Associates

I am a qualified social worker with over 30 years of post qualification experience. My GSCC registration number is 1031413.

I hold a B.Soc.Sci. in Social Administration from Birmingham University, an M.A. in Applied Social Studies from Warwick University and a Certificate in Child Protection (Law Sequence) from Leicester University.

My experience lies in working with children and families who come before the court. I was firstly a Guardian ad Litem from the inception of this service in 1984, then a Family Court Advisor with CAFCASS for four years, acting both in public and private law cases and as a Service Manager. During 2006-2008, I project managed an independent living scheme giving support and accommodation to young people leaving care. I was the regional director for this service which was owned by the Options Group, a private provider of residential and foster care services. In this capacity I gained first hand knowledge about the outcomes for many of those who have been in the care system for several years, the complexity of their needs and the effects on their mental and physical health. 
I understand the impact of autistic spectrum disorders and behavioural problems and know about the difficult transition from childhood to the adult world. 

Since 2008 I have been employed part time as a Principal Officer in Child Protection by Birmingham Directorate for Children, Young People and Families and my main responsibility is to coordinate the actions of all the agencies involved when allegations of child abuse have been made against a professional.

My specialist areas of work are risk assessments and parenting assessments in the context of court proceedings. I have worked with parents who have had mental health issues, including Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy, (now referred to as fabricated illness), learning disabilities and drug and alcohol problems and with children of all ages and with a wide range of needs. I was the guardian for the mother who was herself a child subject to proceedings in the case of Birmingham City Council v H (a minor) and others; House of Lords appeal 1993 and have an interest in teenaged mothers. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom.

I regularly attend courses as part of my continuing professional development and am a member of BAAF, BASPCAN and BASW.

My ethnic background is Norwegian and I am fluent in all the Scandinavian languages as well as English. I operated as a freelance social worker for 18 years before joining CAFCASS in 2002 and have been an Associate Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2008.

I qualified as a social worker in 1991. I have a BSc. (Hons). Psychology, a CQSW, Masters of Social Work and MSc. Applied Forensic Psychology. My GSCC registration number is 1064718. 

Throughout, my professional career has focused on working with children and families. This has been in the statutory sector – specifically within the child protection arena – and the voluntary sector in a therapeutic context with children and families where there has been sexual abuse. I have completed more than 100 complex parenting assessments, which include mental health issues, neglect, sexual and/or physical abuse, domestic violence, drug abuse, and issues of attachment. 

Over the years I have developed an interest in sexual offending within families which resulted in the co-writing, publication and implementation of the Lincolnshire SSD “Integrated Assessment of Adult Sex Offenders and their Families” in 2004. This interest has continued and I have recently written a further section regarding the assessment of alleged, suspected and convicted internet sex offenders which was included in the pack in July 2006. Using this framework, I have completed a number of assessments of alleged and convicted sex offenders and/or their partners In addition I have designed and run a number of training events regarding child protection and child abuse. 

My ethnic background is white British and I am fluent in English. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since January 2005.

I began my career in social work in 1977 and qualified in 1981 with an MA in Applied Social Studies and a CQSW from Brunel University. I am registered with the GSCC (1049856) and have an enhanced CRB clearance. I am also a member of BASW.

During my professional career and for a period of 27 years, I worked with 3 different London Local Authorities in their Children and Families Departments. I held caseload responsibilities that included work with ‘Children in Need’, ‘Looked After’ children, Child Protection and a substantial number of Court Proceedings cases.

Working as a Senior Practitioner during those years, I took on a large number of challenging cases that involved assessments of families as well as their extended networks. I developed a particular expertise in this area of work that resulted in my services being sought by other colleagues I was working with and that also led to my delivering training on ‘assessments’. My work included not only assessments in relation to Care Proceedings but also Special Guardianship Reports and the full range of Section 7 reports.

In 2006 I joined a consortium of Independent Social Workers in SE London and started taking independent instructions. I left Local Authority employment in May 2008 to devote my time to independent work.

Working now as a Risk Assessment Expert, I have extensive knowledge and experience of compiling assessment reports for Court and am familiar with the legislative process and the requirements of working with solicitors and other professionals.

I am experienced in working with families and individuals where there are complex issues and where children’s needs have not been properly addressed. I provide expert witness reports with reasoned and evidence based recommendations to assist in achieving best outcomes for children. I maintain high professional standards and ensure that at all times I show respect for both clients and professionals alike.

I have been a Risk Assessment Expert with ISWA since 2008.

I am a Chartered Psychologist with over 20 years experience, including 10 years post Chartership. My British Psychological Society membership number is 38788. I hold the following qualifications: BA (Hons; Warwick) and MSc (Birmingham) in Psychology; MA (Keele) in Counselling Studies. 

My experience lies in: 
• Psychological assessments of parents, in relation to substance misuse, domestic violence, offending, etc.
• Psychological interventions (substance misuse, relationships, anxiety, depression, phobias, etc); counselling and hypnotherapy; group facilitator.
• Team & management development; service evaluations & quality reviews.
• Work with substance misusers and their families since 1982; as practitioner, trainer, practice teacher, manager and commissioner of services.
• Residential care with young people (14 – 18 yrs).
• Employment history in public and private sector organisations.


My specialist areas of work are counselling psychology; hypnotherapy; substance misuse. 

I have produced many publications which relate to substance misuse. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including: 

My ethnic background is white British. 

I have operated as a freelance Chartered Psychologist and have been an Associate Consultant with ISWA since 2001.

