Building a Career Through Leadership

When Oliver Harding enrolled onto the Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential) programme, he already had a clear vision of where he wanted his career to go. At the time, he was working as a Senior Residential Support Worker for Wilderness Way, travelling around 50 miles each day and staying away from home for shifts. Although he was ambitious, the travel made career progression difficult.

Following discussions with his family, Oliver made the decision to relocate to Liverpool, where new opportunities were available. Today, he is thriving as a Deputy Manager at Homescope, just a short walk from work, and is already preparing for the next step in his career as the company expands.

Setting Goals for Success

Oliver’s decision to complete the Level 5 qualification formed part of a wider professional development plan. Working alongside a workplace coach, he mapped out both short and long-term career goals, identifying the qualification as a key milestone towards becoming a Deputy Manager. 

With support from his employer and Impact Futures, Oliver enrolled on the programme and immediately focused on achieving his objectives. 

The Level 5 was one of the goals we set early on, and the progression was to become a Deputy Manager. Through the coaching and the programme, it all worked out.

Applying Learning Immediately

Throughout the programme, Oliver found that the learning directly reflected situations he encountered in the workplace. 

During his first module covering Prevent and Radicalisation, he happened to complete a Prevent referral at work the very same week, allowing him to immediately put his learning into practice. 

The leadership and management modules also strengthened his confidence in areas such as: 

• Leading teams effectively 
• Managing conflict 
• Conducting meaningful supervisions 
• Time management 
• Supporting professional conversations 
• Developing staff through coaching rather than simply reviewing incidents 

Oliver particularly valued learning how to make supervision meetings more employee-focused, encouraging staff development alongside operational performance.

Outstanding Support Throughout 

Whenever Oliver experienced challenges, they were dealt with quickly. On one occasion, his online portfolio temporarily disappeared due to a technical error. 

I emailed Jade and she sorted it out straight away. I didn’t really have any issues throughout the programme.

Oliver also praised the End-Point Assessment process, explaining that the preparation sessions helped remove much of the anxiety often associated with professional assessments. 

It seems overwhelming at first, but it actually wasn’t. The assessor was brilliant and made it feel like a normal conversation.

Career Progression 

Since completing the programme, Oliver has successfully progressed into a Deputy Manager position with Homescope. 

His role now involves: 

• Leading residential teams 
• Supporting staff development 
• Building positive relationships with children 
• Monitoring quality of care 
• Improving team performance 
• Recognising staff achievements 
• Preparing for future expansion into a Registered Manager position 

He believes effective leadership is built on encouraging proactive thinking rather than simply reacting to problems. 

I enjoy seeing people’s potential and helping them develop. It’s about making people proactive instead of reactive.

Advice for Future Learners 

Oliver encourages anyone considering the programme to fully commit to the qualification. 

If you don’t do the work, it’ll catch up with you. Build a good relationship with your assessor because you’re both working towards the same goal.

He also reminds learners that employers choose them because they see potential. 

You’ve been selected because your employer believes in you. Manage your time well and trust the process.

Looking Ahead 

Oliver has no plans to stop learning. He is already exploring future qualifications, including assessor training, so he can support new learners within his organisation. 

His ambition is to continue progressing into Registered Management while helping develop the next generation of childcare professionals. 

The qualification gave me the leadership knowledge I needed, helped me progress into management and gave me confidence to support my team. I’d definitely recommend Impact Futures to other employers and learners. 

Learners: start your childcare apprenticeship. Employers: build a diverse, high-performing team with expert-led training. Reach out to The Childcare Company team today. Call 01753 596 004, or hit the button below.