Career Progression Stories: Alice Williams

At 1625, we are passionately dedicated to fostering the growth and development of our colleagues, empowering them to excel in their careers. Explore Alice William’s journey in our latest instalment of ‘Career Progression Stories.’

“I first started at 1625 in 2017 as a Relief worker and then swiftly moved into the role of Weekend Housing Worker at St Georges House when this came up. I had previously been working as a receptionist for a women’s charity and during this role I noticed how the support workers were able to make a real difference for the people they worked with and build up positive relationships. This inspired me to want to take on a role that was more client facing and supportive.

I worked as a Weekend Housing Worker in the hostel for around 10 months, which gave me valuable experience of working closely with the young people in the hostel and starting to develop an awareness of the kind of challenges they were facing including bad mental health, lack of financial support and relationship breakdown. I also enjoyed building relationships with the young people and watching their progress.

After working for over a year in the hostel I applied for the role of Trainee Project Worker on the Future Builders project and was successful in getting in. By this time, I felt I was ready to manage a caseload and had a base level of understanding around the housing system. The trainee aspect of the role especially appealed to me as I liked the idea of learning on the job and felt I could still ask questions if I wasn’t sure about something.

I ended up staying in the Future Builders Project Worker role for 4 years and completed the traineeship after 2 years. I was so lucky to be supported through this entire process by a really fantastic line manager who allowed me to be involved in the direction and planning of the project, whilst also supporting my individual goals and aspirations. I learnt a lot from this manager including how to manage a caseload and support plan, how to resolve conflict between young people and invaluable housing management skills.

After 4 years in the Future Builders role, I felt I wanted a new challenge and so applied for the role of Young Persons Independent Domestic Violence Advisor. This role appealed to me due my past experience of working in the women’s sector and some volunteering I had done working on a rape crisis helpline for 3 years. My manager at the time was very supportive about me changing roles and encouraged me to go for it.

3 years later, this is the role I am still in at 1625 (with a 1-year hiatus of maternity leave in the middle!) and I find it extremely rewarding and enjoyable. As part of this role 1625 arranged for me to do the IDVA qualification course which I completed online in 2022. This helped me to feel more confident in the role and have a much more extensive understanding of legal systems in place for supporting victims. I really appreciate how much trust and flexibility is given to me to build and develop relationships with vulnerable people and work towards them having a safer future.

I am grateful to have an employer who has supported my progression at every step, and it means a great deal to me that I was able to leave to go on maternity leave and then come back and be supported to work flexibly to fit around childcare. This is the kind of adjustments employers should be providing for women!”

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