ALISON CLUTTERBUCK 

  I have a BSc. (Hons) in Sociology and Social Administration from Southampton University (1976) and qualified as a social worker in 1980. My 25 years experience in social work encompasses four different Local Authorities, in both urban and rural locations.

Although mainly focused on children and families my experience also includes generic social work and a period as an Approved Social Worker.

For three years, until 1999 I managed a team of social workers before becoming a Guardian ad litem (now Children’s Guardian).  I continue to work part time for CAFCASS.

I am skilled in the assessment of parenting, risk and safeguarding, complex family dynamics, chairing multi professional meetings, and direct work with children.

I have worked with families where there were issues related to drug and alcohol misuse, mental illness, personality disorder, attachment issues, general neglect, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and learning disability.

I work hard to engage even the most challenging individuals.

I have extensive experience of preparing Court reports and of being cross examined.

My management experience gives me useful insight into planning and decision making within organisations.

I joined ISWA in 2009.

GSCC registration number 1060462

I qualified as a social worker in 1983. My GSCC registration number is 1065662. 

My experience lies in working with children and families in statutory and non statutory settings. This includes ten years managing children’s residential services, twelve years managing a Family Centre specialising in Child Protection Assessments, three years as a senior practitioner managing complex child protection cases and Manager of an area social work team. 

My specialist areas of work are assessments of parents with learning difficulties, situations of domestic abuse, drug and substance abuse parenting assessments, all types of risk assessment including assessment of men who sexually abuse children and also their non abusing carers. I also undertake Life Story Work and Counselling. I have published material in relation to Life Story Work. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development. 

My ethnic background is white English. I am fluent in English and French languages. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2003

I qualified as a social worker in 1985 . My GSCC registration number is 1047005. 

I hold a Bsc. (hons) in Sociology and Social Work and Certificate of Qualification in Social Work awarded by the University of Bath in 1985. I have completed further post graduate training as a counsellor in 1996 and as a psychodynamic counsellor in 2005 at Birmingham University. I am currently completing an MA in this area also at Birmingham University.

My experience lies primarily in the area of child care, adoption and family placement, working consistently in this area since 1989. This includes assessment of carers and family members, individual work with children in placement and support to placements. I have provided counselling and therapeutic work to young people and adults who have experienced adoption or other forms of separation and loss as well as adults who have experienced various forms of emotional trauma and abuse.

I have prepared many expert witness reports as a Social Worker, for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including the post graduate training outlined above which included detailed training on assessment, as well as a number related more specifically to adoption and attachment issues. 

My ethnic background is white UK. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2002 and Project Manager since 2008.

I am a qualified social worker with 14 years of post qualification experience. My GSCC registration number is 1060649. I hold the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work. I have also undertaken a degree in Social Worker. I hold a Diploma in Social Worker and a Certificate in Community and Advice Work. I have a wide range of experience in working with children and their families. I have developed an interest in the area of identity work with black children in the care system and I have also written papers on the over representation of black people in the mental health system. 

I currently work for Worcestershire County Council on a fixed term contract as a 'parenting expert'. I am an accredited Group (2-10) and Group Teen (10-16) Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) trainer. Triple P is well-established and is internationally respected as an evidence based program. Triple p is an initiative of the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland in Australia. 

Group Triple P is one of five levels of family intervention for parents with pre-adolescent children. Triple P provides assistance to parents who have or are at risk of developing behaviour problems. Triple P is a preventatively oriented program which aims to promote positive, caring relationships between parents and their children, and to help parents develop effective management strategies for dealing with a variety of childhood behaviour problems and common developmental issues. 

Group Teen Triple P is also an 8 week session programme and seeks to enable parents to better manage their teenage children's behaviour. It employs an active skills training process to help parents acquire new knowledge and skills. Parents are actively involved throughout the programme. This programme provides parents with the opportunity to learn through observation, discussion, practice and feedback.

I also work on a freelance basis with a mixed portfolio of practice, training, and consultancy. I also work as a self employed Children’s Guardian. I have undertaken voluntarily and mentoring work with pupils from ethnic minority and inner city communities who have generally had negative experiences in the education system.

I have carried out many Court driven assessments that have required travelling to Australia and Jamaica. Over the last five years, I have developed a particular interest in the area of anger management. I have carried out several assessments on men with anger management issues.

I have also provided child protection training within a Church organization and delivered training to local authority workers in the Walsall area.

I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including developments within the law and assessments. My ethnic background is African Caribbean. 

I have been an Associate Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2001.

I qualified as a social worker in 1991. My GSCC registration number is 1030397. 

My experience lies in working with children and families where there is concern for the child’s welfare and the parents’ ability to provide good enough parenting.

My career in family work commenced in 1975 when I began work for the N.S.P.C.C. in Birmingham and initiated group work with parents as a means of helping them develop skills to improve their parenting. I worked for this organisation for 10 years and during this time developed a close working relationship with the local authority who referred children and their parents to the service I offered. In 1985 I moved to Sandwell Social Services where I was manager of a Family Centre that provided a range of services to children and families where there was concern for the level of care offered. In 1999 I left the local authority to become an independent social worker. Initially I undertook work as a training officer for Barnardo’s, facilitating courses as part of staff development. I was also a mentor for social workers undertaking their PQ. Furthermore, I have been on the management board of CASBA, an organisation that provides a service to adult with learning needs and am presently chair of 2 Fostering Panels in Dudley. 

