Publish date: 20 November 2025
Rising as me: Overcoming challenges, transforming, and finding your identity
“It’s only now when I reflect on my own career that I realise just how much being in care and the limited typical family support affected my journey. Growing up in care was challenging, the support system that I had was different to my friends and as I was heading towards the end of my education and thinking of my future, I was very aware of my limited support network. I remember looking at university prospectuses, and I wasn’t just looking at what subjects might have interested me, I was looking at courses which included accommodation, those which provided me with a bursary and how I could guarantee employment at the end of it.
In September 96, I began my nursing degree studying at Northumbria University and secured a place in halls of residence for my first year. I was off to a good start, enjoying my course, placements and learning how to live on my own. All was fine until Christmas time, and a note came under the door to say students needed to leave for the Christmas break. With nowhere to go, I had to pack up my room and spent three weeks staying between friends. In my second and third years, I joined up with some friends from the halls of residence, and we secured a flat which gave me somewhere to stay over Christmas, but not for the summertime’s. I still have the green Safeway crates that I used to store my belongings whilst I spent those few weeks sofa surfing.
My first nursing job after qualifying was in orthopaedics at Northumbria. I felt optimistic about life; I got my own place to live and started to feel secure. Though I do remember it was a challenge starting a new permanent job, having the responsibility of managing a home and navigating adult life without having family support. For those who have no experience of care, it’s easy to overlook the challenges care leavers face. I felt for a long time in my life that there was an unwritten pressure for me to succeed, prove myself and please others, a constant internal dialogue. Reflecting back, I never had a clear path as to where I wanted to be, but I have been happy and enjoyed myself, meeting some amazing colleagues along the way and for me, the networks I built were key to the varied career I have enjoyed to date and I have remained in contact with them
I took on various roles during my first period of employment with Northumbria moving from surgical nursing to emergency care, taking up secondment opportunities in pharmacy and clinical audit and then moving to be a Night Nurse Practitioner. Not having ties made it easy for me to accept adventures to travel and work taking me to Australia for a year, Tanzania as part of the Trust’s overseas link and finally I left Northumbria to work over in Cumbria. I started my pathway into service management there and really started to draw on my personal experiences to help me be resilient through some challenging but rewarding times.
My last role before returning to Northumbria Healthcare was at NHS England in the workforce team leading the review of recruitment processes and overseeing programmes for new recruits into the NHS. It felt very fitting that I was responsible for the development of the Universal Family Programme which was established to support young people leaving care to find employment in the NHS. The statistics for the majority of care leavers is grim with them being disproportionately affected by mental health issues, unemployment and homelessness. I recognise how lucky I have been and therefore I am committed to continuing to support this work within Northumbria, as I chair the Universal Family Group as part of the Widening Participation work.
My advice for recruitment leads would be to consider the qualities a care experienced person like me could bring to your team:
- Resilience and Determination: They often overcome significant adversity, demonstrating remarkable perseverance and commitment to achieving success.
- Adaptability: Experiencing changes in living situations and support networks can foster adaptability, allowing them to adjust quickly and efficiently to new work environments.
- Problem-Solving Skills: Navigating complex systems and managing independence from a young age requires strong practical problem-solving abilities.
- Maturity and Independence: Many care leavers develop a level of maturity beyond their peers due to having to manage adult responsibilities earlier in life.
- Empathy and Leadership: Their experiences can lead to a strong sense of empathy and, in some cases, a desire to lead and advocate for change.
So, what are you going to do to support ‘sending the elevator back down’ to support a care leaver starting out a career in the NHS? It does not have to be complicated or overthought, it very much aligns to the values which have already been established within Northumbria. There was no set program which I was supported on, however it was the kindness, compassion and genuine interest of key individuals which helped guide me to be curious, take risks and see value in myself.
If you have care experience and are looking for support, get in touch or are interested and would like to know more, then reach out on the following email. universalfamilyproject