Pauline Harding-Binns
Birmingham,West Midlands
Summary
Experienced Adult Lead Worker with a strong background in housing advice, floating support, and trauma-informed services for individuals with complex needs. skilled in delivering personalised support, conducting holistic assessments, and building trusted relationships to promote independence and recovery. Experienced in supporting those affected by domestic abuse, mental health issues, substance misuse, homelessness, and offending, with a client-centred, strength based approach. confident in multi-agency working, advocacy and crisis intervention, and committed to empowering individuals and delivering high-quality, person-centred support.
Overview
48
48
years of professional experience
30
30
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Adult Lead Worker
Trident Group
Birmingham, West Midland
2023.06 - 2026.04
- Assist adults with complex needs by providing intensive support in community and accommodation settings.
- Establish trusting professional relationships to foster meaningful engagement.
- Conduct holistic assessments and collaborate in creating personalised support plans.
- Aid individuals facing multiple challenges, including substance misuse and mental health issues.
- Support high-need individuals by meeting intensive support criteria with three or more identified challenges.
- Enable people to achieve greater independence and safety within the community.
- Facilitate improvements in health, wellbeing, financial stability, and community involvement.
- Implement a preventative person-centred approach to decrease reliance on statutory services.
Complex Needs Practitioner (Temporary Contract -6mths)
Aquarius
2024.10 - 2025.03
- Working with Drug and Alcohol misuse clients and Affected others, from the ages of 5 - 25.
- Provided a service to assist others with their drug, alcohol addiction, and health related issues, and experience of working with adults in an addictions, housing or social care setting.
- Engaging people in a variety of interventions, using a person centred approach, empowering them to reduce risk, increase resilience and achieve positive outcomes.
- A core part of my role was working with people to address holistic support needs across all aspects of the person’s substance use and wellbeing. This could include diverse work related to physical and emotional health, meaningful use of time, family and relationships, community engagement and activities, accommodation, physical and emotional health, offending as well as substance use (drug use and / or alcohol use).
- Working with our multidisciplinary teams across the organisation, to help empower you to provide quality psychosocial interventions to our diverse client groups.
- Also liaising with voluntary and statutory agencies and health professionals and engaging effectively with clients in a variety of settings is.
- Specialised in mental health, alcohol, drugs and other related areas, such as gambling.
Housing Support Worker
Nacro Cas2
2024.08 - 2024.09
- Supporting prison leavers who are on curfew back into the community to live an independent crime free life and placed into temporary accommodation with support.
- Developing individual care and safety plans and working in a professional manner.
- I provided a service that makes a real difference to people’s lives, whilst supporting them individually with applying for benefits, registering for general needs housing, making rent payments, addressing life skills, whilst ensuring that each property meets the Decent Homes Standards and also dealing with maintenance issues as and when they arise.
- Multi agency working with alternative Housing Providers, Probation Services, Court staff and any other agencies that are involved with the individual service user.
- Bereavement- loss of my twin
Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA)
Black Country Women’s Aid (BCWA)
2023.10 - 2024.07
- I provided a high quality frontline domestic abuse support service to those at high risk of harm. IDVAs support victims of domestic abuse to assess level of risk, inform victims of their options and develop tailored safety plans to protect the victim and their children. I worked within a multi-agency framework to advocate for the victim, including responding and reporting to Multi-agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) on behalf of the victim.
- My role supports the empowerment of victims/survivors, assisting them to recognise the dynamics of domestic abuse present in their own situation through one to one support and group work, to help them regain control of their lives.
- My challenging role as an IDVA requires empathy, compassion, excellent interpersonal and caseload management skills, a client-centred approach and proactive crisis intervention.
- Being an ambassador for BCWA, whilst promoting the values of the organisation and all that it stands for.
Project Worker & Safeguarding Officer
Nacro
2014.01 - 2023.10
- Currently seconded over to LSW Team (covering 1 year maternity leave); managing a caseload of 25 service users and providing a floating support service. Also managing a weekly caseload of referrals.
- Managing a support service of 7 - 10 service users a week from ex-offenders, being responsible for providing for accurate legislative advice on housing options.
- Liaising with external and multi-agencies and attending meetings on a regular basis.
- Income Management; ASB; Court Action; Safeguarding and any other ad hoc duties as and when necessary.