My specialist areas of work are child protection and family mediation as these are the areas in which I have predominantly been involved since working for the N.S.P.C.C. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including Post Qualifying Child Protection Studies at Leicester University in 1992-1993. 

My ethnic background is white U.K. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2000.

I qualified as a social worker in 1989 and my GSCC registration number is 1048424. I hold a B.Sc. from Newcastle University, a Diploma in Social Work from Birmingham University, and a post qualifying certificate of Child Protection from Dundee University.

My experience lies in child care casework, as a local authority practitioner and manager: chiefly in child protection investigation and assessment. I also have experience of the development of multi-agency safeguarding and child protection work, as a development officer of a local safeguarding children board.

As a risk assessment expert, I have worked in all areas of child protection; however I have particular areas of interest in assessing parents, which are: learning disability; neglect and attachment. I have trained in the use of the Parent Assessment Manual for the assessment of learning disabled parents; and I use this both on its own and as part of a comprehensive risk assessment where there are additional issues that impact on parenting. I have studied the impact of neglect on children, in developing guidance in working in such cases. This background knowledge informs assessment of the risk of neglect posed by parents from their lifestyle and personality. An area of significant interest for me is attachment, both the parent’s attachment style and the child’s, as demonstrated in the parent-child relationship. I have trained in the Care-Index assessment of parent-child relationships, and recently completed a Masters Degree in attachment, undertaking research in a child’s failure to thrive.

I have written expert witness reports for all levels of courts within the United Kingdom. In addition to undertaking risk assessments, I am also a co-ordinator of Family Group Conferences, and see these as important in decision making in child care proceedings.

I keep abreast of research and practice developments through regular attendance at professional training and through my membership of NAGALRO, the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, (BASPCAN) and the Association of Infant Mental Health (AIMH). I have worked as a social work consultant and risk assessor since 2005 

I qualified as a social worker in 1988 . My GSCC registration number is 1039704. 

I hold an MA (Warwick) in Applied Social Studies and an MSocSc (Birmingham) in Social Services Management. 

My experience lies in Children’s Social Work Services, in particular, Children’s Services Integration, Permanency Planning, Child Protection, Youth Offending and Community Safety, Performance Management and Change Management.

My specialist areas of work are Performance and Change Management, Management of Offenders in the Community, Child Protection, and Planning for Permanence. I have 8 years experience of conducting significant case reviews. 

I am former Head of Families and Criminal Justice for a Scottish unitary local authority, Chair of Child Protection Committee and Chair of Permanence Panel. I am currently Chair of Panel of an independent fostering agency in Scotland and have recently provided a consultancy role in re-engineering fostering and adoption services and in preparing organisational health checks prior to whole service inspections in a large Scottish urban authority. I was responsible in 2005 for a research study of children’s assessment frameworks in four local authority areas on behalf of the Scottish Executive. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including a number in relation to assessment of need and assessment of carers. 

My ethnic background is white Scottish and I am fluent in English and French. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2004.

I am a qualified social worker with over 25 years of post qualification experience. My GSCC registration number is 1061028.

I hold a BA. in Social Administration from Leeds Polytechnic, a CQSW and a Diploma in Applied Social Science from Leeds University,, an Advanced Award in Child Care SW (UEA) and a Diploma in Management. 

My career in social work has always focussed on children and families social work in the statutory sector. I have extensive experience in all areas of children and family work. As a practitioner, I worked in a variety of setting and gained considerable experience in child protection work and permanency planning. I have also worked with fostering and adoption cases and children with disabilities. I have managed a residential unit for children and have been both a first line manager and senior manager in Local Authority settings. My skills lie in analysis and assessment of complex families. I have extensive experience of working with families, making assessments and managing complex cases and of making and implementing childcare plans. I have experience of preparing reports for courts and of presenting evidence. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since February 2011.

I am a qualified social worker with 20 years of post qualification experience. My GSCC registration number is 1013934. 

Prior to obtaining my CQSW/DipSW in 1989 I qualified as a Youth Worker and have worked as both a youth worker and residential social worker. Since qualifying I have specialised in working with children and families. 

For fourteen years I worked within inner London for a number of authorities as a social worker, senior social worker and Team Manager. In these roles I have both carried and managed complex child protection cases. Since leaving Local Authority employment I have worked as a Children’s Guardian and Reviewing Officer. 

My experience lies in assessing complex family dimensions and in working in partnership with family members, and professionals to achieve this. 

My specialist areas of work are parenting and risk assessments, kinship care assessments and direct work with children and families. I also have specific experience in chairing complex meetings, including CLA reviews and Family Group Conferences. From my experience as a Guardian I am confident of working in both public and private law proceedings and in producing court reports of a high standard within deadlines. 

I have worked independently since 2002 and have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development and am proactive in maintaining my knowledge of up to date guidance and research. 

My ethnic background is White British. 

I joined ISWA in 2009.

I qualified in social work in 1982 and my GSCC registration number is 1031922. I hold the CQSW (Certificate of Qualification in Social Work) and an MSocSci in Social Services Management.

My experience lies in a variety of social work settings, including psychiatric social work and initial child protection investigation teams, but my more recent experience has been as a children’s guardian in public law proceedings and as a family court advisor in private law proceedings. 

My specialist area of work therefore is in assessing the needs of children who are involved in family law proceedings.

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I regularly attend courses as part of my continuing professional development. 

My ethnic background is white European.

I operated as a freelance social worker and guardian ad litem for seven years, prior to taking up employment in 2001. 

I have been an Associate Social Work Consultant with ISWA since August 2009.

