Home » Careers » Employee stories » Support Worker
- Name
- Martyn Reidie
- Position
- Support Worker
- Location
- West Bridge Mill, Kirkcaldy
I joined LinkLiving as a Support Worker in 2003. I had a background in social care, having previously worked in a nursing home and with disabled people. I work with the Supported Accommodation Unit which, as its name suggests, provides accommodation with support for people between the ages of 16 and 30.
Despite having already worked in social care, it was a bit like starting all over again when I came to Link because I hadn't worked supporting young people before. We have a close knit team of five here at West Bridge Mill and I found that I was given all the help and advice I needed to settle into the job.
I've made the role my own...
I really enjoy what I do. The people who live at the Mill come from all sorts of backgrounds. Someone might have just come out of care and need a lot of help with everything from learning to cook for themselves to budgeting. Another person may have just left a relationship and need a roof over their head for while along with help finding a flat.
It's a very varied job which can be challenging at times but is really rewarding overall. I have been given the chance to shape my role and, like everyone else in my team, been encouraged to develop a specific area of expertise in addition to my day-to-day activities.
I'm very interested in service user involvement, helping the people who live at the Mill to have a say in the way their service is run. This is really important because it's how we can ensure we are meeting service users' needs.
I am impressed with how seriously Link takes this issue, it doesn't just pay lip service to the idea of really involving people. I am a facilitator for the service users' panel, provide training to help panel members get the most out of being involved and have also set up outdoor education activities.
I'm also an active member of Link's Health and Safety Committee which gives me a chance to contribute ideas about issues that concern not only my team but the rest of Link too.