Charlotte's Story

Charlotte has been working as a Wellbeing Worker for P3’s BeWell team since joining the charity in 2024. Starting her support career in domiciliary care, Charlotte was a carer for the elderly and people living with dementia.

Explaining her background, Charlotte says, “I was doing that for ten years, where I moved up the rankings from carer up to registered branch manager. I felt that my values didn’t match the company values I used to work for – it was all about money – they lost the fact those [personal touches].

“I fell upon P3 on Indeed, read up a little bit about it and thought it [reflected my values] and I knew I didn’t want to stay in domiciliary with the large scale of the companies, and sometimes, the toxicity.

“From a young age I always knew I wanted to help people; my mum was a nurse then a social worker then she moved her way up so that inspired me. But mainly, my grandma got very poorly when I was 16, and the care stuff weren’t [good]. So that sort of made me feel like people deserved better, but you can only give good care, good support if you feel looked out for yourself.

“I think P3’s culture is amazing; I’ve never had anything like it! Now my best friend works for us as well, she also comes from domiciliary and cannot believe the difference. I am treated like a person, not a number – there is no pressure on you to not put your family first.

“Since then, I’ve had other offers [for care work] with higher pay, but I can’t leave. The team, the way we work with people; domiciliary is about getting people up, washed, dressed, medication – it’s practical. What we do is very different, rather than physically caring for people, we enable them to be independent.

“One great example is we have a gentleman who only used to own a mattress, now he has a TV, a stereo, a sofa – he goes to buy records, he goes shopping. Another is a person who has severe anxiety who is able to order food for themselves.”

Charlotte explains that it is the little things, the small but daily changes that are great markers of progress. As a non-clinical service, P3’s BeWell focuses on building independence through reducing isolation and improving wellbeing.

She says, “We follow the Home Star model as we see a lot of people with a range of needs who all have different hopes. For example, somebody one day might want to be able to go to the local shop on their own. At first, you might go with them, then you gradually step away. Only going to the door or waiting at the path and then eventually they can do it themselves. Eventually they can do it themselves.

“We do a lot of one-to-one with people, and as a small team they get to know us very well. As a team, we all have different areas of specialities – for example we have one man who prefers doing forms with me, but he likes going to the gym with another worker, cooks with another.

“We all have our own differences, but we team up to make sure that [the people we support] get the best of what they need.”

Based in High Peak in Derbyshire, Charlotte and her team support people in some of the most rural areas across the county. She explains, “Some people that we go to don’t have family, others that do don’t have much. It’s wrong but in this type of community, mental health has a stigma.

“People see mental health, and there’s always [mixed] reactions. One of the reasons the people we support are so isolated is because they believe that people can see that they have mental health. One gentleman described it to me as it feels like its stamped on his head and he doesn’t like to go out on his own because of it.

“Being so rural as well doesn’t help. We have some people who do use public transport, but a lot of people we pick up – it depends on their needs. Some places have only one bus in and one bus out so you can’t even get on transport with them, it’s not an option.

“Every day is different though, so people do whatever feels right for them. That’s like the support as well though. Some people like to go for walks or out for dinner, it might be because they’ve not had a chance to go out before.

“But because we’re not clinical, because we’re not carers – we don’t wear uniforms. I think people feel like they look vulnerable when they’re with a carer, whereas with us we don’t look any different.

“We are able to bring our own individuality to this work, which helps us as a team with expression as well as helping the people we work with. Carer clothing is so bright, so noticeable and it makes people feel like they’re being looked at. We’re there for the smallest things, or even something as complex as keeping people safe from being taken advantage of or using public transport or decluttering their homes.

“We don’t do things for people; we show them how to do it themselves.”

Charlotte explains that one of the biggest challenges to navigate is people not being ready to accept help. She says, “We have some people that don’t want to engage with us, they don’t even open the door. A lot of these people have gone through different services, and it’s not worked because it’s for domiciliary not for mental health.

“At P3 we’re very different, we’re very person-centred. Our manager is really good at putting people together with support workers who have similar interests or personalities. For example, I go on hikes or walks with the people I support whereas some of my colleagues prefer doing the deep cleans in people’s homes. We’d do anything if we had to, but it’s better for us and the people we work with to do things we enjoy. It’s in these activities that we see small changes; we see real progress.”

As well as following a support plan with weekly activities, the team aim to provide trips further afield for the people they support. This includes the pantomime, fish and chips in Matlock or even meeting some other people from other areas of Derbyshire who work with the BeWell team.

Charlotte says that these trips do a lot for reducing social isolation but also give the team an opportunity to see how the people they support engage with each other and new environments. One recent change which has helped the people she works with is the relocation of P3’s Buxton Hub.

“Though we have regulars that go to every trip, we do have a lot of people who struggle to. This week is going to be the first P3 drop-in for BeWell in Buxton, I’m so excited. It’s going to be so good for the people who find it difficult to go to the trips.

“We have loads of charity shops and coffee shops, so it’s going to be great for people to get together. So, this week we’re going to do some arts and crafts and then go off into Buxton.

“I like helping out or doing cover in Chesterfield or Ripley so I get to know other people using the service who may not be in my area. It means that when one of us is on annual leave, it’s not so much of a shock.

“In High Peak there is only four of us, which was really strange at first, especially coming from domiciliary. So, we’re a close-knit team. It’s nice, we’re a small team and we know each other on a very personal level.

“I just love helping people, and so do the team. We just want the world [of the people we support] to be better, to bring a smile in whatever way we can.”

It’s clear that Charlotte’s passion shines through in everything she does. Whether it’s creating new opportunities like the Buxton drop-in, supporting people to build confidence in getting out and about, or simply being a consistent, friendly presence, her focus is always on making a positive difference.

As a small, close-knit team, the BeWell team bring support, understanding and warmth to their roles; working together to make sure the people they support feel connected, valued and able to enjoy the world around them.

To find out more about P3’s BeWell team or to find a job with purpose, click the button below.