Karen's Story, Break Relief Personal Support Worker

I joined Frantec in 2017, and nine years on it’s “more than a job.” It feels like family. From “day dot,” the training was the first I ever “enjoyed every single minute of.” Delivered by leaders and specialists, it’s “second to none,” and it cemented my commitment straight away.

That support has never let up. Everyone is approachable, and I can raise concerns without fear, be heard, and act together for our clients’ best interests. Feeling valued like that makes me a better carer. We even received a LeDr commendation for going “over and above” on a complex case, which showed me what a team with shared standards can achieve.

Before Frantec, I worked in domiciliary care and spent seven years with Marie Curie in end-of-life care, which was a real privilege. But moving from short, task-focused visits to relationship-based support is where I found my professional home.

My role is largely respite, taking over all daily support so live-in carers can rest. Longer shifts, now typically eight to nine hours, give me time to do things at my client’s pace, whether that’s a favourite routine or a different outing each week, especially when the weather allows. Simply being with someone long enough to understand their rhythms is what makes the difference. Learning to communicate with non-verbal clients, reading eyes, gestures and expressions, takes patience and creativity, but “we always get there in the end.”

I’m proudest of helping a client get her own car. I worked with her brother and the provider to make it happen, and it was transformative: spontaneous trips, new friendships and three holidays in two years, and friends can drive her too. She has a new lease of life. Now, “we’re never in.”

It hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve known loss along the way, but walking alongside people through joy and grief matters to me. Being trained well, trusted and supported is why I’ve stayed. If I had to, I’d “do it again without thinking.”