I qualified as a social worker in 1999 and my GSCC registration number is 1070112.

I completed a degree in History at the University of Sheffield in 1987. I also hold the Diploma in Social Work and the Post Qualifying Award in Children’s Social Work.

I have 12 years post qualifying experience as a Children and Families social worker in a number of different settings. I have experience working for a number of Local Authorities in posts which include working with children who have learning disabilities; children who have experienced abuse and developmental trauma and their parents and carers; child protection, care proceedings and adoption. For the last two years I have worked on a freelance basis.

I have extensive experience of writing comprehensive social work assessments including reports for all levels of Courts in England. This includes parenting and risk assessments and covering a range of issues such as parents’ ability to meet the emotional needs of their child; substance misuse; domestic violence; sexual abuse etc. I have experience of working with families from different ethnic backgrounds and in the use of interpreters.

I am trained and certified to assess attachment in children and adults; to measure Parental Reflective Functioning (which can be used to assess parents/carers ability to understand and meet a child’s emotional needs and the capacity for positive change) and to assess complex family interactions and dynamics using the Marshak Interaction Measure and the Family Assessment Tool. I am also trained in the use of Theraplay and Dyadic Development Psychotherapy.

This theoretical and research based framework, along with associated evidence based measures, lends depth, rigour and objectivity to my assessment work and therefore clearly informs analysis, planning and appropriate interventions.

I am accustomed to working to tight timescales and producing high quality work whilst practicing in a manner that is valuing and respectful of the individuals involved.

My ethnic background is White British.

I have been an associate with ISWA since June 2011.

I have been a qualified Social Worker since 1996 and have extensive experience within child and family practice in the last fourteen years. I am registered with The Care Council for Wales: Registration number W/1037700.

As a child care social worker for Somerset County Council, after qualifying, I developed an expertise with long term complex family situations requiring sound assessment and risk identification in family support, child protection and court work. In 2000 I became a Team Leader within the same team with responsibility for line management of a number of social workers and family support workers. I am confident in achieving all forms of Local Authority assessment.

In September 2003 I became a Family Court Advisor with CAFCASS CYMRU. I have experience of undertaking comprehensive assessments with children and families in both private and public law proceedings. I am able to provide thorough and timely reports to the court that reflect the needs of the child within the framework of child care legislation, guidance and safeguarding requirements. I have extensive experience of acting as a professional witness and giving evidence in court proceedings and supporting others to do so.

I have practiced dispute resolution in all areas of my work and experience of in court conciliation within private law proceedings. I have extensive experience of dealing with conflict and challenging circumstances in social work.

As a senior manager in CAFCASS since 2005 I have been responsible for a diverse group of staff and have extensive experience of supervision, performance management and disciplinary issues. I have undertaken a number of Fact finding enquiries and provided comprehensive reports following policy and procedure, I have also undertaken investigation work into all stages of complaints.

I am able to chair complex multi agency meetings and have direct experience of working in partnership with stakeholders, for example as the chair of Health and Safety meetings. I have a particular interest in the process of Serious Case Reviews and I have chaired a number of panels and most recently a SCR sub group for a LSCB in Wales.

In 2011 I decided to become an Independent Social Worker Consultant and an Associate of ISWA. I currently undertake this role and also maintain some involvement in CAFCASS assessments in private and public law cases.

My ethnic origin is White – English.

I am a qualified social worker with twenty two years of post qualification experience. My GSCC registration number is 1030796.

I hold the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, Diploma in Social Work. Bachelor of Philosophy in Child Care and the Post Qualification Award in Social Work. 

My experience lies in Children and Families Social Work within a Local Authority setting for some fifteen years. 

I gained knowledge and expertise in undertaking assessments of parents who misused drugs, in particular heroin and crack cocaine. I also worked as a Children’s Practitioner for the NSPCC undertaking assessments of adults who pose a sexual risk to children and assessments of non offending parent/carers. In addition to this, I have worked as a self employed Children’s Guardian, the majority of my work was in public proceedings and I have also worked as a senior practitioner in an independent therapeutic fostering agency. 

My specialist areas of work are assessments of parents who misuse drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and the impact of drug misuse upon children. Assessment of adults who pose a sexual risk to children including adults who view sexually abusive images of children on the internet. Assessment of the non offending parent/carer, their ability to safeguard and protect children. Formulation of written supervised contact agreements to promote safe contact between parents and children when there are concerns regarding sexual harm or inappropriate sexual behaviour. 

I have experience of undertaking assessments of adults and families within a multicultural context and I have experience and knowledge of the African cultural practice of Sibale. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including drug misuse, assessment of risk of sexual harm, risk assessment and the impact of female sexual offenders, structured risk assessment of adults who are violent, safeguarding children living with trauma and family violence. 

My ethnic background is White English. 

I have operated as a freelance social worker for five years and have been an Associate Social Work Consultant with ISWA since November 2004.

I qualified as a social worker in 1979. My GSCC registration number is 1051287.

I hold and MA in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Aberdeen. 

The bulk of my experience lies in the field of children and families social work although I have worked as a residential social worker and generic social worker in the past.

My specialist area of work is substitute family care including the preparation and assessment of relatives as foster carers, foster carers and adoptive parents.

I have also worked with children and adults with physical disabilities and leaning difficulties in the past and have acted as a family finder for many children including children with disabilities.

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development. 

My ethnic background is white Scottish. I speak a little French.

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 1999.

I qualified as a social worker in 1985 . My GSCC registration number is 1014805. 

