Experience

PSS UK

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

• Day Services and Community Support Manager

  • Sep 2020 - Present

• Day Opportunities Manager

  • Oct 2015 - Sep 2020



Brothers of Charity Services England

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Community Services Manager

  • Aug 2014 - Oct 2015

  • Manage Resource Centre for individuals with profound and multiple disabilities. • 20 support staff including four Lead Support Workers. • Supporting 52 individuals with complex care plans in all aspects of planning and arranging care. •Undertaking investigations as both investigating and nominated officer roles. • Providing on call support for residential services on a rota basis. • Recruitment of staff on an ongoing basis. • liaising with social work staff, parents/carers and other stakeholders to review contracts and service provision. • overall responsibility for implementation of safe systems of work to comply with health and safety, policy and procedure. • Ensuring safeguarding policies and duty of candour upheld, actioned and recorded. • To initially arrange appropriate activity suited to the needs of the client group. • Leading / supporting others to conduct regular reviews with individuals and their families. • producing a range of business cases for proposed investment in the service to the Directorate.



Wirral Borough Council

• Neighbourhood Manager for West Wirral Day Services

  • Sep 1992 - Aug 2014

  • To manage two day services in West Wirral. . To deploy and manage 52 staff across sites. . To receive 190 customers attending each day. Mixed support needs including Profound and multiple disabilities.• Manage budgets and financial procedures across sites to audit standards.• Accountable for Health and safety for both sites to audit standards.. Ensure Safeguarding policies are properly employed. • Uphold all policy and procedure with an emphasis on promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce.• Ensure recording systems are maintained.• Record and produce reports. • To prepare and deliver presentations as and when requested.• Facilitate service user participation in service design.• Manage and respond to complaints.• The recruitment and induction of staff.• Ensure effective Supervision, key issues and team meetings.• Deal with issues of attendance, misconduct, capability and grievances to improve performance.• Ensure services operate according to current legislation, policy and procedures. • Review and maintain training and development needs of the teams. • Supporting and equipping teams to cope with change.• Carrying out investigations on behalf of the Nominated Officer.• Business Development – producing contingency and development plans. • Marketing of the service. • Taking advantage of external funding opportunities when appropriate.• Using the community and volunteers to maximise activity.• Lead on consultation with stakeholders.• Participation in Care Ambassador activities to promote social care as a career.

• Reform Team Manager

  • Jan 2010 - Jun 2010

  In this Role I formed part of the matrix team which looked to review and develop day services provided by Wirral Council Tasks included: • Obtain accurate raw data with which to produce reports, identify savings, analyse information and make recommendations to senior officers. • Working with other departments such as contracts and finance to obtain information and identify relationships and systems that need to be aligned. • Presenting information to other departments, such as social workers, to promote the function and activities of the day services. This promoted better referrals and built strong relationships with the social work team. To work with colleagues within services to obtain quality data.

• Manager- Day Service

  • Jan 2005 - Jan 2010

  Manager: Riverside Centre Day Service providing a largely preventative service for people meeting mild to moderate Fair Access to Care Services criteria. Smaller, person centred and user led groups were developed in the community. These included a Ceramic workshop, "Our Place Cafe" a community involvement group sharing premises in the local walled garden. Developing links with local churches to provide a community resource once a month called "Connect"Individuals were supported to access local colleges, sports, leisure and voluntary work opportunities. A person centred planning project (externally funded) enabled individuals to make choices and have control in their lives. Access to more appropriate services, and ways to achieve personal ambitions were explored and realised. Partnerships with local community groups and central forum allowed the building to be utilised at evenings and weekends offering more choice to both disabled people and the community. A cafe was set up run by individuals using the day service. This allowed variety, freshness and an ability to respond to customer requests. The project provided vocational training, meaningful work and confidence building. This allowed many people to move into less sheltered voluntary work placements. This service delivered to 80 people with a total of 15 staff across three sites.

• Manager - Employment Service

  • Jan 2003 - Nov 2005

  Manager: Working LifeWorking life was a partnership between Pentra Services and Wirral Council. This project worked within the intermediate labour market (long term unemployed) by providing work placements with the aim of supporting disabled people into employment. This was very successful and catered for younger people below 25 years old where possible. The service worked with other agencies, business and community groups to provide bespoke placements and tailored, fading support.

• Community Day Centre Officer

  • Jul 1992 - Sep 2003

  Riverside CentreFinding and developing voluntary work placements as appropriate to individual requests. Liaising with local business, charities, community groups and education to provide supported placements. Undertaking health and safety checks, supporting the employer, travel training individuals and providing 1:1 fading support in work situations. Undertaking risk assessments and working with families to achieve an outcome.Part of this role included identifying community opportunities for colleagues to take forward and setting up projects.

• Day Centre Officer

  • Sep 1991 - Sep 2002

  Riverside CentreThis role involved supporting individuals to take part in independent living skills, travel, access to the community and education. Providing respite in the form of holidays where provided in the form of camping, holiday cottages and holiday camps. An exchange to Brittany saw links with a French group of disabled people who bred their own horses and pigs. This was a varied role working with people who lived semi independently or with parents or carers. Working with Advocates and a variety of other agencies to better support people in the community. Sexual health and relationship projects were delivered and included body vocabulary to assist with accessing the GP. Health information and links with health saw this group being used as a consultative group for local specialist health services. I set up a café project, taking a group of people with learning disabilities and running the kitchen as a business for the whole service. This project encouraged meaningful work, confidence, learning and maintaining new vocational skills. This enabled individuals to move into less sheltered voluntary work placements where others didn’t think this was possible.This interest led to working with people to access voluntary work or work in the community

• Personal Care Assistant

  • Aug 1987 - Sep 1991

  Care Assistant working with people who had profound and multiple learning disabilities.



Mencap Outreach and Respite Service

• Casual Support Worker

  • Jan 1991 - Dec 1992

  Casual Support Worker for Mencap Outreach and Respite Services for 1 Year / 1 Night a week. Evening work in addition to employment at Wirral. Supporting woman with Autism to access leisure activities in the evening. Casual Support Worker for Mencap Outreach and Respite Services for 1 Year / 1 Night a week. Evening work in addition to employment at Wirral. Supporting woman with Autism to access leisure activities in the evening.