With 25 years of expertise, Achieve together[1] is one of the UK’s leading support providers for people who have autism, learning disabilities and associated complex needs. The organisation supports around 2,300 adults and young people in more than 420 Achieve together homes[2] and services across England and Wales.
Achieve together’s homes and services offer 24/7 specialist facilities and support. While each Achieve together home is unique, they all have one thing in common: passionate, dedicated teams. Achieve together team members are eager to support others and make a difference.
The organisation believes that the key to exceptional care and support at Achieve together care homes is team empowerment. As a result, team members receive comprehensive guidance and training to help them achieve their best while caring for those the organisation supports.
Empowering Teams in Achieve together Homes
The people of Achieve together — both those it supports and those who deliver the support — drive the organisation forward and ensure it is always evolving.
In particular, Achieve together’s team members are the organisation’s “most valuable asset[3] .” Team members play a pivotal role in delivering exceptional support to people the organisation supports. As such, Achieve together works hard to nurture team members’ talents and help them grow.
Empowerment in social care often relates to supporting people so they can gain independence and control over their lives. However, extending empowerment to those who deliver care and support can also enable them to assert control over their lives, including aspects of their career.[4]
The feeling of autonomy derived from this control can lead to increased “satisfaction, fulfilment and engagement at work[5] .” Achieve together recognises that empowered team members are more likely to enjoy satisfying, rewarding careers.
In addition, fulfilled, engaged team members can deliver a greater level of support to people who live at Achieve together’s many caring and supportive homes.
The Four Aspects of Team Empowerment in Achieve together’s Homes
[6] Achieve together empowers its team members through various support services, recognition schemes and dedicated training opportunities. These fall into four categories:
- Your reward.
- Your development.
- Your wellbeing.
- You’re valued.
1. Your Reward
Achieve together team members receive several benefits as a reward for their hard work and commitment. These benefits include:
- Retail discounts, with more than 1,000 cashback, vouchers, and promotional offers across a range of major retailers and services.
- Access to Wagestream, a financial health app that empowers users to receive optional pay advances.
- A pension scheme with flexible contributions.
2. Your Development
Achieve together works hard to support team members develop their skills, reach their goals and forge a long-term career with the organisation.
Achieve together boasts an award-winning learning and development team, which is one of the strongest in the care sector. The team provides tailored learning and development pathways to ensure team members have the necessary skills to provide the highest quality support and care.
Each new team member undertakes an initial 12-week training period, which includes an induction journey with the individual’s line manager.
In addition, Achieve together team members access:
- “Career Adventures,” a structured career progression framework that rewards team members’ development.
- A user-friendly learning and development platform that features an extensive library of educational resources.
- A variety of training courses and sessions to help prepare team members to support those with learning disabilities and a range of complex needs.
- Apprenticeship opportunities at various levels.
Achieve together team members can also influence how the wider organisation operates as an Achieve together Ambassador[7] .
Ambassadors of Achieve together:
- Enhance the organisation’s open, two-way dialogue.
- Involve and engage fellow team members in conversations about Achieve together’s services.
- Create opportunities for the entire team to contribute to the success of the organisation.
3. Your Wellbeing
Achieve together empowers team members by prioritising their wellbeing through various services and resources, such as:
- Face-to-face or telephone counselling sessions.
- The 24/7 employee assistance portal, which includes access to self-help resources and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) workbooks.
- 24/7 telephone support for critical incident advice, legal and financial signposting and general health and wellbeing support.
- Team events and wellbeing initiatives.
The organisation also offers flexible working to suit a range of lifestyles and ensure team members can strike the right work-life balance.
4. You’re Valued
“Valuing everyone” is an Achieve together guiding principle. As such, the organisation ensures team members feel valued through social activities and recognition and incentive schemes, including:
- The employee of the month scheme.
- Long service awards.
- The annual Heroes Awards.
- Refer-a-friend bonuses.
Achieve together Care Home Success Stories: 18-Year-Old Mia
[8] There are many stories of empowered team members providing exceptional support to those who live in Achieve together’s caring homes. One example of an empowered team member going above and beyond to meet an individual’s needs is 18-year-old Mia[9] .
Mia joined an Achieve together home as a support worker after leaving college. Soon after starting her new role, Mia learnt the British Sign Language (BSL) alphabet so she could better communicate with people supported at the home and d/Deaf team members. She will now undertake her BSL Level 1 qualification. Mia is also training to become an Achieve together key worker.
On top of this, Mia’s aptitude for engaging those who would otherwise struggle to join in made a notable difference to those she supports at Achieve together. Her energy and can-do attitude also caught the attention of other team members.
In recognition of her progress in her new role, Mia’s fellow team members nominated her for the “Newcomer of the Year” Heroes Award 2023, which she won.
Mia’s Home Manager Sandra Whittington says: “Mia is exactly the type of person the care sector needs to attract and retain. She is on an exciting journey, and there is no limit to what she could achieve with the right support and encouragement.”[10]
Success stories like Mia’s demonstrate the positive impact that empowered team members can have on the lives of those who live in Achieve together homes.
Learn more about careers at Achieve together.