I am a graduate of Birmingham University and also hold Diplomas in Social Learning Theory and psycho/hypno therapy, including neuro-linguistic programming. 

My experience lies chiefly in mainstream Social Services practice. 
I managed a busy Duty Team in Redditch for over 5 years and latterly continue to work part-time as an Independent Reviewing Officer, whilst also undertaking independent work. During my career I have accumulated experience in residential social work and in the field of care standards inspection. I have worked variously over the years in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

My specialist areas of work relate directly to the child protection and social care fields in which I have broad experience of care proceedings, the looked after system and a wide range of comprehensive assessment challenges. I have ongoing interests in therapy and inspection duties. I have recently concluded research on behalf of Worcestershire CC on social service user satisfaction.

I have prepared expert witness reports over many years for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including recent specialist training on the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and new implications for contact in adoption and long-term fostering cases. I am a qualified coordinator and advocate of Family Group Conferences an am Project Manager and trainer in this field for ISWA.

My ethnic background is white UK and I have some knowledge of French. I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2003.

I qualified as a social worker in 1993. My GSCC registration number is 1060467. 

I hold a Practise Teaching certificate, an accreditation in communicating with Children, and a Certificate in Management Studies. 

My experience lies in assessment, especially risk assessment involving mental health and drug use. 

My specialist areas of work are assessment of risk, involving mental health, drugs and alcohol or pre birth assessment, working with difficult to engage clients, sexualised inappropriate behaviour and ‘safe caring plans. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for the Magistrates Court, the County Court and the High Court within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including Child Protection training, Drug and Alcohol training, Inappropriate Sexualised behaviour training, Adoption Act training, and Court work training.

My ethnic background is UK / European and I am fluent in English. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since February 2005.

 I qualified as a social worker in 1978. My GSCC registration number is 2011047.

I hold a BA (Open) in Psychology and Sociology and a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work awarded by the now Manchester Metropolitan University in 1978.

Initially I worked for eight years within the Greater Manchester Probation Service as a Probation Officer, specializing in report writing and direct work with high risk offenders, including sex offenders. I also managed a Prisoner and After Care Unit with an assistant and volunteers for three years and worked in Manchester Prison for one year.

In 1986 I moved to work as a Paediatric, Hospital based Social Worker. I then worked as an Assistant Area Manager/Team Manager and set up a Childcare Section 11 funded Inner city team of Social Workers working with a high percentage of black and Asian service users. After this I was employed as a Lecturer in Psychology and Social Work Theory and Practices at the University of Manchester, School of Social Work. After which I have had extensive experience as a Child Protection Social Worker working in the arenas of Assessment and Referral, Risk Assessment, Care Planning, Care Proceedings/Report Compilation, Memorandum Joint Police Child Sexual Abuse Video Interviewing/Investigations, Family Placement as well as a gamete of child and family therapeutic interventions and care planning/supervision.  

Since qualification I have regularly attended and completed numerous in-service training courses, as a participant and trainer in the arenas of Child Protection, Child Sexual Abuse, Counselling Skills, Practice Teacher, Direct Work with Children and Families, Completing Risk Assessments, Transactional Analysis, Criminology and Working with High Risk Offenders, Family Therapy, Sex Therapy and Dysfunctional Sexual Preferences, Report Writing and Giving Evidence in Court Arenas, Analysing and Assessing Parenting Skills, Working with Ethnicity and Diversity, Skills To Foster and other associated childcare/parenting/criminology courses. I also promote my own personal professional development by regularly reading and reviewing related casework/childcare/law articles and books.

In recent years I have acted as an Independent Social Worker/Consultant primarily in the area of completing Family and Friends Viability and Part 2 Foster Carer Assessments; Form F Foster Carer Assessments, Special Guardianship/Residence Court Reports, Risk Assessments, Independent Reviewing Officer for Foster Carer Annual Assessments, Supervising Social Worker roles and Re-Assessment/Re-Writing of Agency records/reports.  I have, and continue to prepare many expert witness reports as a Social Worker for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom.

My ethnic background is White British

I have been employed as an Independent Social Work Consultant since 2009 and an ISWA Associate since 2011.

I am a qualified Social Worker with 27 years post qualifying experience.  My GSCC registration number is 1005173.

I hold a BA (Hons) in social Science from Sheffield University (1971) and CQSW, CSW and Post Graduate DSW (1974).

My professional experience is in social work with children and families at risk.  I have worked in a variety of team settings including multi-disciplinary teams in the voluntary sector, health, education and Social Care.  I have managed multi-disciplinary teams as Service Manager and headed Child Protection Core Groups with regular review of case management.

For many years I was a member of a Child & Younger Adults team safeguarding the best interest of children in need and children at risk of harm. This included assessments under Sections 7, 17, 37 & 47 of the 1989 Children Act, Core Assessments under the Framework for Assessment of Children and Families (2000) and risk assessments in Child Protection cases. 

I have a special interest in the development of good practice with all parties working together to ensure the best outcome for children with the least delay.

In 2010 I became an Independent Social Worker specialising in assessments for SGO, Form F and civil and public law cases.

I have undertaken Care Proceedings within the Public Law Outline, demonstrating the ability to work within the legal and policy framework.  I am skilled in the preparation of reports for proceedings in both the Family Proceedings and County Courts.  I am able to work to schedules and prepare reports within the timescales laid down.  I have specialised in making Viability Assessments of extended family members, comprehensive Parenting Assessments and Special Guardianship Orders. I am able to assimilate complex information from other professionals and present measured analyses both in writing and orally for a variety of purposes.

