ABOUT
Welcome to a vision for the future.
What I do.
I provide a range of services which support the needs of vulnerable young people in schools. A vulnerable young persons internal world is fundamentally defined by feeling a lack of safety. A natural human response to feeling unsafe is to occupy a part of the brain that is responsible for survival, initiating behaviour that is instinctive and defensive. Whilst trying to ensure their survival, young people are unlikely to view education as a priority. As educators (and caregiving adults), to ensure vulnerable young people are given an equal chance to succeed, we have a duty to create safety for them. Across my specialisms of Mental Health and Inclusion, I help schools understand how they can do this so that education, and its potential to create brighter futures, can remain intact. I support schools in a range of ways; working with young people on the ground, conducting whole staff training, and providing consultancy to senior leadership teams.
My experience.
My experience comes from over a decade of working closely with a wide range of vulnerable young people. This journey has seen me work with schools, local authorities, NHS mental health divisions, charities and more, supporting young people in a variety of settings. I have been able to observe at close quarters the increasing challenges young people face in such a rapidly changing world, and how much of an impediment these challenges are becoming to their learning. I have successfully provided a pathway back to education for many disengaged young people for whom education felt out of reach. My vision is one where schools are systematically equipped to respond to the needs of different sets of vulnerable young people so that education can remain accessible to the most vulnerable within their student body. In addition to my experience, I hold a Level 3 Counselling Diploma, as well as a Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead certificate.
My methods.
My methods centre on increasing student engagement and using this as a tool to drive impact. Quite often, a mistrust that breeds from interacting with a system that does not meet their needs leads to disillusioned students taking safety on the periphery of school life, disengaged from academia but generally mistrusting of the school as a whole. As a result, regardless of how much resource a school throws into meeting these needs, good policy is often undone by a lack of student buy-in. My methods therefore fundamentally seek to create bridges of trust between students and school by skilfully engaging with both sides, identifying and communicating the needs of students to SLT, whilst gradually convincing students of the safety that school can afford them. By looking through a macro, meso and micro level lens, my framework considers the needs of students as a collective, as individuals, and everything that lies in between.
Learn more.
Explore the Services page to see exactly what I can offer.