I was previously employed by Leeds City Council as a Social Work Practitioner. I worked in an area team which covered the largest housing estate in Yorkshire which sees high levels of poverty and deprivation. My role predominantly is to safeguard children and young people from the risk of significant harm. I pride myself on working restoratively with families to promote positive change, ensuring i take a high challenge, high support approach whilst identifying key services in which I feel will provide the families with sufficient support required to achieve better outcomes. My duties include holding a case load averaging out at 25/30 of which these cases vary in complexity. This can include anything from carrying out thorough and robust child and family assessments, holding Child In Need cases as well as Looked After Children. I have knowledge and experience of court proceedings and feel confident within the court arena. I have experience of complex proceedings whereby Final Care plans can differ for a sibling group. The court reports and thorough assessments require me to have excellent written and analytical skills to ensure my work with families is evidence based and balanced. In my reports and assessments it is important to not only identify risk but to highlight strengths and protective factors within the family network. I ensure the voice of the child is at the heart of my reports and assessments therefore it is paramount to carry out direct work with children and young people so that their views, wishes and feelings are heard and shared. Since a young age I have wanted to achieve my goal of becoming an excellent Social Worker, it is my childhood experiences of having my own Social Worker who inspired me to follow this career path. Since leaving Leeds City Council in April 2019, I joined Wakefield Local Authority in May 2019 as an agency worker. My role was still in child protection covering the whole of Wakefield. I had a range of cases including three sets of proceedings and an average case load of 30. I then spent 2 years in the child in care team. I currently now work for Barnsley Council and have been appointed the Advanced practitioner role. This role supports social workers with learning and development, offering support and mentoring those less experienced. Alongside this, I assist senior management with performance and quality of work, providing training opportunities. I have a small case load of complex cases but predominantly my role is to support and assist my fellow social workers and the management team.