You might be wondering, “what exactly is Special Care?” Special Care is a secure residential service for young people who are struggling with a situation in their lives and require extra support. Young people are placed in Special Care in order to receive the additional help and support they need, in a safe and caring environment. Each placement is a short-term, focused intervention that can last between three and nine months.
For Eugene, a social care worker, the best part of working in Special Care is the young people. "What is fun about this job is that every day is a new day. There’s so much to do. Yeah, there’s a bit of paperwork for sure. But there’s loads of interactions with the young people, and I think that’s unique here, that we get to do so much. It’s not just a half hour with a young person, you’re spending the whole day with them," he says.
Working in Special Care is a rewarding experience. It is a dynamic work environment where no two days are the same. Young people who are doing well in their placement will have opportunities to go on trips with staff, which include activities such as hillwalking, going to the cinema, shopping and go-karting, along with a host of other possibilities.
The young people also have access to a range of activities within the campus, including use of the gym, cycling, cooking and playing football. They have supervised access to Netflix, videogames and all of the usual things that young people like to do for fun.
"What I really enjoy is engaging young people in positive stuff that they do. It’s just fun being here and seeing that the young people are getting positive memories out of Special Care," says John, a social care worker working in Special Care.
We’re always looking for new ways to bring improvements to the service and provide a truly collaborative environment for the young people to engage with. Recently, young people in Special Care have become involved with the ‘Gaisce – The President's Award’ program, and the first group of young people from Special Care received Gaisce awards in late 2019.
One of the Special Care services also received the prestigious ‘Investing in Children’ award in 2019 for their efforts to include and promote the participation of young people in all aspects of their care.
In Special Care there are high ratios of staff to young people – this allows for a high level of support to be provided while the young person is in a placement. It also means that social care workers receive a high level of peer support from both colleagues and managers.
"The support we give each other here is amazing, from phone calls after a difficult shift, to that debrief at the end of the day where we have a cup of tea and check in and see if everybody’s OK, and see what we need. That’s amazing here," says Mia, a social care worker working in Special Care.
As a social care worker in Special Care, you will be significantly invested in through in-house training and support. You will be trained in the ‘Welltree’ model of care, which aims to measure the young person’s progress in the service to ensure that they are: active and healthy; achieving in all areas of learning and development; safe and protected from harm; that they have economic security and opportunity; that they are connected, respected and contributing; and importantly, that they have hope for their futures. In addition, staff are provided with a comprehensive induction program and regular supervision.
Another social care worker, Molly, finds the education and skills development of the young people in Special Care to be the most rewarding. "Special Care is definitely a fun environment to work in, because every day is different. You get to meet various young people with different personalities. You get to learn about their hobbies and interests, and build up a trusting relationship with that young person. One of the most rewarding things in Special Care is to see a young person use their education, skillsets, and coping mechanisms in order to deal with difficulties in their lives."
Tusla is currently looking for dynamic, creative and energetic social care workers who feel that they can bring their own enthusiasm and ideas to our continuously-evolving Special Care service.
Support young people to achieve positive outcomes – visit Tusla recruit here