Why I chose SweetTree and why I am choosing every day to stay

By Jessica Ricci
Field Supervisor – Brain Injury & Neurological Conditions Service

There are plenty of agencies that deal with home care services, but being a support worker in SweetTree is somehow different.

Being a support worker means a lot of things. Not only are you a trained professional worker, but you might cover many other different roles: you will be a friend, a personal trainer, a part of the family, a rehabilitator, a teacher, a health care provider, a companion, and many other things depending on which client you’ll be working with.

We don’t just work for the clients but with the clients, building a life plan together, and this is a massive difference. We don’t look at clients as disabled patients but as people who lost a lot but still can achieve so much.

This personalised duty of care shows how SweetTree sees clients as people and not just numbers. SweetTree’s focus is not just about doing a job, but how we do that job. They really create a person-centred care plan considering the client’s story, personality, and skills.

SweetTree gives you the opportunity to develop a great knowledge and understanding of people with brain injury, learning disabilities, and dementia. Thanks to the huge amount of courses you will have access to, and to the trainers’ background and experience, you won’t just be someone who goes into clients’ houses, but you will become a professional expert in one or more specific departments. You will learn what happens to the brain when it is damaged in specific areas, how to deal with people who have a brain injury and their family too. You will see how their life is affected but also how much potential they have and how many goals they can achieve thanks to constant support.

You will be involved in MDT meetings, having the opportunity to understand how the different professionals play a crucial role in the client’s rehabilitation. You will see strategies and techniques and be able to use them during your shifts, getting a good awareness of different psychological areas.

SweetTree managers are always ready to help and guide you through this whole journey, making you feel supported and considered a full-fledged professional. You work as an individual but you are part of a big family and machine, whereby clients can get a new start.”