what i do/did – the ‘day job’
CURRENT Roles:
Artist Self Employed
Co-Chair Worcestershire Parent Carer Forum
Expert by Experience & Academia Various organisations
RECENT Roles:
Consultant (Parental Blame) Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS)
‘Autism Champion‘ H&W Integrated Care Board – NHS
Research Assistant University of Gloucestershire, Autism & MH Pilot
Areas of interest & Research:
Autism
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Parental Blame/Fabricated & Induced Illness (falsehoods)
Mental Health
Female presentations of Autism, PMDD, BPD/EUPD
Social injustices, housing, benefits, work, isolation
Qualifications:
Postgraduate – Masters of Science, Psychology
Graduate – Bachelor of Arts, Fine Art
Pre-Degree – Foundation Diploma, Art & Design
Business Planning – NHS
Project Management – NHS
Autism Training: Asperger’s & Recognising and Supporting Children with SEND
What i do:
Until recently my world has been consumed by fighting against the very services and systems that i worked within. Sectors that continually failed my family as service users and patients, and after over four years of trying, i became incredibly disheartened by the duplicity and negative impact. I have retained some of my consultancy work and continue to speak out for those impacted by systems (including SEND, Autism and Parental Blame), however, my focus now is recovery and re-engaging with my intended career path. I am an artist. I am focusing on myself and my family and creating a world in which we can thrive. I will still be battling for their daily rights e.g. education; that never goes away as a SEND parent, but the burden will be less when I have less professional dealings with the very sectors that inflict the harm, by no longer immersing myself in the toxicity of insincerity. I will never stop working on the parental blame stuff though. That’s where the fight continues. And i will always be a parent carer, and therefore a ‘rep’ by default and continued necessity.
Organisations i have and continue to work with:
Here are several links and resources that i have worked on.
Sensory Friendly Environments in GP surgeries – Individual videos can be accessed here: Through the Autistic Lens: https://youtu.be/5Re98VKVKQ8
Making a Difference: https://youtu.be/qQHg8139LTs
The Sensory System: https://youtu.be/gowdWJMGrgQ
Improving the Lives of Autistic People: https://youtu.be/MRsi5lW7wfk
And also, the LeDer programme that now includes adults with an autism diagnosis