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Service Manager Rich Kenney

Rich Kenney’s had a successful career with Lifeways.

In 2006, he started a role as a support worker, and was soon promoted, becoming a registered manager in a new residential service in 2018 – the highest-level position at a service.

Then, in early 2020, Rich had a brief spell managing a supported living service run by a different provider. 

“I realised fairly quickly that this wasn’t what I wanted to do,” says Rich. “My heart and head were set on residential - and much more complex - support.”

So later that same year, Rich came back to Lifeways – this time as the Registered Manager of Whitwood Grange, a residential service in West Yorkshire, Castleford.

Whitwood Grange is made up of three buildings, which consist of a total of five self-contained apartments and 12 bedrooms, as well as shared spaces, including a garden and patio.

Advantages of scale

Lifeways is the UK’s largest team of support professionals providing support for adults in the community.

Rich says a team of this scale means that it’s “very rare that someone doesn’t know an answer to a question or that someone isn’t on hand to help out.”

When Rich took over at Whitwood Grange, the service had been facing issues brought on in part by the COVID pandemic.

“Yet with the right direction, the service improved over a short period of time,” says Rich. Most importantly, the quality of life for the individuals improved significantly.”

Today, Whitwood Grange is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Dedicated

“The support team are dedicated to the people we support and want to make a positive difference to their lives,” Rich adds.

So what’s the secret to running a successful residential service?

“I can’t give away my secrets,” says Rich. “I focus heavily on having the right people in the right positions, and looking at certain qualities.”

These qualities include being driven to succeed, having a caring nature and adaptability.

“I find this these qualities are usually a better indication than prior experience,” Rich adds. “People without prior experience are usually easier to train to fit the service.”

About Whitwood Grange:

Whitwood Grange is run by Living Ambitions, which delivers a diverse range of tailored support services across the UK.

These services include supported living, residential care, outreach services, respite care and support at home, with the aim of helping people live as independently as possible.

Living Ambitions is part of Lifeways.

About Lifeways:

Lifeways is the UK’s largest team of support professionals providing support for adults in the community.

We support adults with diverse and complex needs, including mental health conditions, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, autism, and acquired brain injuries.

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