Leah's journey from social care student to PSS teammate 

Leah’s route into social care hasn’t been a conventional one. After starting out in musical theatre, she went on to study disability studies before joining the PSS Parent-Baby Service on a master’s placement earlier this year.  

Having made a real connection with team and the work they do, Leah was invited to apply a role that would allow her to continue working on various projects, as well as providing admin and peer support.  

We caught up with Leah to hear about her journey into social care and why she enjoys being part of the Parent-Baby team. 

Q: So, tell us a bit about your background and where you were before you came to PSS 

My background is in musical theatre, so quite different from social care. I still teach musical theatre, and it's nice that I still have that on the side, but yeah, performing just wasn't my calling in the end.  

I then decided to do an undergraduate in disability studies, which took me down the social work route. So, now I'm a master's student studying my social work degree at Liverpool Hope University and that's what brought me to PSS in the first place, I came here on placement with the Parent-Baby Service. 

I think as creatives we think differently, and in social care, you need to be able to think differently to understand the different people that you work with. 

Q: What made you apply for a role at PSS? 

I did my first master's placement here and then one of the team members, Erica, was leaving. I'd been working really closely with her on big project, so through conversations with her and Rita, we found out there was an opportunity for me to stay on and continue the work.  

The agreement was that I’d come on board on with the Parent-Baby Service (to finish the project and support the team) and then I will leave when I start my next placement in March time.  

Q: How did you feel during your first week at PSS? 

It was slightly easier because I'd already been here for 70 days prior. So, I knew the ropes and I knew the team, but I think for me it was just getting myself out of that headset of I'm not a student, I'm a staff member.   

I was a bit anxious, but at the same time, I was like, do you know what? I know all the staff are lovely. If I need help, there are people there who are able to support me. It's not like I'm just thrown in the deep end and they’re going. ‘Off you go’. There's help along the way. The team's always welcoming anyway, but it felt like a very safe space to come into. 

Q: How do you feel in your role now? 

Oh, quite confident to be honest now. I feel like I know what I'm doing. Before, I was like, ‘Oh, this is a transition’, whereas now I'm like, ‘The transition's done.’ 

It's quite nice because I speak to the students who come in and I can actually help them, and vice versa. It's really nice to have that relationship. I speak to them kind of like I'm a peer, because either way, I am a peer, but I'm also a member of staff at the same time. We're all in the same boat educationally, so I get where they're coming from. 

Q: What is one thing you love about your job? 

Honestly, coming to work every day. I come into the office, and I see the faces here and I think, ‘This is a nice environment. This is somewhere I want to be, somewhere I want to work.’  

I see the work that we do, the progress we make and the effect that it has on the people in the community, especially when it comes our work with dads. . I like knowing that we make a difference. 

If something's wrong, every staff member will help fix it. Or if you can't fix it, they'll make you feel better. Even if you've got stuff going on personally, you know there's someone you can talk to, someone who'll be there for you. You're not coming in going, ‘Oh, I just don't want to be in work. You're going, work is where I want to be today’. 

Q: What does a typical day look like for you? 

Lots of emails and lots of admin tasks behind the scenes. I do the occasional home visit, depending on the circumstances and I run a neurodivergent mums group on a Tuesday.  

The mums can come in and they can talk about their experiences of being a neurodivergent parent and how it's affected them. One of our therapists comes along too, so it's a safe space. From the conversations we've had over the last eight weeks, I think it’s clear they don't feel like they have to mask in that room. They're able to let their guard down and have open conversations with people that understand them, sometimes for the first time.   

I was looking at the referrals and noticed we had more neurodivergent parents coming in with autism and ADHD. There was no service as such, where mums could come and meet other mums who are like them, share experiences and say, ‘Do you know what, I experienced this, did you experience that?  

So, I was like, my degree is in disability studies and I'm passionate about neurodivergence, this is something that I could easily set up as a group. It's been really nice actually seeing the mum's kind of come out their shells.  

A lot of these mums wouldn't normally attend groups or would find it difficult to attend groups because they get anxious. So, I picked a nice, quiet environment where they come in, we do an activity, have conversations, drink tea and coffee, eat biscuits and have quiet sensory toys for the babies. It’s a sensory-safe space where they can come with no pressure. 

Q: What do you wish more people knew about PSS or the Parent-Baby Service? 

A lot of people don't always realise what we do in the Parent-Baby team. It's kind of thought that it's just attachment and bonding, and a lot of people kind of relate that to just mums. But we do so much work with dads as well, and with the family as a whole.  

I think people see Parent-Baby and automatically assume mum and baby. But it’s not. It could be mum, dad and baby, dad and baby, or mum, partner and baby. That's a big thing that I think I want people to know that it's not just - Mum, there's a whole picture to look at.  

The systemic family work that we've been doing has made a real impact on families.

Q: Final question, what’s your favourite karaoke song? 

 I go karaoke every week, so I have to have say ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams. It’s a go-to. My friend always puts me down for Defying Gravity as well, but I hate singing it! 

Big thanks 

A big thank you to Leah for sitting down with our comms team for a good old chin wag. We loved learning more about Leah's exciting journey from student placement to PSS teammates.

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