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Journalism and writing
I believe that the written word is one of the most powerful tools we possess. Sadly some writing creates barriers which confuse and distance the reader. My aim is always to open up a subject by drawing my readers into the heart of the issue.
Breadth of experience
I am able to offer a breadth of experience in writing about social care, health and voluntary sector issues and conveying the subtleties of good practice and the complexities of the legislation that underpins it. I have extensive experience of interviewing, including children and very vulnerable client groups where great sensitivity is required.
I have covered issues relating to most aspects of social care, and the spectrum of age-groups involved.
- Children and families - development, play, child protection, children’s rights
- Youth work - volunteering, fund-raising, inspection
- Looked after children - attachment disorders, concurrent planning, remand fostering, allegations of abuse
- Mental health issues - including eating disorders, depression in young children, suicide prevention strategies
- Drug and alcohol use - young people, families of users
- Gender and sexuality issues - recruiting gay and lesbian foster carers, LGBT youth work
- Older people's issues - training for carers, preventing abuse, housing provision, dementia services
- Disability issues - autism, muscular dystrophy, access in schools
- Social exclusion - poverty, youth homelessness, digital divide
- Organisational structure - merger of services, equal opportunities, new training initiatives
Copywriting for clients
Written projects for clients include:
- Fostering a Child: a guide for people interested in fostering – I wrote this book for British Association for Adoption & Fostering to provide a newcomers guide to the aims of fostering, the types of children needing families and the processes and procedures involved.
- Common Ground London – On behalf of the Kings Fund and London & Quadrant Housing Trust I was asked to create an information pack to address the differing needs of stakeholders and potential funders interested in this regeneration project.
- Children’s Fund/DFES – I was commissioned to visit projects all over the country and interview children, parents and workers. I turned these into highly accessible reports to be presented to government committees and to be used in speeches and presentations made by Ministers and civil servants.
- East Thames Housing Group – I researched and wrote evaluations about the organisation’s Open Doors training programme for women, and its Community Champions Programme, which enabled people to learn about working in the community sector.
- ChildLine - I wrote reports for teachers and policy makers about two major conferences on bullying, and produced accompanying website materials for children and young people.
- London Borough of Waltham Forest – I compiled a foster carer recruitment newspaper to be distributed throughout the borough. Also devised and wrote guides for children and young people coming into foster care, following consultation with young people.
- Riverside Community Health Care NHS Trust – I wrote a series of promotional brochures for their nursing homes, targeted at older people and their families, and commissioners.
Journalism
Publications I have written for include:
- Community Care – for several years I wrote their Ideas in Practice slot, co-wrote the Risk Factor slot and also wrote many features on different aspects of social work and social care
- Guardian Society - I have written a range of major features including the barriers affecting gay and lesbian carers, the launch of new legislation for care leavers
- Children Now - For this specialist magazine I produced a number of articles on detailed policy issues including a series of features on the introduction of directors of children’s services
- Young People Now – I covered issues ranging from ground breaking projects to young people’s ideas about tackling racism in Northern Ireland
- Care & Health – I wrote a regular good-practice slot for the magazine and more recently, started writing for the website
- Be My Parent – For this recruitment magazine for adoptive parents I wrote many interviews and articles about good practice
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