Juno’s November Blog: Striving for outstanding in a recruitment crisis

I confess that I had some sympathy for Captain Kirk legend William Shatner when Prince William ‘owned’ him so publicly last month about his space travel adventure and how we should fix our focus on “trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live”.

Whilst I completely get that, it’s not about colonizing other planets is it? It’s about that peculiarity of human spirit that leads us to adventure, that inspires greatness and breadth and depth of thinking, that refines inventors and makes leaders of people. It’s the sort of act that makes a small child watch in awe and wonder and dare to dream that they too might become something incredible.

Take jobs for example. I’m leaving mine soon so I have been thinking about this a lot.

I used to work in a bank. I did ok at that and could have stayed. The money was good, the benefits excellent, the routine straightforward and it had a clearly defined career pathway.

But I wanted more.

I wanted adventure and to be useful to people in ways other than through curating their money. Necessary though that job is.

And if that meant taking more risks, being more accountable, being a little more uncomfortable, living on the edge - I was ready for that, and I am glad that I took the decision to move away from the comfortable and predictable and into a work space that was so very different.

And this is why our staff team here at Rose Road are so important and so special.

Try as I have to improve these over the last few years - and we have made progress - there is a long, long way to go before they will get the salaries and benefits that they deserve for the hard and challenging work that they do.

But they’re not doing it for that reason, just like Bill Shatner didn’t go into space to spec out new planets to live on.

He went for the wonder and the experience and the personal challenge. To ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’.

Our staff work here because they are outstanding people who give rather than take, care rather than count, push rather than sit down.

And we need more people like this.

Recruitment for us, as for many in the social care sector, is the one factor that is keeping us awake more than the pandemic currently.

Our children are so unique and special that we need unique and special people to care for them.

Not everyone can do this job. It’s not an easy option.

We do it because we want to make a difference. We want to keep families together. We want to help disabled children and young people live a life without barriers.

Please – if you are someone extraordinary, compassionate, and looking for that worthwhile challenge, or if know someone special who is, will you join us?

Our latest positions can be found here so apply online today and join the team that makes a difference and strives for excellence.