A Wrexham mum who helps train 3,000 care workers has struck gold at the social care Oscars.
Jenna Evans, manager the Pendine Academy of Social Care at Wrexham Technology Park, was crowned the winner at the Wales Care Awards in Cardiff, recognising her outstanding commitment to training and development.
The 42-year-old, who has spent 23 years working in social care leads a team helping
staff from 30 care providers across North and Mid Wales develop the skills needed to deliver high quality care.
Mum-of-one Jenna was appointed the manager at the academy in April by the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation which operates nine care in Wrexham and Caernarfon.
Having joined the academy nine years ago and previously served as deputy manager, she now oversees a team of seven assessors and three administration staff ensuring care workers received the training they need to make a positive difference to people’s lives.
Jenna said: “I’m absolutely thrilled have won gold at the Wales Care Awards. It’s a huge honour and something I’m incredibly proud of, but it’s also a reflection of the fantastic team I have around me and the support I’ve received from everyone at Pendine.
“Training is at the heart of everything we do because, if we want to provide first-class care, we have to make sure our staff have the knowledge, skills and confidence to give residents the very best support possible.
“I’m lucky to work for an organisation that genuinely believes in investing in its people and recognises how important training and development are.
“None of this would be possible without my brilliant team, who share that passion every day. This award belongs to them as much as it does to me.”
She added: “We are always busy at the academy, no day is the same, but it is hugely rewarding.
“We have about 850 staff in our homes at Pendine alone, and I oversee all their training, but I don’t, and couldn’t, do it on my own, it is a team effort.
“We have our own toolkit that we have developed, we have in-house training, we have trainers in each home, we have trainer network meetings – and we oversee all that.
“I just love my job because I love developing others and seeing how they improve what they do all the time.
Jenna lives in Wrexham with partner Gavin Adamson and their 16-year-old son Dylan, who is about to start an enhanced Level 3 engineering course at Coleg Cambria.
She started out in dementia care provision as a teenager as she felt she wanted to make a real difference to people’s lives.
Jenna said: “A lot of our assessors have come from being a care worker at Pendine and have progressed their careers from there, there is a real career pathway here.
“I chose health and social care because I really wanted to do something which I knew would be rewarding to me.”
Jenna said being nominated for the care award was extra special because the nomination had been made by her predecessor as manager, Ann Serridge.
Pendine Park was established in 1985 by Mario Kreft MBE and his wife Gill.
Mario, who founded the Wales Care Awards which has given out more than 900 awards to social care heroes since it was established in 2003, said: “Jenna thoroughly deserves this gold award and we’re absolutely delighted that her dedication and hard work have been recognised.
“High-quality training is fundamental to delivering first-class care. We have always believed that investing in our staff, giving them the skills and confidence to do their jobs to the very best of their ability, is one of the most important things we can do for our residents.
“Jenna and her team at the Pendine Academy of Social Care play a vital role in making that happen, not just for our own staff but for care workers across North and Mid Wales. Their commitment helps raise standards across the sector and makes a real difference to the lives of the people they support.
“Jenna is a wonderful example of the talent and passion we have within social care. This award is a fantastic achievement for her personally, for her team and for everyone at Pendine Park. We couldn’t be prouder.”
