Working Life At Brathay: Karen in the Community Team
At Brathay, every role plays a vital part in empowering young people to meet challenges and unlock their potential. Whether you're working directly with individuals or behind the scenes, our mission is the same: to inspire young people build their brighter futures. The diverse skills, experiences, and passion of our employees create a lasting impact.
Karen is a dedicated Family Key Worker who is passionate about providing families with the support they need so that young people have the best start to life. She shares the challenges that come with her role, along with the deep rewards she finds in helping families overcome obstacles and build a brighter future.
Hi Karen, thanks for taking the time to tell us more about your experience of working at Brathay. What inspired you to join us?
My daughter got a job at Brathay first. She used to come home and tell me all about her day. She inspired me because it felt like something I also wanted to do. I could see myself working there - I used to say to my daughter, as soon as a job comes up, let me know because I want to apply. When a role became available in the family’s team, I applied and was delighted to be offered the job.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
The most rewarding part of my role is supporting young people and families. I like to help them develop the tools and confidence to support their own wellbeing, enabling them to move forward independently. I think it’s important to support and promote the positive wellbeing of the whole family, because I believe if adults are experiencing poor mental health, it has a knock-on effect on the young people in their lives.
What skills would you say set you up for success in your role?
The most important thing is to be non-judgemental and empathetic. Try to put yourself in their shoes to understand how they are feeling. Confidence is also a big thing in this job. You need the confidence to go into family homes, share space and time there and build a trusting relationship with them. You need to communicate effectively and collaboratively with others, including the family and other professionals. It’s always important to be helpful, considerate and always promote confidentiality.
What is the biggest challenge in your role, and how do you overcome it?
The nature of being a family key worker means there are always new challenges to face. For example, managing multiple relationships, language barriers and talking to young people about specialist and challenging topics such as harmful sexual behaviours.
To overcome these challenges, it is important to work in partnership and always be open and honest with families about your actions. Recently I started work with a family from the Czech Republic who struggled to communicate in English. It was clear the family needed further support from a translator, so I reached out to our network of charities and community services in Bradford. Thankfully, one partner offered their support free of charge and is now an integral part of the service we provide to this family. This is just one example of partnering together to overcome challenges and put the needs of young people and families at the heart of what we do.
What advice would you give to someone considering a role at Brathay, in the community team?
If you’re passionate about the work you do and you want to support families and young people to move forward - go for it!
Interested in working with Brathay? Check out our current job vacancies and see if there's a role for you.
What's the role of a Project Worker?
A Family Key Worker provides support for the whole family, helping them build skills and resources for a more independent future. Every day is different and brings unique, but interesting, challenges with it. Each Key Worker might support up to 15 families over 6 months, visiting them at their homes or in the local community, conducting initial assessments and creating tailored action plans.
We offer varied support, from connecting families with food parcel services to helping them apply for financial support. We also work with local schools to ensure the children are receiving the support they need.
Balancing sessions with young people, family visits and admin jobs can be busy, but it's incredibly rewarding to see families engage and benefit from your support.
Read Jasminda's story to see Karen's work in action!
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