Hollie Freemantle

• Oversee the day-to-day running of aSafeguarding Centre. To ensure that policies and procedures are adhered to and that regulations are followed
• Lead and support a team of Social workers undertaking residential parenting assessments
• Actively manage the quality of all assessments undertaken
• Implement and continually review risk assessments
• Quality assure court reports to ensure they are to a high standard, ensuring these are evidence-based and grammatically correct
• Develop, coach, manage, and train Social Workers and Family Assessment Practitioners
• Review and implement safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure the safety and welfare of children and families
• Liaise with external professionals; facilitate professional meetings to discuss the quality of the services provided
• Continually review the Centre Strategic Plan, the implementation of actions, and the review of progression
• Management of Centre budgets

• Conducting high-quality parenting assessments that are aligned with the “Working Together to Safeguard Children” protocol
• Actively promote safeguarding and the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults
• Undertaking direct work with parents and children. Adapting my communication style according to the children's and parents' individual needs
• Adopting an empathetic and person-centred approach to support families and bring about positive change
• Identifying children's social, emotional, and physical needs, ensuring these are met, and making referrals to specialist services to ensure children's holistic needs are met
• Supporting children and parents with Special Education Needs and low cognitive functioning; upskilling parents regarding their day-to-day functioning and ability to protect and care for themselves and their children.
• Chairing child-centred review meetings to review the progression of assessment and the development of children
• Undertaking comprehensive risk assessments and reviewing these regularly to ensure the safety and welfare of children
• Devising, implementing, supervising, and evaluating work programmes; incorporating direct interventions to safeguard children and promote positive parenting
• Liaising with external professionals to coordinate parenting assessments
• Completing child-focused and evidence-based court reports that outline recommendations for long-term care plans for vulnerable children
• Representing the organisation within the Family Court, providing written and verbal evidence
• Regular 'On Call' duties to provide Family Assessment Practitioners with guidance around safeguarding issues which arise outside of working hours
• Supervising, mentoring, and managing a team

-I grasped a coherent understanding of the thresholds within Local Authorities, the processes, and the legalities around Child Protection and the Social Care System. I was able to practice within the team and take the lead in Child Protection cases, with the oversight of a supervisor. I had the opportunity to work in the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team for approximately 4 weeks.

I gained experience in the following areas:

• Attended and contributed towards Child Protection Conferences, Looked After Child Reviews, and Core Group meetings
• Completed direct work with children and families around a variety of topics, including domestic abuse, mental health, and substance misuse
• Completed comprehensive Risk Assessments, which informed care plans for children
• Worked in collaboration with Health, Education, and Specialist Services to ensure the welfare and safety of children
• Completed Parenting Assessments and provided detailed reports with recommendations
• Advocated for client rights and informed service users of options available to them
• Promoted independence and positive well-being when working with vulnerable adults and children
• Kept detailed, accurate records for well-maintained care continuity between support staff

To work as part of a team in a residential and community based setting; providing detailed objective evidence based assessment recordings in line with the National Assessment Framework. To include undertaking individual sessions of work with families in order to promote positive parenting.

To provide quality & detailed evidence-based assessment observation recordings. These examine the nature of the interactions between the child, family, and environmental factors and are key in helping make sound recommendations and to inform future planning.

Within this role I undertook a number of additional duties which included the following:

Shift Coordinator

Supporting other family assessment workers on shift, ensuring that work loads are manageable and shifts run smoothly. Taking responsibility for the rota and making sure that there are enough staff in to meet the demands of the centre. Completing inductions and basic training for new employees.

Group Facilitator

Facilitating Parent Support Groups. Recording and analysing parents' engagement and insight into the respective topic. Undertaking risk assessments and implementing safety plans with parents.

Social Work Student

Whilst undertaking my role as a Family Assessment Working, Dudley Lodge sponsored me to undertake the Social Worker Degree through the Open University, which I completed in 2020.

Within this time, I co-worked cases and oversaw assessments in Social Worker's absence. My roles and responsibilities were similar to those detailed within the Team Case Manager role.