Kirsty Matthews
South Woodham Ferrers
Summary
Committed professional with focus on attendance within educational institutions. Possessing unique skills in liaising with families, social services, and school staff to improve student attendance and well-being. With deep understanding of policies and legislation, can contribute significantly to safeguarding students and improving overall school performance.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Attendance Provision Manager
Aquinas
Basildon, Essex
05.2024 - Current
- Facilitated and hosted meetings between parents and school staff concerning persistent absence cases.
- Collaborated with teaching staff, resulting in a comprehensive approach to attendance management.
- Improved school attendance by implementing new record keeping procedures.
- Contributed to the development of an effective whole-school policy on punctuality and absenteeism matters.
- Attended multi-agency meetings discussing strategies for improving overall student engagement and participation levels at school events and activities.
- Liaised regularly with pastoral staff regarding individual student needs affecting punctuality or presence at school sessions.
- Worked closely with counselling teams when necessary for identifying underlying personal issues behind repeated absence cases.
- Conducted home visits for resolving truancy problems.
- Monitored student absences for early intervention strategies.
- Coordinated with local authorities on extreme cases of truancy, complying with statutory guidance on child safeguarding practices.
- Identified patterns of non-attendance for targeted interventions.
- Assisted in developing reward schemes for exemplary pupil attendance, fostering a positive school environment.
- Implemented initiatives to promote the importance of regular school attendance amongst students and parents.
- Streamlined communication with parents regarding students' attendance issues.
- Supported families, pupils and schools in addressing and improving attendance, enforcing relevant legislation as required.
- Ensured thorough child safeguarding and welfare through diligent monitoring and risk assessments.
- Assessed and evaluated school services, offering improvement strategies to meet absence reduction targets.
- Offered advice and guidance at school attendance and family meetings to reduce absences in line with department targets.
- Maintained confidential case documentation in line with data protection regulations.
- Kept detailed, accurate records for well-maintained care continuity between support staff.
- Consulted with multidisciplinary team of professionals to optimise treatment plans for complex cases.
- Partnered with external support networks to deliver holistic client care.
- Prepared reports for legal action and provided evidence in court.
Childrens Continence Advisor
Essex Partnership University Trust
Rochford
08.2023 - 05.2025
- Facilitated support for families navigating continence challenges in children.
- Provided expert advice on managing ongoing continence concerns.
- Organised drop-in clinics for families seeking support
- Performed assessments to determine treatment requirements
- Maintained privacy and confidentiality whilst dealing with sensitive medical information.
- Liaised effectively with patients' families, facilitating communication between medical staff and family members.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary team for improved patient outcomes.
- Maintained accurate, up-to-date patient records, maximising data accuracy.
- Established positive rapport with patients and families through active listening and compassionate care.
- Educated patients on good health, providing leaflets and verbal guidance on improved wellbeing measures.
Childrens Continence Support Worker
Provide CIC
Maldon, Essex
09.2021 - 09.2023
- Conducted initial and annual assessments to formulate ongoing care plan requirements.
- Delivered online and in person training to families
- Assisted Band 5 nurse in conducting enuresis assessments
- Quickly learned and applied new skills to daily tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.
- Offered friendly, efficient customer service and handled challenging situations with ease.
- Cleaned work areas and equipment to maintain faultless hygiene standards.
- Completed containment product orders with speed and accuracy.
- Utilised NHS computer systems to ensure high level of accuracy
Health care assistant
Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust
Basildon
02.2021 - 09.2021
- Aimed for and accomplished care certificate.
- Delivered high-quality patient service by maintaining cleanliness in wards.
- Ensured infection control measures were adhered to strictly for a safe environment for both staff and patients alike.
- Collaborated with nurses to provide comprehensive patient care, ensuring a smooth recovery path.
- Assisted in patient care, improved comfort and well-being.
- Monitored vital signs of patients with meticulous attention to detail for accurate readings.
- Managed personal hygiene of bed-bound patients, maintained dignity and respect at all times.
- Handled challenging behaviour from dementia-affected individuals effectively without resorting to force or intimidation.
- Kept detailed records of patient progress, assisted medical staff in treatment planning.
- Upheld patient confidentiality at all times whilst performing duties as per data protection norms set down by the NHS.
- Assisted elderly residents with daily tasks such as eating, bathing and dressing up for an enhanced quality of life while living in care homes.
- Assisted in all aspects of personal care, retaining comfort and dignity.
- Worked closely with nurses to maintain high levels of communication.
- Completed care documentation and monitored patient progress to achieve up-to-date records.
Dispensing Assistant
Rowlands Pharmacy
South Woodham Ferrers
02.2019 - 02.2021
- Prepared prescriptions to ensure timely dispensation for patients.
- Reduced errors with thorough double-checking of medication labels and dosages.
- Conducted inventory checks to maintain adequate supply of medications.
