By Lynda, Alana House Team Leader
When I joined the Alana House team on 14 February 2022, it genuinely felt like I had landed my dream job. It might sound a little cheesy, but after spending 16 and a half years working for the probation service, predominantly supporting women, becoming part of Alana House was exactly where I wanted to be.
Working with women has always been, and remains, a real passion of mine. Throughout my career, I’ve seen the challenges many women face, but I’ve also seen their incredible resilience and strength. What attracted me to Alana House was the opportunity to support women in a way that is truly person-centred and trauma-informed.
The difference that makes the difference
People often ask what makes Alana House unique. For me, it’s the autonomy, flexibility and creativity we have when supporting women facing multiple disadvantages.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every woman’s journey is different, and our role is to meet her where she is, think outside the box and work alongside her to help achieve her goals. Everything we do is grounded in a trauma-informed approach, recognising that many of the women we support have experienced significant trauma in their lives and may still be living with its impact today.
I’m incredibly proud of our team. Every member brings compassion, commitment and determination to their role. We all share that drive to make a difference. Can you train passion? I’m not sure. But you can certainly nurture it, support it and channel it, and that’s exactly what we do at Alana House.
No two days are ever the same
Like many roles at Alana House, no two days are ever quite the same, but there are some common themes. Across our nine pathways, issues relating to domestic abuse and wellbeing are particularly prevalent. Understanding women’s experiences and responding sensitively is a key part of our work.
When I first started as team leader, my role combined leadership responsibilities with frontline support. Alongside line managing our key workers, I also held my own caseload, delivered group sessions and worked one-to-one with women accessing our services.
More recently, I’ve been reflecting on the role as I’m in the process of handing over responsibilities following a move out of the area. It felt like the right time to consider what would work best for both the team and the women we support.
As a result, the Team Leader role now has a greater focus on initial contact and triage, gathering information and ensuring women are allocated to the most appropriate team member for their needs.
Supporting the team
One of the things I enjoy most about my role is supporting the incredible team around me.
Because I now have contact with women during the initial stages of their journey with Alana House, I have a good understanding of each case before discussing it during supervision sessions. This helps us have meaningful conversations about progress, challenges and next steps.
I love hearing about the successes women achieve with the support of our team. Whether it’s a major milestone or a small step forward, every success matters and deserves to be celebrated.
Supervision also provides an important opportunity for key workers to talk through difficult cases, reflect on challenges and consider how best to move forward when obstacles arise. Creating that space for reflection is essential.
Looking after each other
Supporting women who have experienced trauma can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s important to recognise the emotional impact that can have on staff too.
That’s why wellbeing is such an important part of life at Alana House. I now spend two days a month in the office and always attend our Reflective Practice sessions, which play a vital role in helping us manage the risk of vicarious trauma.
We also have individual wellbeing hours, and once a month we come together as a team simply to check in with each other. There’s one important rule: no work phones allowed! Those moments give us the chance to connect as people, not just colleagues.
The tasks that keep everything running
While much of my role focuses on supporting both women and staff, there are lots of practical responsibilities that help keep the service running smoothly.
I approve annual leave requests, make sure expenses are processed on time and support recruitment when opportunities arise to welcome new people into the team.
Partnership working is another important aspect of the role. I attend quarterly meetings with the Royal Berkshire Hospital project team and work closely with Giulia, who provides our data in a format that helps us understand and demonstrate the impact of our work. I also attend monthly MATAC (Multi-Agency Tasking and Co-ordination) meetings focused on domestic abuse.
And then there are the everyday tasks that can sometimes go unnoticed but are just as important. Answering the phone, greeting visitors, opening the door and welcoming people into Alana House all contribute to creating the supportive, friendly environment that makes the service so special.
Celebrating success
One thing I always try to do is remind the team just how much they achieve.
I encourage everyone to keep hold of positive feedback throughout the year and I keep a little collection of achievements to share during appraisals and team meetings. When you’re busy helping others, it can be easy to overlook the difference you’re making.
But the difference is there, every single day.
Whether it’s supporting a woman through a crisis, helping her rebuild confidence, reconnect with her family, improve her wellbeing or simply believe in herself again, those moments matter.
Looking back on my time as team leader, what stands out most isn’t the meetings, paperwork or processes. It’s the people. The women we support and the team who support them.
And that’s what has made Alana House my dream job from day one.
