Building confidence, skills and financial security through tailored employment support.
When J joined the programme, she was working just six hours a week as a midday supervisor. While she was keen to work more hours and develop a new career, her existing role was becoming increasingly difficult to manage alongside her health and childcare responsibilities.
J has functional neurological disorder and was finding the physical demands of her role challenging. She wanted to move into a career where she could spend more time sitting down, while also finding employment that offered greater flexibility around her family.
With tailored support from her Employment Specialist, J was able to identify a realistic route into administration, build her skills and confidence, and ultimately secure a new role with the NSPCC.
The starting point
J came onto the programme working six hours per week as a midday supervisor. She was motivated to make a change and wanted to find a role that would:
- Offer increased working hours
- Provide a less physically demanding working environment
- Work around her childcare responsibilities
- Improve her family’s financial situation
- Allow her to pursue a career she was genuinely passionate about
Finding the right balance between work, health and family life was an important part of J’s journey.
Building skills for a new career
J’s Employment Specialist worked with her to explore suitable career options and identify administration as an area that matched her interests, skills and circumstances.
Her CV was reviewed and updated to better showcase her transferable skills and make it suitable for administration roles.
J also took the initiative to complete an online Business Administration course, helping her develop additional knowledge and skills relevant to her new career path.
With her confidence growing, J began applying for suitable administrative positions and successfully secured an interview for a role with the NSPCC.
Building confidence for interview success
J’s Employment Specialist provided tailored interview preparation to help her feel confident going into the interview.
Together, they explored the STAR method and discussed strategies for keeping calm and managing nerves during an interview. J completed extensive preparation and worked through a range of mock interview questions.
The preparation paid off.
J was successful at interview and was offered the role.
Making work fit around health and family
Securing a job was only part of the journey. J and her Employment Specialist also looked carefully at how her new role would work alongside her childcare responsibilities and financial circumstances.
A better-off calculation was completed to help J understand the financial impact of increasing her working hours. The calculation showed that J would be approximately £700 better off each month in her new role.
This gave J greater confidence that moving into employment would not only support her career ambitions, but also have a positive impact on her family’s financial situation.
Supporting health in the workplace
J’s Employment Specialist also supported her to complete a Health Adjustment Passport, helping her identify how her health affects her at work and what adjustments or support she may need from her employer.
This helped J develop a clearer understanding of her own needs and gave her practical ideas about what she could discuss with her new employer.
Her new position will be hybrid, providing a much better balance for managing both her health and childcare responsibilities. Her employer has also demonstrated an understanding of her circumstances and is happy to offer flexibility around her working hours.
J and her Employment Specialist also discussed using a Wellness Action Plan to help her manage stress and look after her wellbeing as she begins her new employment.
A new chapter
J is now preparing to start her new role with the NSPCC, a position that represents a significant step forward from where she began.
She has moved from working just six hours a week in a physically demanding role to securing a career-focused position with greater flexibility, improved financial circumstances and opportunities to use the skills she has developed.
Most importantly, J has found a role that works around her health and childcare responsibilities while allowing her to pursue a career she is passionate about.
The impact
J’s journey demonstrates the difference that personalised employment support can make when health, family responsibilities and career aspirations all need to be considered together.
Through a combination of skills development, practical employment support, interview preparation, financial planning and workplace adjustment support, J has been able to overcome the barriers that had previously made increasing her hours and changing career feel difficult.
Her new role will provide greater financial security for her family while offering the flexibility she needs to manage her health and childcare responsibilities.
J’s journey shows that with the right support, a change in career can become a realistic and achievable next step.
