TGt Meets...Clare Rochford of Diverse Abilities

In this TGt Meets, find out about Clare Rochford, Children’s Manager for Short Breaks at Diverse Abilities.

Describe what Diverse Abilities do.

Diverse Abilities support adults and children with learning disabilities and their families, in Dorset we hope that by working alongside them it makes every day a little better for them.

What is your role and what are your day-to-day responsibilities?

My role is Children’s Team Manager and no 2 days are the same, one day I could be exploring options for future funding, the next day building a santa’s grotto. I love that my job is so varied, it really does give me the opportunity to shape service provision, whilst spending time with the families and children we support, I can hear first hand what families need and want and try and shape our service provision around this.  

What inspired you to be in the charity/voluntary sector?

I worked in the NHS for 12 years prior to moving to work at Diverse Abilities, I just felt quite restricted and like I needed a change. I decided to move back to doing something I really loved and where I felt I could work alongside families to really make a difference. I love how despite the charity being so large it still maintains its ‘family feel’ where everyone is working towards the same goal, together.

When did you join Diverse Abilities and how has the charity changed since then?

I joined Diverse Abilities in 2012 and the change in the charity has been huge, the growth over the past 12 years has been incredible, I feel immensely proud to have been part of the charity through this growth and development. It has given me so many wonderful memories and I am so grateful for these.

What has been the highlight of your role in 2024?

I have a couple of highlights this year one would be the development of the Treehouse, the new home of Diverse Abilities Short Breaks Services, in just 2 months we took on a new site and completely redeveloped it to be a safe and inviting space for families of children with disabilities. Seeing the service and space ever evolving makes me hugely proud of what we have achieved. Another highlight was being asked to be a part of the Charity’s podcast Reason’s to Care. We know that care as an industry is struggling to recruit staff, we felt it was important to have a discussion about what is it really like to work in care, we debunk common myths and share notes from our happy jar of memories, hoping to change perceptions and encourage people who might be thinking of care as a career choice to apply for roles within the Charity or in the wider care community.

Name something you’re looking forward to for 2025?

I can’t wait to see how the Treehouse continues to evolve, hopefully supporting more and more children and families than we ever have before. We have lots of exciting plans for a Sensory Garden and an outdoor learning space which will be engaging for children and adults with disabilities to come along and explore the multi-sensory environment.

CLICK HERE to visit the Diverse Abilities website!