What does your day look like from sunrise to sunset?

Every day looks different. I might be in the office in the morning following up on health assessments and making referrals or speaking to parents to book in assessments and collating data. After, I might go to a pupil referral unit, college or somewhere in the community to run a drop-in session for young people and parents/carers. I may then finish the day with a home visit to see a young person to complete a holistic health assessment in their home environment.

How does your service support the residents of south east London?

We enable 5-19 year olds educated outside of school to receive equitable care and support. We conduct health assessments on lifestyle, substance use and sexual health amongst other areas, followed by tailored support to co-create interventions with the young person, if appropriate, and onward referrals.

What’s the best way of explaining your role in the team?

My priority is to promote the health and wellbeing of school-aged people. I do this through many tasks including conducting health assessments and attending multi-disciplinary panels to provide holistic care for a client. I also co-lead ChatHealth, a confidential text service 11-19 year olds and their parent/carers.

Tell us about a time when you felt you made a difference to someone

Many young people don’t fully grasp the wider context of where drugs come from or the impact of their involvement. I discussed this with a young person which led to a change in attitude and enabled an intervention around ways to relax and socialise without the use of illicit drugs. Behaviour change followed and the young person was then able to get back into education after a long absence.

What do you love about your role?

I love being able to impact the lives of young people and their families for a cohort of children who are extremely vulnerable and often forgotten. Providing healthcare in community settings makes professional help, support and knowledge more accessible for all. Seeing lives changed makes the job very rewarding.

What advice would you give to someone starting in this role or keen to work in a similar service?

I would advise people to always stay professionally curious, not to judge, and to be led by the holistic needs of the client. Keeping up to date with what young people are up to in the local area is paramount and helping other services to understand your role is as important as understanding theirs.