Residential Child Care Worker, Vicky Irwin has retired from the South Eastern HSC Trust after 42 years working within Children’s Services. Vicky is very well respected in her field and has been a trailblazer over the years, working hard to improve the lives of the children she cared for.
Vicky reflected on her many years of service by saying, “It has been a privilege and a pleasure to be part of a fantastic team and to be able to provide care and support for so many children and young people over the years.”
Her good friend and former Principal Social Worker, Eleanor Smyth described Vicky’s early career by saying, “Vicky has always embraced new challenges and enjoyed working with young people, developing great relationships with them and their families. She has always been keen to take part in training and took part in a pilot for the NVQ level four qualification within the Marmion children’s home in Holywood, Co. Down. She passed her course with flying colours and went on to mentor others who were studying for their qualifications.
“Within Marmion, Vicky was a role model and example of excellence for any new staff or students who came to the home and they learned so much from both her knowledge and experience. Vicky always brought a new dynamic to the areas that she worked in and she was integral to the roll out of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Training which has improved the lives of many children over the years.”
Director of Children’s Services, Lyn Preece added, “Vicky has always been a vital member of our team. During her distinguished career, which has spanned four decades, Vicky has made such an incredible difference to the lives of so many children. We all wish her a long, well deserved and very happy retirement.”