Katie Grant Email & Phone Number

Social prescribing recognises that health is heavily determined by social factors such as poverty, isolation and loneliness. Social prescribing offers GPs and other health professionals a means of referring people to a range of non-clinical community supports which can have significant benefits for their overall health and wellbeing.

I am a Development Officer for the Western region. I manage Age Action programmes for CHO1 and CHO2. I am responsible for the recruitment, training and management of a group of volunteers for our three services. My main role is to promote Age Action and develop our services within the region.

I managed a small team that provides welfare advice and advocacy to people who are Irish born or of Irish descent living in Brent and the wider London area. The project is mainly funded by the Emigrant Support Programme (Irish Government). I provide face to face advice, mainly on disability and health benefits. Many of our clients have literacy issues, or lack basic digital skills, therefore needing the support to apply for welfare benefits. I advocate on behalf of clients who are unable to do so for themselves. I am responsible for data entry and admin duties. I have taught myself how to manage the database system and how to run reports, which are then added to funding reports and applications which I complete. I ensure the service adheres to quality standards and ensure that we provide a friendly and welcoming service that empowers people to take control of their lives. We aim to prevent poverty and ensure Irish people are able to access their welfare entitlements. I managed the Advice Quality Standard application process and BIAS successfully achieved the award in February 2019.

I supported people who identified their mental health as a barrier to moving forward into education, volunteering or employment. The overall aim of the project was to improve the health and well-being of individuals. I supported individuals in reducing isolation, improving their confidence and ensuring they were accessing the correct services. I helped those who were looking for work to apply for jobs and produce CVs. I motivated people to get involved in physical activity and social activities to build their social network. I travelled across the county to meet with people in places that people felt comfortable in, eg. Coffee shops, libraries, job centres.

Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

In this role, I supported young people aged 16-24 in finding employment. I worked on the Generation North East programme that aims to get young people into employment by removing any barriers that they are facing. I worked with young people from a wide range of backgrounds, some of whom have many barriers that need to be addressed before beginning employment. Some of these issues included homelessness, family problems, debt, mental health, childcare issues, domestic violence, travel issues, among others.I met with young people in places that suited them, usually a library, or local community centre, or sometimes even informal places like coffee shops if that made them feel more comfortable. I worked flexibly, meeting clients at times which suit them. We could support them financially, so budgeting and money management was a huge part of my role. I also had the responsibility to get my own referrals, which meant I attended events, I regularly visited local Job Centres, and met with people from various organisations to work out how we could work together. I was also a part of The Skills Hub at Newcastle City Library, which provides adults and young people with support in finding work. I worked with various different partners, including National Careers Service, Newcastle College, Connexions, among others.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1J5wVpDWNU&feature=youtu.be - A promotional video I was part of for The Skills HubI have also completed a Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Advice and Guidance while working in this role.

Galway, Ireland

As part of the Master's Degree I completed, I was required to complete a placement. I completed my placement within the Health Promotion department of HSE West. I attended meetings on behalf of the department. I took minutes and forwarded them on to the relevant staff. I conducted various literature reviews on the topic of smoking cessation and smoking in public places. I attended events on behalf of the HSE, to promote the Galway Healthy Cities initiative.

County Galway, Ireland

Childline Volunteer and shift mentor responsible for all volunteers on Friday shift- supervision/ensuring safety of volunteers

Galway, Ireland

Research assistant to a clinical psychologist in the department. Researched the topic of bibliotherapy for children and parents, conducted literature reviews, and presented my research to the clinical psychologists in the department.

Galway, Ireland

Customer service, cashier, fitting room duties, general retail store duties.

Galway, Ireland

Customer service, cashier, delicatessen-cooking, food safety, stock-taking, handling large sums of money, responsible for opening and closing the store, checking in large deliveries, completing stock order forms.

Master'S Degree, Health Promotion, 2.1

The modules I studied in this course were: Foundation of Health Promotion; Research Methods; Health Promotion Practice; Determinants.

Graduate Diploma, Psychology

Activities and Societies: Dance Society Graduate Diploma in Psychology. Undertook a research project: investigated the use of CCTV, Street.

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba) (Hons), Psychological Studies; Sociological And Political Studies, 2.1