Rewarding health careers, caring for people of all abilities
The Talbot Group team’s areas of expertise include psychiatry, psychology, behaviour specialists, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and much more.
The Talbot Group is a leading service provider of specialist residential and respite services for adults and children who have an intellectual disability, autism or acquired brain injury.
The Group’s Autism Service has been accredited by the National Autistic Society and a prestigious specialist award was granted to the service in April 2023. In its mission to empower and support residents to be as independent as possible and to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, the Talbot Group has many years of experience in providing person centred services for adults and children with an intellectual disability, autism and acquired brain injury.
The individuals may also have other complex needs including mental health difficulties. The Tabbot Group comprises a team of experienced, caring, and compassionate professionals who are dedicated to providing support to its service users, residents and their families. Its experienced multidisciplinary team provides a range of tailor-made interventions to meet the needs of its service users and residents.
In his position as Talbot Group’s residential services operations manager, Michael Moore readily agrees it is the ‘no two days the same’ kind of work.
“In my position as the person in charge in a residential setting I currently manage three houses for adults and children with intellectual disabilities and complex needs. In terms of that, I am in charge of everything in the house – the residents welfare and all aspects of their care, ensuring that we hit very high standards and provide a safe and effective service,” said Michael.
The work also includes the managerial requirements of maintaining the proper running of the houses, day to day and week to week. At the Talbot Group the quality of the care provided to its service users and residents is of paramount importance. It is an ethos of continuous quality improvement and ensuring staff are trained to the highest standard to achieve the best outcome for residents and service users.
“It is work where every day you are dealing with different situations and issues. It is a very challenging job, but a job that is really very, very rewarding – to the extent that I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else at this stage of my life. The days and the weeks fly, I always find that there’s too much to do and I’m looking to do more. I find the work exciting and hugely rewarding.”
The Talbot Group multidisciplinary team includes a wide range of disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, behaviour specialists, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, social work, nursing, social care, general practice and dietetics. The residents, their wishes and needs are at the core of the service delivery model which is underpinned by Positive Behaviour Support.
“The work requires that everything has to be recorded in terms of all aspects of the residents from when they get up in the morning to when they go to bed at night,” Michael explains.
He adds that the facility achieved full compliance in a recent HIQA inspection for our adults residential home – a cause of immensely pride.
“We need to be on top of that and ensure we are providing an effective service where the residents feel safe and respected. Many of our residents will have been through a lot, so we provide a calm and secure space for them.”
Michael agrees that it is the kind of work that attracts a certain kind of individual: “Speaking for myself, I found my tribe in social care. I have done a lot of different things in my life before I came to this kind of work.”
Having trained as a stonemason, he found himself at a loose end during the recession and decided to return to college as a mature student. Successfully completing a degree in Social Science and a Masters degree in Sociology at UCC, he chose another path in life that eventually led to the caring profession.
“I loved the work from the beginning. After a short period in administration, I went into social care and worked my way up from the floor. From my very first shift walking into a residential setting, I just felt at home and immediately knew that it was for me. In this kind of work, titles and qualifications are only a part of it. Of course you need to have a qualifying standard, but it is really about kindness and decency.
“I think people that are emotionally intelligent and kind will do really, really well in this area. You are thinking about other people and supporting vulnerable adults who can’t advocate for themselves and who need support with all aspects of daily living.”
The Talbot Group are a progressive and dynamic organisation which continually aims to ensure employee satisfaction through the core values of Dignity, Respect, Kindness and Engagement. At every opportunity it supports employees to maximise their potential and provide a range of promotional opportunities at all levels.
“Good teamwork is essential, with the fundamentals of open communication. While we have very vigorous safeguarding protocols in place, for me the main thing is that I treat others as I would like to be treated myself, and I don’t ask people to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”
As an operations manager, Michael deals with the strategy side of things, but also regularly stands back to ensure he is not lost in the governance: “You must realise these are people that we are helping and supporting, people who need us. You need to be professional, but you can also be kind and decent and centred on their needs.”
As a growing, dynamic service provider that offers great opportunities to its employees, the Talbot Group offers unlimited opportunities to progress careers as its services expand. As new opportunities arise, staff are supported in their professional development to achieve their potential through experience, training, and sponsorship to work in a multidisciplinary team environment where they can truly make a difference.
“The need for our services is growing every day, week to week, year to year. The Talbot Group are in Cork just over a year now, and already they are increasing the services.”
Michael manages three houses in Fermoy, with a fourth to be opened soon. In addition, there is a hub in East Cork also under development.
“There is a huge demand for residential places across Ireland, and we see that every week in the families that are so grateful and thankful for our services. They have carried the weight and the burden of looking after someone with intellectual disabilities and all the complexities that come with that – which will often have been a long road for them.
“They are entrusting us with the life of a vulnerable individual, and we are legally and morally obliged to ensure that we provide an open, transparent, safe culture of care. So many people come to us in crisis, and helping them to a safe and calm space where they can enjoy their lives is one of the greatest rewards of the work we do.”
