In 1998 I began working as a volunteer for Barnardos a Nationwide Charity. I worked alongside a Social Worker and Police Liaison Officer for North Bristol. We facilitated a group for women who had experienced domestic violence which ran weekly for an eight-month period. The group was very successful and this led me to want to develop my skills and train to be a Social Worker. Following the group ending I began an ‘Access Course for Social Work’ at Filton College whilst working part time with vulnerable families in the local community alongside being a parent to my three children.
I continued to work with vulnerable adults and children throughout my training. On completion of my access course in 2005, I attended The University of the West of England and successfully completed my ‘Bachelor of Science (Hons) Degree in Social Work in 2008 and then joined the Bristol City Council working with vulnerable children and families where Child Protection concerns were a very common feature.
In 2010 I began my Post Qualifying award in ‘Specialist Social Work’ at Bristol University. I successfully completed this in May 2013.
I am an ambitious individual who takes pride in good organisational skills and have a strong work ethic. I am a committed worker who will always go the extra mile to achieve a positive result. I pride myself in reflecting core social work values and good communication skills.
I have worked in the social care sector for over 20 years both with vulnerable adults and children. I have the experience of running groups in the local community tailored to vulnerable women experiencing domestic violence and working directly with abused and neglected children. Following my involvement in these groups it has led my career into the area of Child Protection.
I continued for several years working with Bristol Local Authority as a Social Worker in both the immediate response team and then the longer-term assessment team. During my employment, I expanded my experience and training in various areas including, Care Proceedings, Court Processes, Foster Care, Adoption, Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Achieving Best Evidence when a Child Discloses, Drug and Alcohol miss use, Mental Health, Learning Difficulties, Bereavement and Counselling Training.
I have in depth knowledge and understanding of family Law, policies and procedures relating to this specialist area. I am experienced in working with complex court cases, direct work with children and multi-agency working, which includes working closely alongside Health, Education and the Police.
During my time working with ‘Children and Young Peoples Services’ I could see that there were limited resources for the provision of Supervised Contact within the area of Bristol. I began to research this in my spare time. By 2012 this recognition inspired me to leave the Local Authority and in 2013 I set up Children’s Contact Services. Whilst setting up the new company I worked for the National Association of Child Contact Centre’s risk assessing families suitability to use Contact Centre’s over a large area of the South West.
Since the setup of Children’s Contact Services, to date, we have supported over 70 different local authorities nationally and worked closely with the local Children’s Hospitals (When there is a suspected non-accidental injury) and Maternity wards (Following the birth of a child at risk). I am very proud to say we have a dedicated, committed and experienced team of highly skilled staff.
