Claire | Faces of Futures

Claire, Support Worker, Kinloss Park Learning Disabilities Service, Cupar

Hi, I’m Claire Chalmers, and I’m a Support Worker, at Hillcrest Future’s Kinloss Park Service in Cupar. I started with Hillcrest in November 2006, and I’ve been working with the company for over 18 years.

Kinloss Park is a group home, and we support four individuals aged 30 to 75. The work we do is to actively support these individuals to live healthy, wholesome lives like everyone else.  They are supported to maintain their tenancy and build their daily living skills. We support all these individuals to fully integrate into the community they live in.  We support them to have a voice, make choices, build and maintain relationships, explore working and volunteering opportunities and be a valued member of their community.   This creates identity, meaning and empowerment of being in control of their life and their choices.

I work in Learning & Disabilities, Autism and Mental Health, of young people and older adults. My Mum was a teacher in Learning Disabilities and Autism. I volunteered within the school and helped with individuals who were transitioning from high school to life out with the classroom. In doing this it gave me a passion and desire in making a difference to people’s lives. I wanted to be able to contribute to the wellbeing and quality of life of individuals, along with their families. This is when I decided to apply for a job with Hillcrest Futures after I graduated.

Hillcrest has always supported individual growth along with team/project growth. We are actively encouraged to openly communicate and be transparent in our teams, as this helps in building trust, and it helps us to feel valued and heard. Team work is one of the most important parts of the role.

Hillcrest acknowledges and celebrates our contributions big or small. This fosters a positive atmosphere and motivities me to perform my best.

Since starting with Hillcrest. I have gone from being a shy 22-year-old graduate to a confident 40-year-old.  Every day is a learning day, I’ve been given great opportunities in learning and development, my line manager has always given me the right guidance in speaking up, being me and doing what I believe in. Working for Hillcrest has shaped who I am.

To be successful in the care industry, you need to have empathy, to really understand and share the feelings of the individuals you support. I always say put yourself in their shoes and think of these individuals as your own family or friends. Problem solving and creativity skills are also important – the ability to identify challenges, and to develop engaging and effective thinking is crucial.

Resilience and patience is also key. Having the ability to cope with challenges and setbacks is important. When working in learning disabilities, mental health and with individuals who have autism, progress maybe slow- and on-going effort and support is needed. Having patience helps to foster a supportive environment.

Hillcrest has always provided fantastic flexible working opportunities; this helps me in juggling work and family life. Hillcrest encourages self-care, individual health plans, regular supervisions, good holiday entitlement amongst other things, which is definitely one of the reasons I’m still here after 18 years.

I’ve got many memorable moments and highlights from work over the past 18 years. The highlight for me is always the thanks and gratitude from individuals and their family and friends, for the work that I do in supporting everyone in their own life achievements – big or small.

Our Faces of Futures campaign showcases the depth and breadth of our Hillcrest Futures services and specialisms, and promotes us as an employer of choice to attract new talent into the business. For more information, click here.