Her determination and resilience has led her to a rewarding career supporting adults with learning disabilities.
Sitting in the grounds of Downpatrick’s Downe Hospital, Katie Moore is excited for what the future holds.
In care since the age of nine and later kinship care, with the dedicated support of the South Eastern Trust’s Social Workers and the Personal Adviser 16 plus Service (PA), Katie is very much focused on her future.
The 19-year-old is now in full time employment, working with adults with learning disabilities and that she sees her career path firmly in the Health and Social Care sector.
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Katie said: “My Personal Adviser, Emer Supple, has been great and such a help to me. Working with Emer has given me a lot of reassurance, in that I will be ok and nothing bad is going to happen again.
“Emer has helped me in so many ways and it has been a great experience, building that relationship with her. I feel really comfortable talking to and confiding in her, with any problems that I have. It has been such a great support.”
She added: “I am in a full-time job working with adults who have learning disabilities. It is a great opportunity and it has opened my eyes to do more in the Health and Social Care industry.
“Through working with Emer I have a real passion to become a Personal Advisor once I have completed my studies.”
“My advice to those who are growing up or leaving care is to take whatever opportunities are offered to you. Your Personal Adviser is there for you and they want the best for you. They will push you to achieve that.”
South Eastern Trust Personal Adviser, Emer Supple says she and the team work with young people in care from the ages of 16 up to 25.
She added: “I first met Katie when she was 18. Katie had just left school and was at a bit of a loss with her life and what to do.
“We explored different avenues and pathways for her and supported her in getting a full-time job and back to education after that. We have built a relationship that is really important.
“Katie and I have shared the importance of educational training and how that can lead to a different life for her. Katie is earning her own money now; she has got a car and she is doing really well for herself.
“I know the support was there to help her along the way, but what she does is down to her at the end of the day. We are just a guiding tool to hold her hand along the way.”
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