Archive

How long in the job? Since April this year.

Career highlight: My work in child protection in Camden and Islington in London was very rewarding.

Best training ever done: King's Fund senior management programme for health care managers: an extraordinary experience, giving me life-changing insights.

I didn't get where I am today by: Being a shrinking violet. I have enormous drive and energy. This has led to a varied and unusual career that I find very fulfilling.

Me and my career: I loved my work in the government Sure Start Unit. It was very stimulating and quite unnerving to be part of education services, having worked in health for all my career. As a practitioner I had much more contact with social services, especially for child protection work. Finding myself in the civil service, particularly the Department for Education and Skills was quite a culture shock.


It is very informative to see how government policy develops. Civil servants have excellent knowledge and understanding. Contact with ministers is always an eye opener.

I am very impressed by ChildLine's work, not just the helpline but also outreach work on peer mentoring and teacher training. ChildLine is the main agency that children choose to contact and is therefore in a unique position to represent the views of children, to influence not only policy but practice.

I am a member of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs, and a magistrate.

Curriculum vitae

April 2005-now: National director for England, ChildLine.
2000-2005: Health adviser, government Sure Start Unit.
1996-2000: Designated nurse: child protection and health lead for domestic violence, Camden and Islington Health Authority.
1996-current: Consultant, Health Quality Service.
1994-2000: Senior manager, women's, young people's and children's services, at two different community trusts in London: Camden and Islington, then City and Hackney.
1980-1994: Family planning nurse, health visitor, neighbourhood manager, Islington Health Authority.