- Suggested over-the-counter alternatives when suitable, helping customers save costs.
- Streamlined pharmacy operations by replenishing stock as needed.
- Improved patient care by maintaining accurate records of dispensed medications.
- Managed patient files efficiently, reducing retrieval times.
- Adhered strictly to health and safety procedures whilst handling hazardous substances.
- Provided product information to customers, leading to informed purchasing decisions.
- Ensured compliance with pharmaceutical laws and regulations during all operations.
- Collaborated closely with pharmacists in preparing customised medications.
- Organised medicine shelves, improving accessibility to necessary drugs.
- Assisted pharmacists for efficient prescription fulfilment.
- Gained valuable knowledge on various medications, enhancing ability to answer patient queries accurately.
- Followed strict confidentiality protocols, respecting patient privacy rights.
- Kept pharmacy counter and related areas clean, neat and organised.
- Greeted customers and provided friendly, knowledgeable healthcare advice and service.
- Stored medicines in appropriate temperature-controlled conditions to maintain quality.
- Retained pharmacy stock knowledge to provide helpful customer advice.
- Confirmed patient details before dispensing medication, eliminating prescription errors.
- Processed incoming medication orders, checking inventories for supply requirements and reordering stock as necessary.
Education Welfare Officer
Essex County Council
South Essex
10.2012 - 05.2018
- Encouraged regular school attendance through close monitoring and communication with families.
- Worked closely with external agencies to secure additional resources for vulnerable learners.
- Conducted home visits, supporting family engagement in the education process.
- Advised schools on legal matters related to student welfare and attendance issues.
- Supported families, pupils and schools in addressing and improving attendance, enforcing relevant legislation as required.
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of attendance, absence management and pupil registration laws to aid education of schools and families.
- Offered advice and guidance at school attendance and family meetings to reduce absences in line with department targets.
- Maintained confidential case documentation in line with data protection regulations.
- Kept detailed, accurate records for well-maintained care continuity between support staff.
- Prepared reports for legal action and provided evidence in court.
- Adhered to protocols for children missing in education.
- Conducted visits to families choosing elective home education
- Monitored adherence to children in employment and entertainment laws.
Police community support officer
Metropolitan Police Service
Redbridge
02.2008 - 10.2012
- Dealt with anti-social behaviour effectively, restoring peace in affected communities.
- Fostered stronger relationships between police and public through open dialogue and transparency.
- Increased trust within the community by providing a visible presence on the streets.
- Regularly patrolled designated areas on foot or bicycle, enhancing visibility and accessibility to the public.
- Provided reassurance to victims of crimes, delivering initial support and guidance.
- Handled minor offences for swift resolution without court proceedings.
- Ensured safer neighbourhoods with proactive crime prevention initiatives.
- Improved community safety by conducting regular patrols and liaising with local residents.
- Responded to non-emergency calls from members of the public, resolving issues efficiently.
- Assisted in reducing crime rates through intelligence gathering and evidence collection.
- Educated young people on drug and knife crime, personal safety, road safety and more in schools, colleges and youth groups to deter vulnerable adults and children from exploitation and offending.
- Engaged in truancy sweeps alongside local education welfare teams.
- Co-ordinated and Executed large-scale transition events for Year 6 pupils involving Police, Fire, Ambulance, Road Safety, Transport for London, and many more agencies.
- Developed and delivered training sessions for parents on driving and parking regulations near schools, followed by coordination of initiative addressing persistent parking challenges around primary schools.
Education
Care Certificate
Mid and South Essex Partnership Trust
Basildon, Essex 02.2021 - 04.2021
A-Levels - English, Psychology, Performing Arts
North East Consortium
Dagenham, Barking and Dagenham 09.2004 - 06.2006
GCSEs -
Eastbrook Comprehensive School
Dagenham, Barking and Dagenham 09.1999 - 06.2004
Skills
- Knowledge of gdpr
- Educational legislation knowledge
- Knowledge of sen
- Records keeping
- Database maintaining
- Child protection understanding
Affiliations
- Youth Football Coach
- Reading
- Swimming
Certification
Dbs Live update service
Timeline
Attendance Provision Manager
Aquinas
05.2024 - Current
Childrens Continence Advisor
Essex Partnership University Trust
08.2023 - 05.2025
Childrens Continence Support Worker
Provide CIC
09.2021 - 09.2023
Health care assistant
Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust
02.2021 - 09.2021
Care Certificate
Mid and South Essex Partnership Trust
02.2021 - 04.2021
Dispensing Assistant
Rowlands Pharmacy
02.2019 - 02.2021
Education Welfare Officer
Essex County Council
10.2012 - 05.2018
Police community support officer
Metropolitan Police Service
02.2008 - 10.2012
A-Levels - English, Psychology, Performing Arts
North East Consortium
09.2004 - 06.2006
GCSEs -
Eastbrook Comprehensive School
09.1999 - 06.2004