Meet The Manager – Matt Bray
Matt Bray is the Support Manager of iBC’s Supported Living Services in the East Midlands. With a wealth of knowledge and experience in complex care needs, and continuously dedicates all of his efforts in ensuring the people we support are offered the very best opportunities in their own homes and communities.
Matt recently won the Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award at the Great British Care Awards! Which was incredibly deserved.
We met with Matt this week to hear what he had to share about his new role, and his journey with iBC so far. Meet Matt Bray!
Tell us a little bit about your journey so far since joining IBC?
I first started my journey with iBC as Senior Support Worker for residential service Lester Hall Apartments. I was supporting individuals with complex Mental Health needs, and this is where I progressed to Team Leader. Last year, I was made aware of an internal advert for a Peripatetic Team Leader Role, for supported living services in Leicester. I successfully transferred over to support both existing packages and the mobilisation of new packages. I am now the Support Manager for Leicester Supported Living. iBC invest into teams and colleagues, supporting internal promotions and career development, which is great!
What are the best bits about your role?
For me, the best bits are the involvement. I have the opportunity to be out and about, getting to know the people we support. Meeting individual’s MDT’s, and families, learning about individual’s needs and ensuring that the right support is in place, to meet these high acuity needs and manage presented challenges and risks. Getting to know the people we support – their goals, interests and wishes is so important. To ensure positive outcomes are achieved, no matter how small those outcomes might be. I love playing a role in somebodies journey to better opportunities in the community.
What are the challenges?
Offering specialist support is never one size fits all. It’s often a challenge to match the right people, with the right services, and the right support. However, we are dedicated to person-centred care, and will continuously find new and innovative ways to offer bespoke support solutions. Overcoming challenges like this every day, is really rewarding.
What would you say to someone if they were thinking about joining the care industry?
My advice would be to think about why you want to join the care industry. It’s not all going for lunch and coffee shops. Working in this industry is about committing yourself to the needs of others. Spending time by building meaningful, trusting relationships with the people we support, who sometimes might not want you in their lives. Supporting people with complex needs who often present with challenging behaviour towards their support staff certainly isn’t easy. You could be at the receiving end of these behaviours – but then one day, that same person will smile at you, or take your hand at random. When that happens, you’ll know you’ve made a difference. When you can dedicate yourself, your understanding and patience to the people you support every single day. Even on the hard days too – that’s when you’ll know, you do it for the right reasons.
