Before joining Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), I had an extensive and varied career in social work, specialising in the field of child protection. I began my career in the voluntary sector in Scotland, working with women and children who had experienced domestic abuse. After relocating to London, I transitioned into statutory social work, holding a number of senior positions across various local authorities. My work involved managing complex and high-profile child protection cases, conducting Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interviews alongside the police, acting as an expert witness in court proceedings and serving as the lead social worker in a serious case review.

My commitment to workforce development grew in my role as a consultant social worker, where I led a multidisciplinary team and supervised both students and newly qualified social workers embarking on their social work careers. This led to my move into higher education to support the next generation of social workers. I am passionate about inclusive, anti-discriminatory practice, both as a social worker and a practice educator. I strive to ensure that this empowers all learners, regardless of background, to realise their potential.

At BNU, I now teach across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate social work programmes. My role is to support the development of confident, resilient and skilled social work professionals. I bring practice-led insight into all aspects of my teaching and research. I remain committed to supporting the development of the social work workforce at every stage, from entry level to national best practice guidance.

I am the Course Lead for BNU’s Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) for Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs), and I have the privilege of working with social workers at the start of their careers.

I am a member of
• Social Work England (Registered Social Worker)
• Advance HE (Fellow)
• Society for Education and Training (Fellow)

My specialist area of interest and research is Child protection. Child protection and safeguarding is a highly skilled, complex and demanding area of social work that involves supporting some of the most vulnerable individuals in society, often during the most difficult periods of their lives. It requires practitioners to assess and balance risk, manage competing needs and make decisions that may involve difficult conversations or working with resistant and evasive families. Relationships, and the ability to communicate and engage effectively with a wide range of people and professionals, are rooted in social work practice.

As the legislated lead agency in child protection, social workers collaborate closely with children and families where there are concerns about harm. This includes children from pre-birth through to those transitioning from child to adult services, and in some cases beyond – where young people are looked after and accessing further or higher education. As you can imagine, the variety of work, knowledge and skills required is immense and must continually adapt to meet the individual needs of children and their families. It is therefore essential that child protection social workers are clear about their role and responsibilities, collaborating closely with a wide range of professional services to ensure that children are safe.

Due to the nature of the work, child protection often stands at the forefront of social work practice, research and theory, frequently paving the way for the rest of safeguarding practice. Tragic failings in the past have led to tighter regulation, improved guidance and a stronger emphasis on critical reflection within the profession. As a result, there is now greater recognition of the complexity and nuance of this role. No two days are ever the same and the capacity for learning and growth in this field is immense.

Because of this, I view it as one of the most rewarding (albeit challenging) areas of social work practice, offering genuine opportunities for families and professionals to create sustained, long-lasting positive change in the lives of the children.

Over the past two years, I have been fortunate to turn my passion into research and project work aimed at improving the social work workforce, from frontline practice to influencing national policy. I have collaborated with Professor Jermaine Ravalier on sector-wide research, including the Social Care Wales: Have Your Say report, and co-authored the SWU/BNU Reflective Supervision Best Practice Guide. I was also commissioned to explore the lived experiences of care-experienced young people in custody and I am currently working on a research project examining adoption through the lens of adoptive parents.

It is difficult to choose one particular moment, but a defining highlight in my career as a frontline social worker was being thanked by a mother who had survived years of domestic abuse. She told me she no longer relied on medication, her children were thriving and, for the first time, she could imagine a future. Her words have stayed with me throughout my career.

As a lecturer, a standout moment was watching one of my mature students, who had faced lifelong barriers due to undiagnosed dyslexia, graduate with her social work degree. Seeing her walk across the stage, knowing how far she had come, was incredibly moving and affirmed why I do this work.

Most recently, I had the honour of presenting at the Eurocrim Conference alongside Dr Maria Ansbro, sharing our research in Romania. This was a proud and exciting milestone in my academic journey.