About me

My background

I'm an Independent Social Worker with thirteen years' post-qualification experience in child and family work, including over a decade within care proceedings and the Family Court.

Since going independent, I've completed over 225 assessments across 40 local authority areas. Parenting, risk, SGO, sibling, viability, connected persons, ParentAssess, DVRIM, and capacity to protect, for more than 100 different instructing firms, teams, and Children's Guardians.

Before that, I worked as a Children's Guardian for CAFCASS, a Team Manager at Middlesbrough, a Deputy Manager at Stockton, and an Advanced Practitioner in Sunderland. I've worked across MASH, Duty and Assessment, Child Protection, and Court teams.

That breadth matters. I've sat on every side of the process: as the assessing social worker, the supervising manager, and the Guardian scrutinising the work. So when I write an assessment now, I know exactly what the court expects and what will withstand cross-examination.

Independence is the foundation of my practice. I follow the evidence wherever it leads. If the picture changes during proceedings, I'll say so, and if I'm wrong about something, I'll acknowledge it. My recommendations are grounded in what I find, not in what any party expects me to say.

I'm also a trained counsellor, which informs the person-centred approach I take with every family I work with. I've completed direct work with over 200 children, including Life Story Work, Later Life Letters, and Social Stories.

In the press and on the platform

I'm regularly consulted as an expert commentator on child and family social work by national media. I've been interviewed by Sky News and the BBC on multiple occasions, and quoted by The Times, The Guardian, and The Mail on stories involving children's social care.

I'm a contributing author at Community Care and have been Content Editor at Social Work News.