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SOCIAL WORK & MINISTRY - MARTA BROTHERS (NÉE MARQUEZ-VAGA) OM'94
What is your profession and current position?
I was a senior social worker for 13 years, working frontline in Child Protection, looked after children and adoption and fostering. I am, however, now a student in my second year of three training to become an ordained pioneer at Trinity College in Bristol.
How did Monkton get you ready for the world of work?
When I was in Monkton, I was not your A* student but the one in set three for everything. It was during my time there that they discovered I was dyslexic and the extra support in this was amazing. It helped me get through my GCSE and A-Levels. What was amazing was that Monkton didn't ever make me feel like because I was not the A* student I couldn’t do well in life. Instead, there was so much encouragement and opportunity to develop in the creative arts and in sports. I believe this was the foundation that allowed me to have the confidence to approach and explore what I learned and apply it into what I later became. I can see now that it’s through the love of sports that I learned how to work well in a team. Being involved in theatre and art and music provided me the skills in how to, therapeutically and creatively, provide a safe place where children felt able to make significant disclosures. Following this, being called into the Ministry I realise how Monkton being a Christian school provided me with the roots of my Christian faith. Going to chapel every day and having Sunday services (though I remember feeling it was boring at the time!) meant that there was something beautiful provided in a ritual and this deepened my faith.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
This is a hard question to answer, because achievement means so many different things to different people. Achievement can mean financial success or status success or fame and recognition.
My biggest professional achievement in Social Work was successfully matching adoptive children with their forever family. I always ensured that a child’s voice was heard, leading to providing them a safe home environment. Though it was incredibly hard to have to do it, I also safely removed a baby from further abuse.
Here in college my biggest achievement was starting a ladies’ netball team in the midst of a pandemic. This helped a huge number of women who felt isolated and alone where their mental health was so low. I recognised these beautiful ladies needing something and starting a netball team allowed them to do some exercise, play a game, and build their confidence.
What has been your most challenging professional moment?
In social work it was having a meeting with service managers and heads of department with a clear plan of why their idea of a child in my caseloads’ needs is not going to work but instead coming up with a proposal of a more expensive but better provision for this child. When I was a Looked after Children social worker, I was told by my manager that these children were my work children and the responsibility was huge as there was the pressure to ensure I did the best I could for the children I was responsible for, knowing that they have been through so much already and therefore it was crucial to get it right.
As a student is not just the learning and getting essays in on time but also this word called ‘formation’, we are constantly looking deeper into who we are and what we are called to do as future minister and face some uncomfortable truth. This means at time hearing people say things like ‘women shouldn’t be in ministry’ and have to accept they too are welcome in the kingdom even if you want to throw a shoe at them. There is a need for a lot of grace and love and acceptance that they got there from their own interpretation of scripture but what we have in common is we worship and praise the same God and so instead choosing to focus on what unities us is what help us overcome our differences.
What inspires and motivates you at work?
As a social worker it was when as a team we worked all together, where when one social worker maybe struggling, others pitched in to support. It was great helping the children and families get from a place of despair to a place of hope. I suppose this is one of the reasons I felt called into the ministry - because I wanted this hope to be an everlasting hope which only comes through Christ. As a student my motivation is feeling inspired in what I am learning and finding a creative way to present the knowledge I have learned into an assignment. Training as an ordinand is not just theological school but a deeper look into who we are and who we are called to be as a way of learning how to lead well as vicars in the Church of England.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with pupils or OMs about getting into your profession?
As a social worker it was when as a team we worked all together, where when one social worker maybe struggling, others pitched in to support. It was great helping the children and families get from a place of despair to a place of hope. I suppose this is one of the reasons I felt called into the ministry - because I wanted this hope to be an everlasting hope which only comes through Christ. As a student my motivation is feeling inspired in what I am learning and finding a creative way to present the knowledge I have learned into an assignment. Training as an ordinand is not just theological school but a deeper look into who we are and who we are called to be as a way of learning how to lead well as vicars in the Church of England.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with pupils or OMs about getting into your profession?
As a social worker. Never stop being passionate. Be passionate in the assessments you carry out, in the visits with children and parents. Also don’t forget self-care is key because if you’re not looking after yourself than how are you meant to look after the children your responsible for? Anyone thinking about going into ministry, it would be don’t compare yourself to others because God has called you as you are. Your fearfully and wonderfully made and your ministry won’t look like other peoples, just keep God at the centre of it. Don’t ever stop learning and think you have all the answers, be ok with being humble and admitting you may not know it all or you may get it wrong.
For whatever profession you consider into going into I think what I have fundamentally learned, especially where there are pressures and work schedules seems tight... FIND YOUR SPORT!. Now this literally can be a sport or going to the gym or going to a coffee shop and reading or drawing or something similar. Since I left school, I have always joined a hockey team to train and to play matches and I recently got into netball. This was the one place where it didn’t matter what work stress I had or how chaotic home life was or that I was a Mum of three, when I was training and playing my matches, I was able to let it all go and just have fun and do something that required my mind to be focused on the game and have rest from life pressures. It’s mentally and physically super healthy to find weekly pockets of time away from your desk, from your job or your homelife and to do something that is just for you. This gives you so much more energy and focus to carry on with the daily tasks. I can’t emphasise how much sports and exercise in any way increases a healthy mentality and totally worth it!
Finally, and most importantly as an ethnic minority or global majority (which is a term I prefer) never ever compromise who you are. Being a Latina has meant I am created a certain way and we should celebrate our cultural differences; we need to embrace it! We can learn from one another and there needs to be space for this. There needs to be acceptance and love and equality. When you look at professionals around you especially the leaders ask yourself are we representing the globally majority. You have the power and gifted education to make the changes that are desperately needed to make the work place an equal gender and global majority playing field.