Dwain Ritchie

Where are you from?

I was born in Manchester and have lived there all my life. I went to St Thomas Aquinas High which is situated in Chorlton, Manchester.

Where did you study/work previously?

I have attended and completed NVQ’s at Fielden park and Trafford colleges. Most recently I attended Northenden college to complete Children and Young people's diploma level 3.

My previous position was at working at the Independence Development Service. My position was lead resource worker and included teaching life skills to young people from age 9 up to 24 years of age within a residential setting and out in the community.

One of the young people I worked with was how I came into contact with Liz. Unfortunately, the council decided to decommission IDS and Liz offered me a position as a rehabilitation assistant at Munro Therapy Services.

What is a typical day at MTS like for you?

Every day is enjoyable, to be honest. My usual day consists of working with clients. Practicing using public transport. Shopping and cooking and helping the client purchase items for their apartment.

What’s the best thing about your role?

The best part of being a rehab assistant is helping the clients to make progress and ultimately them achieving their goals. An example of this is helping the client to travel independently using public transport, giving him landmarks to look out for and sticking to the same route. My client is now making progress and is remembering landmarks for getting off at his current stop.

What do you consider is your biggest achievement within your role?

It's early days yet but I am really enjoying helping the clients achieve a higher level of independence.