My specialist knowledge and skills include: understanding of child development, emotional deprivation, attachment and loss, poverty and social exclusion and the factors contributing to positive outcomes; direct work with children, including the formulation of Later Life Letters and Life Story Books; skills in behavioural work with children and adults. 

I am a Practice Teacher for student Social Workers undertaking graduate and post graduate qualifications. In addition I regularly attend conferences and workshops to extend my own knowledge and expertise.

My ethnic background is white British and I am fluent in written and spoken English.

I am a social worker with over 20 years of post qualification experience. I hold a B.Sc Honours degree and an M.Sc both in Social Science from Cardiff University. I have a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work and a Diploma in Applied Social Studies from the University of Swansea. I am registered as a social worker with the Care Council for Wales and my registration number is W/1037190. 

My social work practice has developed over many years and is drawn from a range of working environments, mostly statutory but also including the voluntary sector. I have worked in services located in both England and Wales. My skill is in engaging with children and families in crisis and has encompassed both preventative and safeguarding work. The scope of my experience is broad and includes direct work with single parents as well as families seeking asylum or holding refugee status. I have experience of responding to families with crises spanning a range of circumstances including parenting a disabled child, fabricated illness, domestic violence, parental illness, and child abuse.

I have experience of both planning and managing the transition process for young people including those within the ‘looked after’ system. I have worked with young learning disabled people and those with special needs many of whom frequently had complex family histories involving abuse and/or neglect. Previously I have been involved in supporting families and young people moving from foster placement status to adult family placements. This was a challenging and difficult aspect of the work and I produced assessments and advised placement panels. 

I have supervised and managed the work of other social workers as a senior practitioner and held the roles of team manager and service manager. I have gained experience of residential social work as a care standards inspector, applying both past and present legislation. I have added to my knowledge and analytical skills by holding the roles of safeguarding co-ordinator as well as that of independent social work complaints investigator. In addition, I have produced assessment reports as a member of a complex multi agency criminal investigation team looking at incidents of abuse and neglect within a number of residential settings. 

On the strength of the articles I have published together with my expertise, I was invited by the Local Government Association to become a standing advisor to its social services committee. I held this role for a number of years and learnt the importance of producing written materials that are both clear and concise.

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all aspects of the judicial system. I have considered matters involving sexual abuse, domestic violence, neglect and issues of attachment. Within this I have conducted assessments of parents with learning disabilities and have successfully facilitated their engagement in the process. The positive feedback I have received on my reports confirms how significant this is. I have produced parenting assessments for court reports in both public and private law. 

I maintain my professional development through regularly attending courses including those in both public and private law matters several of which I attend as a magistrate sitting within the family proceedings court.

My ethnicity is Anglo Asian. I joined ISWA in 2010.

I am a qualified social worker, with 22 years post qualifying experience. My GSCC number is 1048393. I hold a B.A. in English and History ( Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic 1976), a Certificate of Qualification in Youth and Community Work (Westhill College, Birmingham 1983) and a Diploma in Social Work (Birmingham Polytechnic 1989)

I have been working directly with children and their families since 1979. As a Playleader (1979-82), I was involved in developing a variety of art, sporting and recreational activities for children between the ages of four and eighteen. This gave me a grounding in building trust with children and helping them to express themselves. Work with families was also prominent in my role as Community Worker between 1983-84, involving parents in voluntary work in a Youth Club. As a Youth Justice Social Worker (1984-87 and 1989-92), I developed both individual and group work programmes to enable young people to develop alternatives to offending. This led me to seek to work in child protection and family support (1992-96) as a Children/Families Social Worker. Such work focused my attention upon promoting the needs of children, and I became a Guardian ad Litem with the Birmingham GALRO Panel in 1996, and with the Black Country GALRO Panel in 1998.

Since 2001, I have continued this role as a Children’s Guardian with CAFCASS, which has led to my undertaking many complex family court cases, where I have had to advocate to achieve the best outcome for children and young people. In 1998, I began to work as an Independent Social Worker assessing the ability of parents and extended family members as carers for children. This has involved advising the family courts, as well as local authority adoption and fostering panels. I also have experience of carrying out assessments with families outside of the U.K. in such diverse locations as Ireland and Ukraine. Since 2005, I have also worked to promote the interests of children in private law cases, on behalf of the National Youth Advocacy Association (NYAS).

As a practitioner with children and families, I must attend regular training seminars, and take advantage of those run by CAFCASS, BAAF and NAGALRO. My ethnic background is White British. I have been an Associate Consultant Social Worker, with ISWA, since 2011.

I qualified as a social worker in 1996 . My GSCC registration number is 1065537. 

I hold the Diploma in Social Work and Post Qualifying Awards 1 & 2. 

My experiences lie in working with children and their families and I have acquired significant skills in Video Interviewing, Joint Investigation, Section 51 Counselling, Foster Carer Assessment, Family & Friends Carer Assessments, Adoption/Permanency Work, Direct Work and Life Story Work. I have worked within the Child Protection field in addition to working with Looked After Children and Children in Need. My specialist areas of work are Direct Work with Children and Life Story Work, Assessment of Foster Carers and Family & Friend Assessments.

I have prepared many reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including Risk Assessments, Parenting Assessments & Life Story Work Training. 

My ethnic background is White British and I speak English. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2005.

I qualified as a social worker in 1981 . My GSCC registration number is 1076764. 

