Meet Chanika, Highly Commended Winner at the Apprenticeship & Skills Awards
After winning the Highly Commended Award in her regionals, Chanika is sharing how proud she is of her work and how an apprenticeship helped her further her career.
We are so pleased to share Chanika’s story today. Chanika, currently undertaking a Residential Childcare Apprenticeship with us, has recently won the Regional Highly Commended Award at the Regional Apprenticeship & Skills Awards due to her hard work promoting knife crime awareness within her role and her community.
An intro to Chanika:
My name is Chanika Cox, 32, working in the children’s residential sector in the Southwest (Bristol). I am employed by CF Support Services, committed to delivering safe, high-quality, and person-centered care.
I have been actively working towards raising awareness of knife crime within my community by promoting education, discussions, and preventative strategies. Within my role, I support young people daily to make safer choices, particularly those at risk of gang involvement or weapon-related behaviours, encouraging positive pathways and reducing risk.
Outside of work, I engage in hobbies and interests that support my wellbeing and resilience. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance enables me to remain focused, motivated, and effective in my professional role. I am also motivated by my two nephews, who inspire me to use my knowledge and platform to help create a better future for the next generation.
Chanika’s Award Winning Submission
Please tell us about your employer:
I work for CentrePeace Homes, an Ofsted-registered supported living provider delivering accommodation and tailored support for young people aged 16+, including care leavers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people. The organisation provides safe, structured and nurturing environments that enable young people to develop independence, stability and confidence as they transition into adulthood.
Young people are supported with daily routines, education, health needs, emotional wellbeing, safeguarding and life skills, alongside developing independence and integrating into their communities. Many have experienced trauma, displacement, language barriers or instability, making consistent support and trusted relationships essential to their progress.
CentrePeace Homes operates across staffed residential settings, providing 24/7 support within a strong safeguarding framework. The organisation is committed to person centred care, positive outcomes and empowering young people to build safer, more independent futures.
Tell us about your Apprenticeship
I chose to undertake the Level 4 Children, Families and Young People – Residential Apprenticeship to develop professionally while directly applying my learning in a real care environment. Working with young people aged 16+ appealed to me because it requires a balance of compassion, resilience and structure. Many of the young people we support are care leavers or unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, navigating life in the UK while building independence, which makes work both challenging and rewarding.
My role involves supporting young people with their daily routines, safeguarding, appointments, education, emotional wellbeing and independence skills. This includes
welfare checks, keywork support, risk management, accurate record keeping and professional communication. I also support young people to build confidence in cooking, budgeting, hygiene, accessing services and integrating into their local community.
I work within a residential support team where consistency, communication and professional judgement are essential. I contribute by maintaining a calm, safe and supportive environment, building positive relationships with young people and sharing insights with colleagues to help improve team practice. I take pride in being a reliable team member who promotes high standards of care and consistency in support.
My long-term goal is to progress into a leadership role within the care sector, where I can influence safeguarding practice, support staff development and contribute to improving outcomes for vulnerable young people.
Tell us about your Personal Achievements
Throughout my apprenticeship, I have developed significantly in confidence, leadership, communication, safeguarding awareness and professional decision-making. Working in supported accommodation for young people aged 16+ has required me to become highly reflective, adaptable and resilient, particularly when supporting individuals who may have experienced trauma, displacement or barriers to communication.
One of my greatest achievements has been strengthening safeguarding practice within the organisation. I developed a knife crime protocol to provide staff with clear, practical guidance when responding to potential knife-related risks. I ensured the guidance focused on real life scenarios, including de-escalation, staff safety, reporting and ongoing support, enabling staff to respond confidently in high-pressure situations.
Alongside this, I delivered a knife crime awareness presentation, which brought staff together to discuss prevention, early warning signs and professional curiosity. This improved consistency of practice and increased team confidence when managing risk. Seeing this positively influence team discussions and safeguarding awareness has been particularly rewarding.
Another achievement I am proud of is the mentoring and support I provide to staff. By being approachable and modelling good practice, I have supported others to develop their confidence and professional skills. Supporting a colleague to progress into a senior role within six months was especially meaningful and demonstrated the impact of positive leadership and encouragement.
I actively promote apprenticeships within my workplace by sharing my experiences with colleagues and encouraging others to consider vocational learning. I believe others can learn from my journey by recognising that apprenticeships provide a valuable opportunity to develop practical skills, confidence and leadership in real-world environments.
My apprenticeship has helped me understand that leadership is not only about giving instructions. It is about creating an environment where people feel able to speak openly, ask questions, raise concerns and grow. My ambition is to progress into a leadership role where I can continue improving safeguarding practice and outcomes for young people.
How has your work helped your Organisation?
Through my apprenticeship, I have made a measurable contribution to the organisation by strengthening safeguarding practice, supporting staff development and promoting a culture of continuous improvement and open communication.
A key example of my impact is the development of a knife crime protocol, created in response to an identified safeguarding within the service. This directly supports the organisation’s objective of maintaining high standards of safety and risk management. The protocol provides with clear, practical guidance on responding to knife related concerns, including immediate safety actions, de-escalation techniques, recording, reporting and post incident review. As a result, staff have greater confidence and consistency when responding to high-risk situations, reducing uncertainty and improving the overall quality of safeguarding practice.
I further supported this by delivering a knife crime awareness presentation, which contributed to improving staff knowledge of risk factors, prevention strategies and safe responses. This encouraged reflective practice and greater curiosity across the team, strengthening the organisations safeguarding culture and promoting shared accountability.
In addition, i have contributed to workforce development by mentoring colleagues band modelling good practice. By creating an approachable and supportive environment, i have helped build colleagues build confidence, develop their skills and take greater responsibility. A clear example of this impact is supporting a colleague to progress from a support role into a senior position within six months, demonstrating the positive impact of consistent guidance and encouragement.
My personal performance has also contributed to improved team morale and communication. By creating an environment where staff feel comfortable sharing concerns and ideas, I have supported early problem-solving and more effective teamwork, ultimately benefiting the consistency and quality of care provided to young people.
Overall, my apprenticeship has enabled me to deliver meaningful impact by improving systems, developing people and supporting the organisation to meet its safeguarding and care objectives.
A Reflection
Chanika’s experience is a prime example of how we support young apprentices working in challenging sectors to allow them to bring their best into their role. We are endlessly proud of Chanika for winning her award, and can’t wait to see what she does next.
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.
The apprenticeship has helped me in every area of my role. My confidence has grown significantly, and the knowledge and skills I gained on my residential care career path have directly supported my career progression. Since completing the programme, I have been promoted – developments I attribute to the qualification.
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