Amie Melissa, childcare provider in Worcester

I have been passionate about working with children since I was a child myself and started babysitting for family and friends once I reached 15. I have a younger sister who is currently 4years old who I care for regularly and helped care for as a baby, as well as a 5year old nephew and a little niece on the way. In the future I have ambitions to become a child psychologist in order to provide help and support to children who have not had the best start in life. I would also like to foster in the future so I can provide a stable home to children the most in need. I have my own car and a full license.

Outside of work I like to read and spend a lot of time with animals. I have two exotic pets, a cat and previously used to keep horses. I am a keen horse rider and would like to keep improving my skills in my free time. Books are very much my favourite pastime and I often read a lot of different genres. I have enjoyed reading since I was small myself and would like to encourage the next generation to give books a chance as bedtime stories were always my favourite part of the day as a child.

NOTE: I am in the process of becoming a registered childminder in order to offer childcare for up to 3 under 5's in my own home. Families who I have been a nanny or babysitter prior to becoming registered will have priority for places.

- Babysitting and weekends will also be offered for children who I have cared for previously or are secured a place for childminding.

Currently I am working as agency staff for Safehands Recruitment, working as a care and support worker. I have experience with people of all ages, specifically young adults and children. I have extensive experience working with people who have additional needs, including epilepsy, learning disabilities, autism, physical disability and long term medical conditions such as diabetes. I have experience providing care at a respite centre which also provides day opportunities. The service users here ranged from 16 – 65years and had various needs and challenging behaviour. From this I have learnt how to spot a potentially difficult situation before it happens and how to deescalate these situations before they become hazardous.

I have childcare experience in nurseries, schools and kids clubs. This was mainly gained through being a Kids Representative for Thomson Holidays during the summer and also through placements at different settings through my childcare course at college. I have a passion for working with children, specifically younger children or those with special needs as I believe high levels of interaction in early years is essential in allowing each child reach their full potential.

I was previously a Care & Support worker at an assisted living establishment run by Sanctuary Group. My main duties were to provide emotional support and personal care to a variety of different service users with varying needs, including recovering addicts, the elderly, people with severe illness such as MS and people suffering with dementia. Due to this I am used to challenging behaviour and shaping my own communication methods to fit the individual.

I have recently completed my Developmental Psychology BSc Hons at the University of Worcester and am currently awaiting my grades. Before attending University I completed a course in a National Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development at level 3 as well as a Horse Care and Management course at level 2. Both of these courses included work experience at different settings related to their area of study. I really enjoyed these courses as they allowed me to develop my customer service skills and gain experience working within a variety of different areas.