I hold an M.A in Child Protection Studies, Dip Management Studies (D.M.S), NVQ level 5 Management, Dip Health & Social Services Management and N.L.P practitioner. 
My experience lies in risk assessment and risk management. 

Although I am an experienced manager in Health and Social Care, I have continued to work with complex cases involving child protection issues. Hence my experience spans individual casework and the operational management of risk across a range of multi-disciplinary settings including Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). 

My specialist areas of work are disability and child protection, and risk assessment including investigation. My masters dissertation researched the experiences of children with disabilities and their families within the child protection process. I have continued to develop my expertise in this area focusing on abuse and disability of children and adults. 

I hold the position of Vulnerable Adults consultant for the Amateur Swimming Association.

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development. 

My ethnic background is British and I speak English. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2004.

I qualified in social work in 1996. My GSCC registration number is 1028496.

I hold a BA (Hons) in Social Policy & Administration, an MSc in Social Science, a Diploma in Social Work, and a Professional Certificate in Management (Health & Social Care).

My career to date has always focussed on children and families social work in both statutory and non-statutory settings. I have extensive experience in all areas of family court work, having worked as a practitioner and then a Service Manager in Cafcass between 1999 and 2007. My skills lie in analysis and assessment of complex families. 

Since becoming a freelance social worker I have provided training to local authorities on issues such as assessments and care planning, drawing on my own significant experience in these areas.

I have been an Associate Consultant with ISWA since January 2011. 

My ethnicity is Asian British.

 I have been qualified social worker since 1997 but spent some years previously working in child protection and as a youth worker for local authorities.  In addition to my social work qualification I have an Honours and Masters degree in unrelated subjects.  My GSCC registration number is 1076173. 

The majority of my experience has been working with children and families first with local authorities and then as an independent social worker.   My experience with the local authority was in child protection and fostering, although I have had other experience in Youth Offending and mental health.  During this time I also worked with asylum seeking families, including unaccompanied minors, from a variety of cultures. This work ranged from working with children in foster care and assessing appropriately cultural carers to working in a supervisory position in a residential setting. 

As an independent social worker I worked initially as a freelance social worker for local authorities in the areas of child protection, looked after children and fostering. This has included the supervision of social workers and support staff as well as management roles.  In addition to this I worked for a number of fostering agencies undertaking assessments and providing training.  I then spent some years as a Children’s Guardian with CAFCASS where I undertook roles in both public and private law.  Cases ranged from brief reporting to significant, complex and lengthy proceedings.  This work was undertaken from family proceedings courts to the High Court.  Further work as an independent social worker has included providing expert reports for courts, assessments for local authorities and consulting work.  All this has given me significant experience and insight into the family justice system and I am more than comfortable in working at all levels of this. 

My involvement in a considerable number of care proceedings has meant that I have experience in dealing with complex and significant issues such as: drug and alcohol use, domestic violence, physical abuse, mental health issues, learning and physical disability, sexual abuse and emotional harm.  In addition have worked with people from a variety of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. 

I have prepared expert reports over a number years on a variety of issues including, for example, parenting assessment, fostering and SGO assessments, attachment issues and sibling assessments. 

I have a good understanding of autistic spectrum disorders and a keen interest in the impacts on children, adults and families of the disorders. 

My ethnic background is British and I speak English. 

I am a new associate with ISWA. 

I received my Certificate of Qualification in Social Work in 1979 having attended the Leicester University School of Social Work. 
My GSCC registration number is 1067151. 

I worked for six years with the West Midlands Probation Service, where my caseload included the completion of reports in Matrimonial cases. Whilst at the Homeless Offenders Unit in Birmingham I acquired extensive experience of working with the problems of addiction to alcohol and to substances.

In 1985 I was appointed to a panel of independent Guardians ad litem for Lincolnshire, relinquishing these duties when I returned to work in the Probation Service in Nottinghamshire. Over the next ten years I gained considerable experience of working with adult sex offenders.

In due course I moved to the Family Court Welfare Team where I remained until it was incorporated into CAFCASS on 1st April 2001. I retired from CAFCASS on 31st July 2010. 

During my career I have attended a number of in service Training Courses on the issues concerning motivational interviewing, encounter work, risk assessment, communicating with children, engaging with families, mediation and conciliation. 

I have prepared Section 7 reports in private law proceedings and Children’s Guardian Reports in care proceedings. 

My ethnic background is white English.

I joined ISWA in August 2010.

I qualified as a social worker in 1982. My GSCC registration number is 1038338. 

I hold a BA Hons in Social Policy and Administration, an MA in Social Work and an MPhil by Research. 

My main area of experience lies in children and families social work within the statutory, voluntary and independent sectors. I also have experience of teaching in secondary and higher education and freelance training and consultancy work. 

My specialist area of work, within the Court context, is all types of parenting assessments, particularly where there are concerns around neglect and emotional harm. 

Whilst working for the NSPCC in the 1990s I developed an interest, both as a researcher and a practitioner, in child neglect and I have trained widely and published in this field. Since 2004 I have been the editor of Representing Children an inter-professional journal about children’s rights and welfare published by NYAS. I also work for the Open University as an Associate Lecturer and consultant. I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. 

My ethnic background is white British. I am reasonably fluent in French and can get by in German. Three years in West Africa in my early twenties gave me a smattering of Hausa and an experience of African peoples. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2001.

I qualified as a social worker in 1977. My GSCC registration number is 1037692.

My experience lies almost exclusively within the child care field although my initial 2 years of practice was in a generic setting covering work with a wide range of both child and adult service users. 

