50 Voices
MARIAN 50 Voices captures the authentic voice of the people that use our services and our staff as Turning Point celebrates its 50th anniversary
50 Voices
Marian McEwen
50 Voices
Marian McEwen
Marian McEwen is the service manager for all of Turning Point’s Learning Disability services in Bedfordshire which include registered care homes and supported living accommodation.
I worked with teenagers for 17 years before making the change to working with people with learning disabilities. My whole life and career has been within the care sector! My main responsibilities as a service manager include almost everythingmainly managing staff and making sure we work to the quality and procedures to provide the best support we can for people who use our services. That’s the best part of the job for me; making sure the residents are supported so they can have the lives they want and deserve.
I think what’s unique about the services that I manage in Bedfordshire is that the support given to individuals is very person centred. Our service users are supported very well. One example of this is individual holidays. Tom Drake, who is one of the gentlemen we support, recently went on an adventure holiday in partnership with the Calvert Trust. There was so much to do; going on zip wires, abseiling and canoeing. His keenness to get on and do it all frightened the staff half to death. I know I couldn’t have done it, but there are some fabulous pictures of Tom hanging in the middle of the forest on a zip wire!
50 Voices
Marian McEwen
To be able to do this job really well you need to have endurance.
I’ve been in this line of work for over 40 years and I want a better quality of life for service users so much, that’s what drives me.
I’ve been in this line of work for over 40 years and I want a better quality of life for service users so much, that’s what drives me. The biggest day-to-day challenge for me is managing the staff, ensuring that all of us are driven by the same motives and that everyone is on the same page because the residents must be our absolute focus.
Promoting difference is one thing that I have definitely learnt from my job and the people I have worked with. Over my time at Turning Point I have changed in the sense that I have become more able to support and motivate people through changes to regulation and funding. Times have definitely changed since I first started working in this sector. Since 1972 there have been massive changes to funding, regulation and health and safety policies which determine how you can support people through the day. Of course there weren’t really any computer systems back then either so there used to be a lot of manual paperwork. So for someone like me, becoming computer and IT literate was a really important change!
50 Voices
Marian McEwen
Unfortunately the biggest misconception about people with learning disabilities is that they can’t make their own choices and decisions which isn’t true at all.
We need to keep working to show people the evidence that people with learning disabilities can make decisions about their own lives.
I’ve seen people with profound disabilities making decisions about where they want to live, the colours of the clothes they want to wear, where they want to go on holiday and the food they want to eat. We need to keep working to show people the evidence that people with learning disabilities can make decisions about their own lives. However, people with these misconceptions need to get to a point where they actually believe that this rather than thinking it’s just pie in the sky.
At the services that I manage the staff are brilliant at care and general support.
At the end of the day, the services are really good at what they do but we need to be excellent at everything. There is always room for improvement.
50 Voices
Marian McEwen
There are different activities on offer such as shopping trips, going to the pub, swimming, and we are striving to increase our inclusion of all residents. We’re doing well but we need to work harder especially with people who have more profound disabilities. We are always making sure that people are moving forward and accomplishing even small things, it’s not always about thinking big.
Instead of moaning about the rug being pulled from under our feet, we need to learn to dance on flying carpets!
I think we need to utilise what we have on offer from staff and in the local community. Several of the male staff like football which would make a great opportunity to further develop some common ground with the football fanatics amongst our service users. Also, something as simple as going for walks is a big passion for many of the people we support, and there are local ramblers clubs that we could get in contact with. At the end of the day, the services are really good at what they do but we need to be excellent at everything. There is always room for improvement. Instead of moaning about the rug being pulled from under our feet, we need to learn to dance on flying carpets!
50 Voices
Turning Point Standon House 21 Mansell Street London E1 8AA 020 7481 7600 info@turning-point.co.uk
50 Voices Learn more at www.turning-point.co.uk For press enquiries about 50 Voices please contact press@turning-point.co.uk