Curriculum vitae:

Qualifications

February 2005     Registered Social Worker

April 2001            TDLB NVQ level 4

                           D32 and D33 Vocational Assessor’s award.

June 1985            MSc in Applied Social Studies

September 1983   CQSW/Diploma in Applied Social Studies

July 1979             B.Soc.Sci. in Social Administration

June 1976            A Levels in English, History and R.I.

                           S Level in History        

Education

1983-1985            Southampton University (part-time)

1982-1983            Southampton University (Full time)

1976-1979            Birmingham University

1969-1976            Woking County Grammar School

Employment Experience 

October 1996 to date - self-employed independent trainer 

In 1996, I established a successful independent training business, Training MatterS. This became a limited company in 2011.  I run child protection awareness training for many different groups including staff from the Children's Society, Church groups, voluntary societies, Moorlands Bible College, the Social Care Association and many local authorities.  I have also run specialist training for workers with children with disabilities.  I deliver the foundation child protection training for Poole and Dorset Safeguarding Children’s Boards.  I have trained regularly in child protection for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth and have written materials for them.  For the Social Care Association and Poole Borough, I have run days on care planning, recording, the Children Act and child protection.  I have led workshops on team building, Government targets and the new fostering standards.  I am delivering training on Information, Sharing and Assessment and the Common Assessment Framework for several authorities. 

For a variety of local authorities, I run Safeguarding Adults awareness training, from half day to two day courses.  In the area of Safeguarding Adults, I also deliver longer investigation courses sometimes jointly with the Police. I currently deliver the investigation programme for nine local authorities. 

I run court skills workshops for several local authorities and for a Social Work course.  I am an associate trainer for the Social Care Association and have been trained by them to be an investigator and expert witness.  I also train for the Ann Craft Trust in various aspects of vulnerable adults work.  I have contributed substantial sections to a training pack, “Training to protect”, published by Ann Craft Trust.  I am involved on their behalf in training the Crown Prosecution Service on aspects of “Achieving Best Evidence”.   

June 2001 to February 2003 – Part-time Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University. 

I contributed to the development of the Post Qualifying Award in Social Work at the University.  I was the Co-ordinator of the PQ1 award, involving liasing with partner agencies and running workshops for candidates.  I continue to work as an associate lecturer delivering workshops and marking portfolios for the programme. 

April 1997 to March 2002 - Part-time Training Officer for Bournemouth Social Services 

I had lead responsibility for all child care training in the Borough and for Adults At Risk training.  I was responsible for developing a successful multi-agency child protection training programme in Bournemouth.  I ran both awareness training and specialist learning disability days on adult abuse.  I ran the training in the Looked After Children System and contributed to implementation.  I ran and taught on courses in the following areas within the Borough - courtskills, listening and communication, assessment, The Children Act, time management and child protection.  I contributed to policy developments in adult and child abuse and took a lead role in developinga training strategy.   

September 1995 to March 1997 - Part-time Training Officer for Dorset County Council 

My training post with Dorset was specifically to run and teach the new Adults at Risk policy to staff in learning disability services.  I trained several hundred provider and social work staff at an awareness stage and have helped to revise the procedures.  I ran two investigation courses for social workers and Police. 

I also undertook some child protection training for staff in adult services and for private day nurseries.  I wrote a booklet for the Department on child protection for under eights providers. 

1990 to date - Sessional lecturing on Bournemouth DipSw and sessional tutoring of Social Care students. 

This lecturing was mainly in child protection, law, general social work assessment skills and court skills .

1988 to 1995 - Social Worker - Part-time for Dorset County Council 

Social worker on local child care team - responsible for all aspects of child care - assessment, preventative family work, court work and supervision of child abuse cases and children in care.  I also ran a welfare benefits advice session in a mental health day centre and set up a community money advice project funded by charities. 

1983 to 1988 - Social worker in Bournemouth Local social work team 

Social worker on a local social work team covering generic caseload although predominantly learning disabilities, child care and the elderly.  From 1985, specialising in child care including running foster carers' groups and assessing foster carers.  I also ran groups for young offenders and social skills groups for teenage girls.  I was involved in all aspects of child abuse work.  I ran a community advice service. 

1982 to 1983 - Placements on CQSW 

Social worker on local office team specialising in mental health and learning disabilities.  I ran a social skills group for people with learning disability including a residential programme. 

Social worker in the Department of Psychiatry in Southampton Hospital.  Assessment and family therapy and helped to run a drop-in service for mental health patients.  I also ran a women's therapy group at a day centre. 

1980 to 1982 - Education Welfare Officer, Dorset County Council

 Covering nine schools providing social work support.  Helped to change the role from school attendance officer to social worker by setting up a new counselling service and series of groups for young people.

 1979 to 1980 - Trainee social worker - Birmingham City Council

 Based in Social Services on long term and intake teams covering generic caseload.

 1979 - Counsellor - Richmond Fellowship, USA

 Counsellor in mental health hostel with responsibility for rehabilitation programmes.

Leisure interests

 Swimming, camping, canoeing.  I am also an accredited counsellor with the Association of Christian Counsellors.  I periodically write and have published book reviews for several journals.