes on where people are coming from and then seeing everything from small changes where you’ve helped up to bigger changes. When you see the people that you’re supporting are getting more used to certain things or taking a step further outside of their comfort zones, that can be really rewarding to see.

Damon’s tips for anyone embarking on a career in mental health:

I think go for it. I think this is definitely a good starting point and I don’t think it’s too intense.

We are currently recruiting Community Support Workers to join Damon and the team. If you’re looking for a rewarding career in mental health that makes a real difference, this could be your next step!

We welcome full time, part time and bank Support Workers.