Employee Spotlight: Wendy Sutherland
‘There are great opportunities wherever you work in the council; a career is what you make it, I feel the more you contribute, the more you get out of it.’
I joined Buckinghamshire County Council in January 2006 as a Customer Services Advisor in a newly established contact centre. My role involved responding to residents’ inquiries about our services, which gave me an insight into the variety of work we do as an authority. The following year, I began specialising in older people’s services in Adult Social Care, handling inquiries that often required assessments and recommendations. This responsibility later expanded to include individuals with physical and learning disabilities for people under 65 and further extended to Occupational Therapy requests.
A few years later, I was seconded to the ‘In Touch’ team in Adult Social Care, a preventative service for adults who were likely to need some support in the future. I found the work incredibly fulfilling, so I applied for an ‘office-based care worker’ role in the Adult Early Help Team. There, I triaged and screened referrals for care needs and occupational therapy assessments as well as providing advice and guidance, and signposting to other services.
I am currently a Social Work Assistant in the Triage part of the First Response team, established after a significant restructuring of Adult Social Care in June 2021. I assess referrals for those with an appearance of care and support needs. A high proportion of the referrals we receive are from people who simply require advice, guidance, and signposting to other services. As a result of many years working in Adult Social Care and having to source support and information for my own loved ones who have needed help, I help others in my team wherever possible.
We also refer individuals to Home Independence and Occupational Therapy services if they have eligible care and support needs and the potential to regain independence. For instances where this is not possible, they are forwarded for allocation of a Social Worker for an in-home discussion or to one of our six Community Cafes for a quicker meeting.
Our Better Lives Strategy promotes self-care and independence, ensuring clear and accessible advice for everyone, reflecting people’s aspirations in the support we provide, and helping people to be supported by family, friends, and their community. It’s crucial that we offer enough support to empower people to do as much for themselves as they can to live life to the fullest but recognise that some may need ongoing support to be able to live well.
Witnessing someone complete a ‘reablement’ programme with the Home Independence team or benefit from equipment provided by Occupational Therapy is the most fulfilling part of my job. Even a ‘thank you’ from a resident or family member for my assistance is very rewarding. It makes everything worth it.
I work with some incredible people, motivated to do the best for our residents and supported by a good management team who are very approachable and understanding of the challenges we face. I am always ready to offer shadowing opportunities to new members of the team and others who want to know what we do. There are great opportunities wherever you work in the council; a career is what you make it, I feel the more you contribute, the more you get out of it.
Looking for a new role? Check our current council vacancies here: https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/
