Gabriel Aims To Be A Social Worker After Chasing Lifetime Ambition

A South Eastern Trust Social Work Assistant is turning his ambition to make a difference into reality after taking the next step in his career by undertaking a Social Work degree with The Open University.

Gabriel Carlin, who has worked as a Social Work Assistant with the South Eastern HSC Trust for the past three years, is studying alongside his current role with the ambition of becoming a qualified Social Worker within the Trust.

His dedication to his role and commitment to the people and communities he supports was recently recognised when he received a South Eastern Trust Chairman’s Award. The award has provided Gabriel with further encouragement as he continues to challenge himself and develop his career.

Gabriel said: “I have been a Social Work Assistant now for three years and with my life skills and my previous job roles in learning disability and other areas, I learned that I wanted to do more, be more and achieve more. I am not really one for sitting back, so I want more out of life.

“I worked alongside two wonderful Social Workers, one from Children’s Services and one from Adult Services. Having that joint knowledge and seeing what they did, really aligned me with the path I wanted to be on.”

Gabriel is passionate about bringing people together and helping them improve their social, emotional and physical wellbeing. He delivers a range of groups and programmes including Guitar and Ukulele Groups, Dementia and Carers Groups, Walking Groups and Weight Management Programmes.

Gabriel added:  “A big part of my job is community development which I am very passionate about.

“It is about getting people out of their homes for their social, emotional and physical wellbeing and seeing the power of groups and the power of numbers.

“It is wonderful. It is about empowering people to be the best version of themselves and that is something I really believe in.

“My childhood experience with school was never that great. I never always felt that I was as capable as other children because I did not pick things up as quickly at the time.

“It is only since I became an adult that I have realised I can do these things. I started gaining qualifications and passing them and it was like a light bulb moment.

“I thought, ‘I can do this’. Being in my role for the past three years has given me the tools I need and has helped me realise that my values align with the Trust’s values.”

Gabriel chose to study through The Open University as it allows him to continue working while undertaking his degree.

His first step was completing the introductory K102 module which he describes as a challenge to himself to see whether he had the academic skills to progress.

Gabriel added: “I challenged myself last year to do K102, which is the induction and basic introductory module, to see could I do it and whether I had the academic skills to be able to do this.

“I passed it and that gave me a bit of a footing to think about what I was doing.

“The Open University means I am able to work and study at the same time. My Managers in the Trust have been very good in allowing me the time and flexibility to do the degree with the intention of becoming a Social Worker within the South Eastern Trust in three years’ time.”

Working alongside studying has its challenges, Gabriel said, and he added that “I am reading a lot. Sometimes I find that I read and it is hard to get the information to go into my head. It is about learning how to manage myself alongside working and learning to pace myself.

“I would tell anybody to go for it. Age is just a number. I was worried because I am 55 and thought, am I too old for this? But I don’t think at 21, personally, I would have been able to do it because I did not have the life skills, knowledge and depth of understanding that I have now.

“I think the years have helped me to do this.

“Along with the support from the Trust, I am absolutely delighted to be moving forward. I would encourage anybody to take on a challenge like this. I do not want to just sit back in life. I want to keep moving forward.”

Gabriel’s Manager, Senior Social Work Practitioner,  Andrea McGlennon said his enthusiasm and commitment were evident from the moment he joined the Team and that his Chairman’s Award was a fitting recognition of his contribution.

Andrea said: “We in the Trust and particularly his colleagues at Portaferry Surgery are so excited for him because we could see the potential in him from the very first day that he arrived.

“He is so enthusiastic about his job. He is very motivated and incredibly driven. He wants to deliver a good service to the local community and he does that every day. We nominated him for the Chairman’s Award because we felt that should be recognised.

“He was so delighted but embarrassed by the nomination and then even more delighted when he won. It was well deserved.

“The last couple of years working with the Trust have given him the confidence to pursue and further his career and develop himself more professionally. We are just delighted and very committed to supporting him in that journey as he moves through the next couple of years.”