What it’s Like to Work for Sapphire Independent Housing

Sidi Hadebe - Team Leader at Conway House

I started working as a Trainee Project Worker in April 2012. Before this I had been working as an Employment Training and Education Coordinator for a Jewish home in south London.

I was hired to work at Conway house but the new building had not been completed yet, so I started working in a reduced and decanted Conway House service based in Seven Sisters Road. It was a challenge learning to support and key work residents with complex needs, but the trainee programme with a reduced case load gave me the opportunity to learn on the job. I gained experience and confidence through a mix of shadowing colleagues, face to face and online training and day to day working with clients. The trainee role also gave me the opportunity to learn more about the housing management aspects of supported housing, which was something I had been interested in getting into.

I successfully completed my traineeship and was offered the role of a full time Supported Housing Officer. When an opportunity arose to temporarily cover the Team Leader position at Conway House in March 2020, after much positive encouragement from colleagues, I decided to go for it. I like that training and development for Sapphire staff is encouraged across the whole organisation and as part of my acting up period I was given specialised Team Leader training as someone who was new to management, which helped in my understanding and skills to manage a team of Supported Housing Officers. After six months, I applied for and was appointed the permanent Team Leader at Conway House.

In May 2021 I had the opportunity to act up as Housing Operations Manager covering a one year sabbatical. This period was very interesting and presented me with new challenges and learning opportunities. I enjoyed learning the financial side of running Conway House, dealing with budgets as well as developing a good working relationship with Camden Commissioning Service who provide the funding for our supported housing contract.

I have now been in post as Team Leader at Conway house since June 2022 and I am enjoying the role. I like that the role offers different challenges and most days have something new. I feel my acting up period has given me better insight into various aspects of running Conway House from the finance side to supporting the staff team. I have been very fortunate to have been able to progress within Sapphire and to work in different roles within the organisation. I always encourage front line staff to apply for any opportunities within Sapphire if they are looking to develop new skills and gain more experience. Sapphire is a small organisation and opportunities may not come up as frequently as in bigger associations, but I like the fact that there is focus on giving staff the skills and knowledge through acting up roles, to progress in or outside of the organisation.

Philip Kayongo

I commenced the Trainee Project Worker role in November 2017. Before this I had been working as an Admin Officer for the NHS.

When I first started I was introduced to my new team at Conway House and advised of my role and duties as a Trainee Project Worker. As a Trainee my client group and responsibilities were to initially attend various training events and to shadow colleagues. I was then given clients to key work. Again to start with I had less clients compared to a fully- fledged Project Worker, but the number was increased towards the end of my trainee programme. Part of this 1 to 1 key working also involved working with external agencies to support clients with challenging behaviour and complex needs.

Sapphire’s Trainee Project Worker programme offered me formal training and experience in different aspects of supported housing. The role offered me the perfect combination of what I wanted in a job, such as working in a challenging environment, intellectual stimulation, strong network of support, career development and working collaboratively with more experienced colleagues at Conway House.

I have gained confidence and skills to carry out my role through attending training on varies aspects of supported housing and with the help of senior colleagues. I have advanced and developed skills to support vulnerable clients through key working and liaising with different external agencies. My biggest achievement has been supporting clients with challenging behaviour and complex needs to find alternative accommodation.

I enjoy working for Sapphire. It’s good to be part of an Association that provides quality services to some of London’s more vulnerable people. As a small organisation it helps you connect with residents and means you get to know most members of staff from head office and across the Association well too.

Rosie Butt

Rosie Butt at Conway House, began her career journey with Sapphire Independent Housing back in 2012. Rosie started as a Project Worker within the Camden Recovery Service and thoroughly enjoyed her time working within the service: “Sapphire Independent Housing had recently won the contract and it was a fantastic opportunity for me to work on a new scheme, implement new policies specifically related to relapse prevention and experience working with a specialised client group of vulnerable people.”

All appropriate positions within Sapphire Independent Housing are promoted internally to encourage staff to develop and grow within the Association. Therefore in August 2014 when a temporary vacancy arose covering a Team Leader position at Bethany House, Rosie decided to go for it. “Sapphire Independent Housing positively promotes any relevant internal opportunities to encourage staff development, which influenced my decision to apply for the post. It was a new challenge and great opportunity for me to find my feet with management skills, whilst working in a larger scheme with multiple support needs and within a new borough. I was very excited about this opportunity and the front line staff were a great support within my new role”

Ongoing training and development for all staff is encouraged across the Association and all relevant training is provided when a member of staff moves position or is promoted as Rosie experienced. “Specialised management training was provided for me as someone who was new to the management ladder, which aided my understanding and skills with managing a service.” After the year, Rosie applied for and was selected for the permanent post at Bethany House.

In late 2015 Rosie was promoted to Housing Operations Manager, based at Conway House, and now manages Conway House, the Training Resource Centre (TRC) and the Camden Recovery Service. “With my new found management experience and positive relationships within Camden, I decided to apply for the position of Housing Operations Manager. I could not have asked for more warmth and support from everyone across the Association, from staff to service users alike, during this transition.”

Rosie previously worked as a Project Worker for a larger housing association before joining Sapphire Independent Housing in 2012 and feels very fortunate with how successful her time at Sapphire Independent Housing has been so far.

I have now been in post as Operations Manager since November 2015 and am thoroughly enjoying the role. I would always urge front line staff to apply for any opportunities within the Association if they are looking to develop new skills and gain more experience. I have been extremely fortunate with my time so far with Sapphire Independent Housing and very much look forward to exploring and expanding the services we provide, to enable more opportunities for staff whilst also continuing to support vulnerable people across London.

Ahmed Lamptey

Ahmed Lamptey, Finance Officer, is not on the frontline of housing and support but he believes that without his expertise and experience Sapphire Independent Housing cannot operate as effectively as it does.

Ahmed helps control the purse strings and seek out funding and grants to pay for ongoing service and expansion.

He said, “I used to work at John Lewis where they were more concerned about profit but at Sapphire Independent Housing it’s about the residents and how we can help them. It’s about accessing grants and money and making sure that every last penny is spent wisely.”

Ahmed has been at Sapphire Independent Housing for over eight years and enjoys the informal but professional atmosphere of a tight ship.

“We all know each other well and we all have the same objective even if we’re doing different jobs – and that’s helping vulnerable people. I might be at head office sitting at my desk getting on with my work, but the reason I do what I do is to help our residents. That gives me a lot of job satisfaction.”