Hear from our staff

Lauren Fox, Hartwood House team

Why do you enjoy working in Gloucestershire?

My work is really close by to my home, cutting out a big commute gives me more time with my family.

What would you say to someone thinking of joining us?

We look forward to welcoming you into our well established team.

Tell us about the support you receive?

We have monthly supervisions and my managers are great with working my schedule around my family so that I can be around for my baby. If we want to progress in our career, we have scope to, for example I have recently found a diploma in Autism which I would like to specialise in and my manger is going to try and find funding for this.

What’s it like to work here?

The staff and children at Hartwood house are my second family.

What’s it like to live here?

It’s a beautiful place that we can utilise, there is so much wide open space in the local area that gives us plenty of safe spaces that we can take the children we support too.

How has your career developed?

Since working at Hartwood I have completed a level 5 diploma in health and social care and a level 3 diploma in residential childcare.

How is your work / life balance supported?

The rest of the team are happy to try and swap shifts if you need a certain day off, annual leave is normally always approved.

Tell us why your work is rewarding

We have seen children come on in leaps and bounds here at Hartwood house in every aspect of their life, giving them breaks away from home giving them new experiences and opportunities to develop their independence is always a pleasure to see.

Is there anything in your experience which is a stand out positive for you? Something you have been able to do here but not elsewhere?

I feel like I have gained so much knowledge in safeguarding and child protection.

Tell us why you stay / have stayed so long?

I am settled in my role, I am comfortable and have a rota that I am happy with, the job pays well and works around home life.

Tell us about Systemic Practice and what it means to you?

The team work together well as well as with other professionals supporting the child. We have professional curiosity and know our children so well. The team know each other really well and don’t mind being challenged if we have difference of opinions.

Leanne, Barnwood House

Working as a Residential Practitioner at Barnwood House has completely redefined what “care” means to me. In many larger residential settings, it is easy for Practitioners to get caught up in the sheer logistics of managing a busy home. However, because Barnwood House is a small, nurturing home designed for only two children, I am given the actual time, space, and clinical support to practice true trauma- informed care.

Our daily practice at Barnwood House is built entirely around the ethos of Enabling, Enhancing and Enriching. We work alongside our in-house therapeutic clinicians to understand that “behaviour is communication” When a child expresses their trauma through physical or verbal distress, we do not simply react, we use our systemic training to remain the calm, steady, and predictable adults they so desperately need.

A Typical day involves running the home like a normal, warm family environment, preparing meals, sitting around the dinner table to talk about our days, and supporting the children in their education and hobbies, whether that is football, swimming or trying something completely new. We work hand in hand with Social Workers, the Social Work Academy, and families from the very beginning to ensure that whether a child is transitioning to a long-term foster family or reunifying with their birth parents, the transition is seamless and safe.

The most rewarding part of this role is watching a child who arrived with deep-seated mistrust slowly begin to feel safe enough to just be a child again. Seeing their faces light up during a trip to the park, or celebrating with them when they bring home a school certificate, makes every challenging moment worth it. At Barnwood House we aren’t just managing shifts, we are actively helping vulnerable children rewrite their futures and discover their own self-belief.