I have worked in the social care sector for ten years. During this time I coordinated a women's mental health centre, managed a mental health rehabilitation service (including forensic work) and supported living services for young adults with learning disabilities. I have also managed outreach services for people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and their carers. I have experience of working with commissioning and tendering for a range of services. I have been involved in the recruitment and training of social care staff across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Greater Manchester. The services I have managed have been regulated by the Care Quality Commission and have received Supporting People funding. I have predominantly worked in the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors.

I also have experience of working in disability youth services for Wolverhampton City Council including specialising in working with D/deaf young people and young people with learning disabilities. 

I achieved my Social Work degree in 2013 and the year after took up my first post at the University of Wolverhampton as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. I have a PGCE (M) in Post Compulsory Education and MA in Education and have been employed as a lecturer since 2015. I am currently studying towards my PhD in Education. My research focus is on alternative offers and the experiences of working class, mature female students.

• Working class students
• Mature students
• Female students
• Widening Participation and Post-92 Higher Education Institutions
• Alternative Offers (applications to university)
• Inclusive teaching and practices

Social Work England (SWE) Registration: SW97100

Fellow of The Higher Education Academy, March 2018. HEA Fellowship reference no: PR143444

MA in Education (Distinction), University of Wolverhampton: 2017

PGCE (M) in Post Compulsory Education, University of Wolverhampton: 2015

BA (Hons) in Social Work (1st Class), University of Wolverhampton: 2013

NOCN Level 3: Youth Work: 2010

NVQ Level 4: Health and Social Care: 2010

Sexual Health Awareness (Meeting Teenage Pregnancy Unit Competency), Staffordshire University: 2009

Level 3 Certificate in First Line Management (ILM): 2008

NVQ Level 3: Health and Social Care: 2008

DipHE Deaf Studies, Special Needs and Inclusion in Society, University of Wolverhampton: 2006

I have completed additional courses throughout my practice history such as PEG feeding and care, medication, first aid, manual handling, de-escalation techniques, breakaway techniques, MAPA, Makaton and fire safety. 

Conference Presentations 

• April 2018: ‘An Open Dialogue with Graduate Teaching Assistants’, Chairperson of the panel at ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, 19^th April
• April 2018: ‘The experiences of being a student parent’, Conference presentation at  ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, 19^th April

Lecturer 2015-Ongoing (Senior Lecturer from 2019)

Module leader on both the Social Care and Social Care Foundation courses. I am also the course leader for the Social Care Foundation courses.

I am a member of the Graduate Teaching Assistant Management Group.

I have contributed to teacher education through involvement with the PGCE (PCE) and at Whittington Barracks (Defence Medical Services) on the PGCert. I have also taught on PGR (Post Graduate Researcher) Teaching Essentials workshops. 

I am the attainment champion for the Institute of Community and Society.

Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) 2014-2015

I worked at the University of Wolverhampton. I contributed to teaching on LEaP (Learning, Education and Progression) course, Social Work and Social Care degree programmes. I also completed my PGCE (PCE) as part of the scheme.

Project Manager 2012-2014

I managed supported living projects for young adults with learning disabilities in Shropshire. I also managed a carers' respite service for carers of adults with learning disabilities in Shropshire. I worked alongside a number of agencies including the transition team, speech and language therapists, social workers and others within a multidisciplinary team. During this time I was also part of the on call team for Shropshire, providing 24hr support to service users and staff. I organised and delivered training both locally and nationally on behalf of the agency. I ensured that the services provided were to the standards set out by CQC (Care Quality Commission).

Project Manager 2010-2012

I managed a floating support service for adults with mental health needs in Dudley. As this was a newly acquired contract I worked with partner agencies to ensure a smooth transition of services.

I also managed a rehabilitation service for adults with severe and enduring mental health needs. I worked in partnership with the Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) in Wolverhampton and Medium Secure Forensic Services in Birmingham and Solihull. During this time I was also part of the on call team for Wolverhampton, providing 24hr support to service users and staff. I trained and supervised staff teams to ensure that all plans and assessments were in line with the Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) to ensure ongoing Supporting People funding. Additionally, I was part of the single referral forum (SRF) for Wolverhampton which provides supported living for adults with mental health needs. I completed initial assessments for the SRF on behalf of my own and partner agencies.

Project Coordinator 2005-2010

I was the coordinator of a mental health day service for women. During my time in this role I supervised support workers, volunteers as well as social work students (BA and MA) on placements. I also chaired the steering group for the project. I worked alongside CMHTs and inpatient services across Wolverhampton. During this time I was also part of the on call team for the West Midlands, Shropshire and Bury areas, providing 24hr support to service users and staff.

I was involved in the tendering and commissioning process. I successfully presented a number of tenders for further funding from the joint commissioning team and was also involved in tendering in the wider organisation.

Assistant Support Youth Worker 2005-2011

During my time working for Wolverhampton City Council I was employed by the specialist disability youth team. For the first two years of my employment I was seconded and supported young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. I then began working for the Wolverhampton Deaf Kidz Club (WDKC) due to my background in signed communication (BSL and Makaton). Within this club I did C-card training (sexual health and condom distribution). I ran sessions on sexual health, bullying and leisure activities.

Leisure Outreach Worker (Disability) 2004-2010

I worked as part of Mencap, supporting groups of adults with learning disabilities to access leisure and community activities. I supported communication and decision making through the use of 'Total Communication' by use of visual cues, Makaton, photos and pictures.

Assistant Manager (Pub) 2002-2004

I helped manage a city centre bar. I was involved in the organisation of the staff team (kitchen and bar). I managed deliveries and adherence to licensing regulations. I achieved my licensee certificate during this time.

Bar Work (Various) 1998-2002