Experience

West Midlands ADCS Network

• United Kingdom
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Project Lead - Regional Care Leavers Offer

  • Dec 2022 - Present



Staffordshire County Council

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Improvement Consultant

  • Mar 2022 - Dec 2022

• Head of Practice Excellence / Principal Social Worker (Interim)

  • Jan 2022 - Mar 2022



Sandwell Children's Trust

• United Kingdom
• Individual and Family Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Business Improvement and Change Manager

  • Apr 2018 - Nov 2021

  Head of Service with overall responsibility for performance and improvement, including: - The provision of performance reporting framework and business analysis across the whole organisation, ensuring continuous improvement. - Providing constructive challenge to managers and directors at all levels. - Design and delivery of an improvement programme and overseeing progress against its aims: raising risks and suggesting solutions as early as possible. - Leading on the preparation for Ofsted inspections and monitoring visits, including writing the overall Self Evaluation and compiling evidence - The delivery of projects relating to service improvement, for example overseeing changes to specific services, the creation of new processes and embedding of practice guidance. - Overall responsibility for setting strategic direction for the operation and development of the Trust’s databases, case management systems and reporting. - Regular cover for the Head of Service for Safeguarding (Independent Reviewing Officers and Child Protection Conference Chairs). - Contributor to the design and development of a Quality Assurance Framework, including practice audit and practice managers reflective programmes. - Panel member for the Quality Assurance of a Child Safeguarding Practice Review. - Led on Business cases and DfE grants. - Lead manager in responding to Human Rights Act claims. - Named representative for continuing health care panels. - The delivery of strategic priorities as set by the Board and Executive. - Deputising for the Director of Quality and Performance. Show less



Sandwell Council

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Project Manager Childrens Trust Implementation

  • Jun 2017 - Apr 2018

  Key member of the first internal project management team to implement a Children’s Trust, responsible for Project Management Office and Organisational Design, with particular focus on the following:- Ofsted Registration – Leading on the Trust’s Adoption and Fostering Agencies registration with Ofsted.- Budget Development.- Sophisticated analysis of whole service staffing requirements / caseloads, in a manner never done by the service before, to advise on strategic decisions relating to the recruitment and retention of social workers. - The re-organisation of policies and procedures to allow the Trust to fulfil its requirements as a company and as a Children’s Service operationally independent from the Council.- Leading the Windows 10 Pilot, Business Case development and subsequent implementation of Windows 10 in a children’s services environment. A particular focus was to provide the service advice on maximising the benefits of technology.- Ensuring the Contract documentation between the Council and the Trust allows the Trust to operate independently from the Council, but where it can be genuinely held to account through the design of a bespoke Service Specification setting service-wide expectations and a clear Performance Framework with workable Performance Indicators. - Translating the decisions within contract negotiations into practice. Show less

• Project Manager Childrens Database Implementation

  • Feb 2016 - Jul 2017

  Overall Project Manager for the design and implementation of a new Children's Database with management oversight of eight workstream leads. Ensured project activities took place as scheduled to enable the project to remain on course, not veering from its critical path. This involved:- Fully understanding the activities required within the workstreams, holding leads to task and to account, providing opportunity for escalation, problem solving and removing blockages.- Ensuring risk, issues and dependencies were understood across the project to identify and manage difficulties as early as possible.- Maintaining a close eye on design and development, to ensure that the direction of the design befitted the improvements needed for the council – having delegated authority from the Director to make design decisions that have a direct impact on practice.- Ensured that Signs of Safety was embedded within the system.- Overseeing large-scale testing of the system, including data testing, systems functionality and practice-based testing. Critically analysing the results of testing to determine the best course of action.- Liaison with external partner colleagues, negotiating and directing resources where needed and managing the contract relationship.- Providing advice as part of the Children’s Senior Leadership Team on the implementation and what it meant for culture and practice change for the service.- Regular presentation at Project Boards to the Executive management team and the Chief Executive of SMBC at Project Board meetings.- Quickly building and leading a temporary support hub of staff to deliver front line support to Children’s Services in the months after the new system was in place. - Ensuring that all areas for continuous improvement were not lost after the implementation date. Show less

• Independent Reviewing Officer

  • Jun 2015 - Feb 2016

  Key responsibilities included:- Holding both Child Protection Conferences and LAC Reviews, maintaining a critical and independent eye on plans for children and families, taking appropriate action as necessary to ensure plans were progressing.- Contributing to the development of working practices to implement Signs of Safety within the team, and was one of the first cohort of staff to become a Practice Lead.- Influencing, negotiating with and coaching Social Workers and their managers, alongside more formal challenge / dispute resolution to improve outcomes for children. - Undertaking substantial case file and thematic audits and contributing to identifying service-wide themes of poor practice, ‘closing the loop’ by meeting with practitioners and managers, to agree a plan of action, with a scheduled review point. Show less



Birmingham City Council

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Practitioner

  • Apr 2014 - Jun 2015

  All aspects of children in care work, including and notably the progression of 'stuck' plans and resolution of drift and delay: - Deputising for the team manager in meetings and providing comprehensive support and Supervision for ASYE social workers and students. - Contributing towards resolving complaints and obtaining feedback from partner agencies. - Contributing towards recruitment and selection of staff both within the service and outside of our service. All aspects of children in care work, including and notably the progression of 'stuck' plans and resolution of drift and delay: - Deputising for the team manager in meetings and providing comprehensive support and Supervision for ASYE social workers and students. - Contributing towards resolving complaints and obtaining feedback from partner agencies. - Contributing towards recruitment and selection of staff both within the service and outside of our service.



Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)

• United Kingdom
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Family Court Advisor

  • Oct 2012 - Apr 2014

  A mixed caseload of Public and Private Law, providing a voice for children in the family courts, and advocating for their best interests: - Direct work with Children - Written reports to a very high standard - Direct liaison with the Judiciary - Provision of expert advice - Oral evidence - Instruction of legal services as necessary - Challenging Local Authorities - Handling complex private law under Rule 16.4 A mixed caseload of Public and Private Law, providing a voice for children in the family courts, and advocating for their best interests: - Direct work with Children - Written reports to a very high standard - Direct liaison with the Judiciary - Provision of expert advice - Oral evidence - Instruction of legal services as necessary - Challenging Local Authorities - Handling complex private law under Rule 16.4



Birmingham City Council

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Social Worker

  • Jun 2011 - Oct 2012

  As below, but with increasingly complex cases:- Involvement in practitioner forums for service change- Involvement in NSPCC pilot to reunify children with their families safely- Involvement in training staff and supporting newly qualified social workers- Chairing team meeting and taking the lead for duty rotas

• Social Worker

  • Sep 2008 - Jun 2011

  Children and Family Social Work in a Care Management Team. Case responsibility for children on Child Protection Plans and Children in Care, including court work:- Assessment, planning and review of a range of cases.- Direct work with children- Taking Immediate Action when required- Undertaking S47 enquiries- Commissioning of specialist assessments and gathering evidence for court- Presentation of written and oral evidence at court- Managing changing priorities and a vast array of relationships- Working in a multi agency setting Show less



Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)

• United Kingdom
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Student on Placement

  • Aug 2007 - Apr 2008



Birmingham City Council

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Student on Placement

  • Mar 2007 - Aug 2007

  Good Hope Hospital

• Senior Social Work Assistant

  • Mar 2004 - Feb 2007