David Thompson has held a number of roles working in children’s social care and started his own business at the age of 24. David shares what he believes makes good quality practice, especially for supported accommodation services. We discuss the importance of trauma informed practice and understanding child development and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). David highlights the opportunities and challenges facing the supported accommodation sector, especially considering new Ofsted regulations. David stresses the importance of “collaboration over competition” and shares how he is working to improve standards and outcomes for children and young people on a local, regional and national level.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Learn more about and join the National Association of Supported Accommodation Partners (NASAP)

Learn more about David's business and to see current job vacancies Inicio Group⁠

Laura Wood shares her experiences of being a Youth Worker Team Coordinator for a Community Interest Group. Laura discusses the importance of youth work and what ‘good’ quality youth work looks like. Laura charts her work experience with children and young people and the different types of youth work that are available. Laura explains why she felt it was important to gain her JNC qualification (qualified youth worker status) and how this impacted her salary. Laura studied BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth at the University of Northampton and later an MA in Youth and Community Leadership. 

Hannah Stuart shares her experiences of being an Emotional Wellbeing Mentor in a Special Educational Needs School. Hannah explains how she works with children and young people aged 5-19 who have special educational needs, and who may have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Part of Hannah’s role is supporting students to emotionally regulate and to find strategies to support their learning and wellbeing. Hannah’s school draws on The Thrive Approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing and she shares her insights into this approach. Hannah reflects on her previous work experience and time at university studying BA (Hons) Education with Psychology at the University of Bedfordshire.

Charlotte, Sam and Terri take over the podcast to discuss and share their experiences of studying for a university degree. They explore different study options, including, a foundation year, part time and full time study. The students discuss what motivated them to study at university and the process of finding the right course for them.

Umarah Hussain discusses her role as a Primary School Teacher and her experiences of studying BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth at the University of Bedfordshire and then a PGCE Primary Education 3-7 at Reading University. Umarah wishes to share her experiences of being a teacher with a stammer in order to raise knowledge and understanding about stammering and to inspire and support others.

Rebekah Dowling shares her experiences of being a Learning Mentor in a secondary school and how her role involves supporting students identified as experiencing SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) difficulties and/or challenging behaviour. Rebekah describes what a typical working week looks like in her job and how her school adopts The Thrive Approach to social and emotional wellbeing. Rebekah studied BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth at the University of Northampton and highlights how her course learning and work experience helped her secure this role.

Falak discusses her role as Senior Social Worker within a child and family assessment team. She reflects on her experiences of studying BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth at the University of Bedfordshire and then a Masters in Social Work at London Southbank University to gain the professional accreditation needed to be a Social Worker. Falak stresses the importance of gaining work experience in your local community and how her motivation for becoming a Social Worker stemmed from a desire to better represent and support Asian communities. Falak outlines the different areas of social work and the key issues and pressures facing the sector. Falak shares her experience of being both a permanent member of staff and agency staff and how her role changed once she became a Senior Social Worker.

Liam discusses his role as a Widening Participation Specialist and explains what supporting widening participation involves and the key goals of his work. He reflects on his previous education and employment and how these experiences helped him secure his current position. Liam felt he had reached a ceiling in his earning potential and was advised that gaining a degree would help advance his career so he decided to study BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth at the University of Northampton. Liam offers top tips for people who might be interested in working in widening participation and outreach and outlines other possible roles within a university setting.

Key words and resources mentioned in the episode:

www.jobs.ac.uk – great site to find university based jobs

Camp America

Access and participation plan (APP)

Uniconnect

Simi discusses her role as a counsellor and the different positions she has held since qualifying. Simi studied BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth at the University of Northampton and went on to the MSc Counselling Children and Young People postgraduate course. Simi shares how her own experiences of counselling inspired her career path. Simi explains the processes involved in gaining professional counselling accreditation and how to set up your own private practice. Simi started as a School Counsellor but quickly progressed into counselling in healthcare settings offering employee assistance counselling. Simi shares her passion for counselling and top tips for those who might be interested in exploring this career path.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Gaining professional accreditation via British Association

https://www.bacp.co.uk/