Good governance is vital to the way organisations function – how they are held to account determines what they focus on. As a Social Worker I am concerned with the individual and the systems within which they function. How we measure the success of organisations will impact on where they put their time and effort, so having good vision and values front and centre in the Governing Body will impact on the experience of our whole CCCU community.
I have been associated with CCCU for over 20 years having worked in Registry in 2001 as a Temp. I became a Social Work Student in 2004, completed additional training in 2015, and the PGCAP this year. I joined as employee in 2017 as an Off-site Social Work Practice Educator from until 2021 when I joined as a part-time Lecturer for Social Work Placements, becoming full-time in 2022. In all these roles I have seen different sides of the organisation – student experience, administrative experience, and academic experience. Since joining full-time in 2022, I have participated in the revalidation of our courses combined with an inspection by the Social Work regulator, Social Work England, and sat on the board commissioning a new placement database for the university. I have roles as both Practice and Recruitment Lead in the Social Work team as well.
I have been involved in education governance since 2017 having joined the Governing Board at Cliftonville Primary School in 2017 when they wanted someone with Safeguarding expertise. I joined the school under an experienced Head Teacher who had turned the school around and achieved an ‘Outstanding’ from Ofsted in 2016. She was pivotal in developing my understanding of effective governance and effecting organisational change. Most importantly, there is a clear vision and values that are shared across the community.
In 2019, I became the Chair of Governors alongside the new Headteacher and have maintained a focus on vision and values in this role. It is straightforward to focus on the outcomes that can be measured easily – finances and results. While these are important, what I value more is the impact governance has on how they provide an education. I want to know if the pupils love learning and leave school with the skills, knowledge and ability to continuing learning; if the needs of all children considered and is the teaching practice inclusive; do the results reflect that each child has received a great education and achieved an outcome that truly reflects their abilities. This role has meant I am also a Trustee of Coastal Academies Trust, where we oversee 1 primary school and 4 secondary schools and therefore the quality of education and resource management on a wider scale.
Here at CCCU, I am the Social Work Practice Lead and involved in recruitment. I work with students, prospective students and external partners and have a good knowledge of the strengths and challenges for the university. To be involved on the ground as a lecturer but also have influence right at the top of the organisation to ensure we continue to develop would be an amazing privilege.