Autism support team looks to recruit new care staff in Bedlington

There are four independent supported living homes in Bedlington run by the charity, with a fifth opening in August.

All are now recruiting for care staff to join 21-year-old Katie Moffat’s team.

Katie is team leader for NEAS in Bedlington, and has worked with the charity since the age of 19.

She describes her job as ‘rewarding’ and says it allows her to help autistic people ‘live their best lives.’

Katie also credits her role for allowing her to learn what are considered to be important life skills, such as cooking.

She and her team currently work to support a young autistic man named Luke to live independently in Bedlington.

The team regularly help him shop and prepare meals, and take him on activities such as bowling and trampolining.

The staff also assist him in indulging in his passions such as exploring his love for trains at the Stephenson Steam Railway in Wallsend.

Katie, having previously worked in office administration and as a home-to-home carer, has been promoted twice, first to key worker and then to team leader, and is now being funded to study a Level 3 Diploma in health and social care at college.

She said: “We are supporting Luke to have as fulfilling and independent a life as possible. We give him every opportunity we can.

“When you say you work in care, people think of care homes, not supporting an individual to live their best life. But that’s what we do.

“I would 100 percent recommend the job, it’s so rewarding and there are lots of opportunities for progression.”

She added: “It can be challenging, but 99% of the time it’s rewarding, and those are the times that you remember.”

Having been founded 42 years ago by a group of parents who re-mortgaged their homes to set up a school for their own autistic children, the charity now employs more than 1,000 staff at a range of different facilities across the North East, such as schools, employment services, residential/supported living homes etc.

Experience in health and social care as training is not required, as training is provided.

For more information on vacancies, visit https://hr-neas.secure.force.com/recruit/.