Team Manager – Central
I joined Adopters for Adoption as an employee in October 2021 but have been part of AFA since 2014 as an Independent Social Worker. I have been delighted to witness AFA’s development from its inception, and am keen to contribute to consolidating the agency’s position as a beacon child and adopter-focused agency.
Having qualified as a social worker in 1992, I have substantive experience in statutory child protection services, gaining management qualifications as my career progressed. My roles in statutory services included locality management of statutory social work teams and oversight of early help family support services under the Sure Start programme. This experience gives me insight into safeguarding services and the delivery of early help for children and families, including children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) as I served as chair of a SEND resource allocation panel. Having worked in England and South Wales, I have a good grasp of cross-border issues that can impact family life, particularly when children are placed across local authority and national boundaries. I am a strong advocate for families and am keen to support adoptive families navigate the complexities of adoption support services to access the early help they need to thrive. I have a keen interest in performance management and enabling practice improvement and learning.
In my spare time, I volunteer for a faith charity, love gardening, cooking and baking, and am looking forward to enjoying grandma time.
