“They’re not bad kids – they’re just kids who’ve had bad things done to them.” Those words, spoken to Blair on his first day in residential childcare, have stayed with him ever since.

After training as a primary school teacher and working for two years, Blair found it difficult to secure a permanent teaching role. A conversation with a family member opened another door, one that would allow him to keep working with young people, but in a very different way.

“They told me residential care might be a good way to stay connected with the community and help young people in their everyday lives,” he recalls.

A year and a half later, Blair hasn’t looked back. What drew him to teaching, helping children grow and learn, has deepened into something even more meaningful.

“As a teacher, you see pupils for six hours a day. In residential care, you’re there from morning to night. You see how they develop over months, even years. You’re part of their world.”

Blair admits that before starting the role, he didn’t fully understand what residential care was really like. “People often imagine it’s an institutional environment, but it’s not like that at all,” he explains.

 “It’s a home. There are photos on the walls, young people helping with cooking, choosing colours for their rooms, and spending time together. It’s where they feel like they can belong.”

The most rewarding moments, he says, are often the quiet ones when a young person begins to feel safe enough to ask for help, laugh freely, or suggest painting their bedroom their favourite colour. “That’s when you know they trust you,” Blair says.

For Blair, this isn’t just a job – it’s a privilege. “We can’t fix everything,” he says. “But we can be the people who listen, support, and help them move forward. That’s what makes it worthwhile.”

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