One Year of Filipinos in Care CIC: A Reflection on Purpose, Progress, and the Power of Belief

Published: May 2025

Last April marks one year since we launched Filipinos in Care CIC—a movement built on shared values, lived experience, and the simple belief that Filipino care professionals in the UK needs to be seen, heard, and supported.

As I reflect on this milestone, I can’t help but trace my own journey—from an overseas nurse preparing for my OSCE, uncertain about the road ahead, to now serving as a Senior Regional Director overseeing multiple care homes, leading hundreds of staff, and support shaping strategies that directly impact the lives of residents and professionals alike.

It wasn’t always easy. There were days filled with self-doubt, nights spent learning policies and procedures I had only just learned to pronounce, and moments where I questioned whether I truly belonged at the decision-making table. But every obstacle became an opportunity to grow—and every small win, a stepping stone to something greater.

That journey taught me a few things I now hold close:

1. Don’t wait for permission to lead.

Leadership isn’t a title—it’s a mindset. You can be a change agent whether you’re a care assistant, a nurse, or a deputy. Be the standard you want to see.

2. Master your craft, then multiply your value.

Understand the regulations. Learn how your service runs. Be curious about budgets, audits, outcomes—not just tasks. The more you know, the more doors open.

3. Find your voice, then use it wisely.

As Filipinos, we often carry humility as a virtue—and rightly so. But humility doesn’t mean silence. Our voice matters. Our insights, grounded in compassion and excellence, are powerful.

4. Lift others as you climb.

My proudest moments haven’t been personal accolades, but seeing others I’ve mentored now running homes, leading audits, or teaching others. Progress is hollow if it ends with you.

5. Stay rooted in ‘why’.

Amid KPIs, staffing pressures, and inspections, never forget why you started. For many of us, it was to give our families a better life. For all of us, it’s to give others dignified care.

As we celebrate this milestone within FIC, I am filled with hope. Filipinos in Care CIC began as an idea—now it is a platform, a network, and a force for good. We’ve launched leadership programmes like Project CHARM, facilitated conferences, worked collaboratively with private and public offices, and created space for future leaders to emerge.

To every aspiring Filipino nurse or care professional: you belong in this system—not just as workers, but as leaders, innovators, and changemakers. You are not just filling gaps; you are shaping the future of care.

And to those of us who have climbed a little higher—let’s make sure we’re leaving the ladder down.

Here’s to the journey so far, and to everything still ahead.