Jet Lengalenga, Specialist Project Worker, Sanctuary Supported Living
Jet Lengalenga is a Specialist Project Worker at Sanctuary Supported Living’s Compton Road, a supported housing service in Enfield, London, where adults with learning disabilities receive personal care and support, helping them to live as independently as possible.
After initially training and working as an accountant and auditor in Zambia, she moved to the UK to further her studies and gained a BA in Business Studies and an MBA in Finance, with a particular interest in the charity sector. Since then, Jet has devoted over 20 years of her life to working in social care as an essential part of the team at Compton Road – initially as a support worker and carer, before progressing to her current role as a Specialist Project Worker in 2019.
Her day-to-day role is varied and interesting, and requires her to have great people and communication skills, an eye for detail and organisation, as well as a passion for supporting others. She works alongside her Sanctuary colleagues to support the residents to develop their skills, strengths and interests, guided by each person’s support plan.
One of Jet’s recent favourite projects was when she supported two residents with starting a gardening project, including entering Sanctuary Supported Living’s annual Ready Steady Grow gardening competition, and seeing them literally enjoying the fruits of their labour.
Jet said: “Some days can be challenging, but it is worth it to see the difference I’m making in people’s lives. I’m also looking forward to continuing to learn and develop in my role, as I’ll soon be starting my NVQ level 4 in health and social care.
People think you need a whole host of skills and experience to do a job like mine, but I actually think that to be successful, the best qualities you can have are a love for people, a positive mindset and ‘can do’ attitude, and – most importantly – a belief that people can do anything they want, given the right support.
I was so proud when my manager won the Care Home Registered Manager award for the London region at The Great British Care Awards last year, as it meant a lot for our team to know that, together, we all helped to play our part in her win.”
Jet adds: “One of my most satisfying work experiences was supporting a resident who had lived at Compton Road for several years. He was quite independent, but he lacked confidence – and his parents also believed that he could never live completely independently, as he would struggle to cope without staff around to help him.
However, with our support, he took on board the idea of living in his own home, discussed what he would enjoy being able to do for himself and what support he would need to be able to achieve his goal, and eventually made an informed decision that he would like to live independently.
When a property became available, we gradually helped him learn how to manage his finances, including budgeting and paying bills. We also provided follow-on support when he moved out and his parents were amazed how quickly he adapted. 10 years later, I’m so proud that he is still there, living his life to the fullest in his own flat.
When asked what I most enjoy about my job, it’s easy to answer – I love seeing the people I support feeling happy, both in themselves and in their work and the things they enjoy. I also love knowing that I’m helping to make a difference to people’s lives. I get to be a part of their success story and you can’t get better than that for job satisfaction!”