Having spent six years as a child care social worker covering the range of child protection and family support tasks, I chose to specialise in family placement/adoption work and practised in this field for over three years before taking on my first management post as a Family Placement Team Manager in 1987. All the above posts were in busy London local authorities. 

I have continued to work at a Team Manger level since that date, however I have worked in other locations since 1993. My specialist areas of expertise since that date have been in the field of under eights day care registration and inspection (until 1997) and children with disabilities (since 1993 and ongoing).The Team which I manage undertakes the full range of statutory tasks relating to children including child protection, Looked After children and provision of preventive services . Whilst operating as an associate for ISWA I retain my local authority management post with this specialist group of service users.

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Court within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended a wide range of training courses as part of my continuing professional development, including recently for example the Adoption Act 2004 and Special Guardianship Regulations; working with parents with learning disability; and the implications of Substance Misuse and Domestic Violence for Parenting.

My ethnic background is white Welsh. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2005.

I qualified as a social worker in 1984. My GSCC registration number is 1016568. 

I hold an MA in Advanced Social Work; AASW; Diploma in Child Protection; CQSW and B.Ed. Before training as a social worker I qualified and worked as a teacher and youth worker. My experience lies in risk and parenting assessments; child protection; children’s rights; child care law and social work training. 

My specialist areas of work are representing children and conducting independent parenting assessments. I have conducted original research in child care proceedings and have published articles on children’s rights and representation in the family courts (Family Law 2005, 2003 and 2001; Representing Children 2003, 2002, 1996; Seen and Heard 2005, 2001, 2000; Family Court Journal 2005. In 2005 and 2006 I travelled throughout Bulgaria with a UK District Judge, delivering training to judges and social workers. I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom in family law cases. 

I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including attachment; children’s rights and child care legislation. 

My ethnic background is white British and I am fluent in French and can speak some Spanish. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2002.

I am a qualified social worker with over 12 years of post qualification experience. My GSCC registration number is 1081940.

I hold a BA in Politics from Nottingham University (1993), a DipSW and MSW from Bristol University (1998). I also completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Systemic Practice with Families and Couples (2006) and Certificate in Systemic Practice (2005) at the Institute of Family Therapy.

My experience lies in working with children and families who come before the court. Between 1998 and 2001 I worked as a local authority child protection social worker. In 2002 I worked as a manager for a Family centre providing support to homeless families, run by NCH Action for Children. In 2004 I worked for a fostering agency as a supervisor and Form F assessor.

I then returned to the local authority and completed parenting assessments and kinship assessments between 2004 and 2009. 
Since 2009 I have worked as a Family Court Advisor for CAFCASS, specializing in private law.

I am also working independently as a Reviewing Officer and Parenting Assesor, completing risk assessments and parenting assessments in the context of court proceedings.

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom.

I regularly attend courses as part of my continuing professional development and am a member of NAGALRO. I also continue to attend training at the Institute of Family Therapy and would like to develop my interests in play therapy and family therapy techniques.

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since February 2011

I qualified as a social worker in 1986. My GSCC registration number is 1021840. 

I hold MA in Child Protection Studies plus the Advanced Award in Social Work. 

My experience lies in general assessment work covering parenting assessments, risk assessments, adoption. I have undertaken assessments abroad in Canada, America, Africa and the Caribbean. 

I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including significant training on matters of sexual abuse and adolescent sex offending. 

My ethnic background is African/Caribbean. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2001.

I qualified as a social worker in 1995. My GSCC registration number is 1020688, I am registered with both the General Social Care Council in England and the Care Council for Wales. 

I hold a Bachelor of Education Honours degree in Early Years (University of Liverpool, 1993) and a Diploma in Social Work (University of Wales, 1995). Since qualifying I have gained my Post Qualification Child Care Award (University of Salford, 2005) and the Practice Teaching Award (Keele and Stafford Consortium, 2002). I gained an Applied Diploma in Working with Men (Nottingham Trent University, 2009). I am currently studying for a MA in Child Care Law and Practice at Keele (2009-2011) and a Certificate in Supervision with the Centre for Supervision and Development (CSTD) at Bristol. 

My post qualification experience lies in child protection, children looked after, emergency out of hours social work and public and private law disputes. This includes parenting and risk assessments, assessments of carers and family members, supervision of, and support to carers, assessments of contact and individual work with children in need, children who are “looked after”, and/or subject to family law proceedings . 

I have prepared many expert witness reports both as a social worker and as a Family Court Advisor. I worked as a Children’s Guardian and Family Court Advisor with CAFCASS CYMRU from 2004 – 2008 and held a mixed case load of both public and private law and have a particular interest in complex private law disputes under 9.5 of the Family Proceedings Rules (1991). 

My ethnic background is White British. I undertook my professional training in North Wales and have worked extensively across North and South Wales. I am a Welsh learner and have completed a GCSE in Welsh as a Second Language. 

I joined ISWA as a Social Work Consultant in 2009.

I qualified as a social worker in 1990. My GSCC registration number is 1042336. 

I am an Approved Social Worker. 

My experience lies in mental health and working with children and families. 

My specialist area of work is working with adolescents with mental health difficulties. 

I have written a monograph for Keele University – Alternative Families for Black Children and Social Work Practice. I have prepared many expert witness reports for all levels of Courts within the United Kingdom. 

I have regularly attended courses as part of my continuing professional development including Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. 

My ethnic background is White UK. 

I have been a Social Work Consultant with ISWA since 2001.