Being able to make people smile and happy for a job is amazing

“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

From leaving school and starting a career in a trade to now working every day in a job that has gave him a ‘really fulfilled life’, Liam is breaking down the stigma of working in social care.

He works for local charity LD:North East, who support people across North Tyneside who have lived experience of learning disabilities, learning difficulties and autism as a Community Outreach Worker.

It’s a role that see’s him work daily to take service users out into the community to have fun and experience new things like visiting farms, trying water sports and much more.

Liam’s proudly sharing his journey and discussing why he feels lucky to do what he does for work.

Watch Liam’s story

“I’ve always wanted to help people as much as I can, but I never thought I could do it as a job.

“Being able to make people smile and happy for a job is amazing, it doesn’t feel real it’s out of this world. It’s an amazing thing to be able to do and I’m so pleased I kept an open mind and came into it.

“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

After leaving his role as a carpet fitter, Liam’s grandmother encouraged him to volunteer with LD:NE. A decision that changed his life.

His volunteering led him to completing an apprenticeship with the charity and now he proudly has a permanent job working for a company he loves.

“When I first walked in I knew instantly it was what I wanted to do. Seeing people react the way they did from getting attention from a young person and have a conversation with me, I could tell they hadn’t had that in a while.

“It was really heart-warming, and it was nice to see that I could make a really big difference just by doing something I enjoy doing and that for me was it, it clicked straight away, and I don’t think I’d ever look back.”

“I love being able to take people out into the community and just see how happy it can make them just doing the simple things that we take for granted and being able to support them to do these things, it makes my life better.”

As 2023 pupils collect their GCSE and A-Level results, he is encouraging them to keep an open mind about their career options:

“My advice to people leaving school would be to keep an open mind and if something you wanted to do doesn’t work out, don’t take it too hard.

“Give social care a go, I’m almost certain people will love it.”

North Tyneside’s week-long Get into Social Care course is running on 21 August and 8 October where residents over 18 can receive expert training, find out about the roles available and access support for finding and applying for jobs. Find out more here.