This week, as we celebrate Professional Care Workers’ Week, I’ve been reflecting on my own journey in social care and what makes this work so important to me.

I’m Renata Cristosomo, Divisional Director covering Oxfordshire and parts of Gloucestershire. My role is to monitor and support care homes across the division, making sure they deliver the highest quality of care. That means overseeing quality, finance, and operational performance, ensuring compliance with CQC regulations, safeguarding, and healthcare standards. A large part of my work is crisis management – around 90% of the issues I deal with are related to HR, safeguarding, or property. My focus is always on reducing risks so they don’t affect residents or damage the trust we’ve built.

I feel very fortunate with the people I’ve met along the way – they’ve been the biggest reason I’ve been able to progress from home manager to divisional director in just five years. I’ve been a registered nurse for more than 10 years, and alongside that experience I’ve studied hard, completing Level 5 and Level 7 leadership qualifications and investing many hours in CPD, particularly around finance. That knowledge gave me the confidence to grow into new areas of responsibility.

For me, success comes from learning from others, understanding residents’ needs, and always driving high standards. If you get the quality-of-care right, the operational and financial performance naturally follow. I try to lead with respect and in a way that brings out the best in people. This is never a role I do alone – it depends on my direct reports, my colleagues in our homes, and my fellow Divisional Directors.

My journey started in Portugal, where I trained as a general nurse. When I came to England, I thought working in a care home might be slower-paced and a good way to improve my English. I soon realised how wrong I was. The work is incredibly complex, deeply meaningful, and I quickly fell in love with it. I never went back to hospital nursing. Care home nursing is sometimes unfairly seen as less desirable, but the truth is that we support people who have given so much to society. Being there for them in their final years is both a privilege and a profound responsibility.

In previous roles I have had the opportunity to work closely with hospices like Sobell House, which deepened my passion for end-of-life care. I’ve always believed that the two most important times in life are when we are born and when we die – both should be treated with dignity and respect.

One moment that has stayed with me happened while supporting one resident at the end of her life. She had been unwell for a long time and I’d built a strong relationship with her during that time. It had been a long and difficult journey, and when she passed away, I found myself overcome with emotion. I remember feeling almost apologetic for showing such vulnerability in front of her family as they were dealing with their own grief. But her daughter told me not to be sorry and the fact that I cared enough to cry for Mum meant everything to them. That response has never left me. It made me realise that showing humanity is not a weakness in this profession – it’s a strength. Families don’t just want professionalism; they want to know their loved ones are being cared for by people who feel, who empathise, and who treat them as they would their own. That moment reinforced for me that social care is not just about tasks or routines – it’s about relationships, trust, and being fully present at the most significant times in people’s lives.

I’d say to anyone considering social care: if you’re thinking about it, you absolutely can do it. You just need to persevere and be willing to learn from those around you. Every colleague, every experience, teaches you something – and learning from others’ knowledge and even their mistakes will make you a stronger professional.

Social care is a truly rewarding career. If you’re hardworking, ambitious, and passionate about what you do, with good values at heart, you can progress quickly. It’s not always an easy path, but it’s one that gives you real purpose – it’s so much more than a job. This isn’t a 9–5 role; it’s about making a genuine difference in people’s lives. For those who want it, doors will open in this industry.

I’m proud to work here. Our colleagues come from all walks of life – from teenagers starting out to people approaching retirement, representing a wide range of backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and communities including LGBTQ+. That diversity is our strength. It makes us a better, stronger organisation, and it makes me a better person to work alongside them.