- Worked within set policies and procedures, ensuring accuracy of Housing and Support Standards and the Supporting People Quality Assessment Framework (QAF).
- Provided advice on benefits, education, training, volunteering, and employment etc.
- Responsible for taking the lead in Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults within the Housing Management Team.
Project Worker / Estate Manager
Adullam Homes, Hanover Housing
2013.05 - 2013.12
- Oversaw in excess of 20 homeless applications a day from ex-offenders, being responsible for providing for accurate legislative advice on housing options
- Undertook initial assessments from potential homeless applicants and assessed cases for referral
- Liaised with temporary accommodation providers, referring service users to available support facilities
- Built relationships with local councils to ensure homeless applications were followed up on
- Worked within set policies and procedures, ensuring accuracy of Housing and Support Standards and the Supporting People Quality Assessment Framework (QAF)
- Provided advice on benefits, education, training, volunteering, and employment
- Ensured administrative duties were performed to a consistent high level, including maintaining databases and spreadsheets, hitting KPI’s, and monitoring records and applications.
- Carried out interviews and viewings, whilst also assisting in attending court for evictions
- Performed additional TLO duties, ensuring high levels of customer service were maintained.
- Ensured residents’ complaints and queries were resolved, with subsequent databases kept up to date.
- Successfully completed assignments
Supervisor / Team Leader
Housing 21, West Midlands Homebase Care, Anchor Trust, Age Concern and Trident Reach
2009.04 - 2013.04
- Oversaw teams providing support to a range of vulnerable people, including homeless service users.
- Provided homeless support through the liaison with local private landlords and housing associations.
- Monitored caseloads which promoted independent living, ensuring the advancement of accessing further education and tenancy sustainment.
- Liaised with temporary accommodation providers, referring service users to available support facilities.
- Successfully completed assignments
Housing Officer / Project Worker
Accord, NACRO Housing and Family Mosaic
2004.11 - 2009.03
- Promoted tenancy involvement in supported housing mental health projects.
- Assisted tenants in sustaining their tenancies before moving on to permanent accommodation, with the consistent aim of preventing homelessness.
- Responsible for dealing with complaints, maintaining a consistently high level of customer service.
- Sat on assessment panels for both allocations and lettings, overseeing sign-ups to assist in re-housing.
- Monitored petty cash expenditure and dealt with day-to-day maintenance and repair issues.
- Successfully completed assignments
Homelessness Officer
Colchester Borough Council
2000.04 - 2000.09
- Liaised with local temporary accommodation providers for homelessness applicants
- Made Section 184 decisions, utilising knowledge of the Housing Act 1996 and the Homeless Act 2002
- Investigated and made decisions in accordance with current homelessness legislation.
- Conducted relevant enquiries into applicants, updating and monitoring the councils Housing Advice and Homelessness database.
Office Manager
5am Records Ltd
1999.01 - 2000.02
- All aspects of office and business administrative duties for a small record company
Housing / Community Care Officer
Shepherds Bush Housing Association, Ujima Housing Association and Network Housing Association
1991.04 - 1998.12
- Visited clients in their homes, hospitals and sheltered accommodation.
- Assessed their benefit entitlements and completed Housing Benefit and DWP applications on their behalf.
- Sat on the allocations panel, overseeing lettings assessments and visiting clients in their homes regarding their suitability to sign-ups.
- Reported repairs and monitored timescales, including dealing with complaints and anti-social behaviour
- Responsible for resettlement and coordinated aids and adaptations where appropriate.
- Liaised with GP’s, hospital staff, Social Services, Occupational Therapists and safeguarding organisations.
- Successfully completed contracts
Personal Assistant / Administrator
NACRO Housing and Harambee Centre
1978.09 - 1991.03
- Administered both housing and clerical support undertaking training and development in-house
- Managed petty cash and banking whilst monitoring administrative files
- Various roles including placements
Education
BTEC National and BTEC HNC - Housing Studies
NW London College
1992.01 - 1995.01
Supported Housing, CIH, Food Hygiene, CIEH, Health and Safety, CIEH
Middlesex University
London 1996.01 - 1998.01
Foundation Degree Management - Business and Administration
1998.01 - 2002.01
In-house Training / Self-Financed Training
1987.01 - 2008.01
References
Upon request.
Volunteer Experience
Newtown Community Centre, Community worker, 1980-07, 1990-07, Voluntary Work – various organisations
Training
1996 – 2026: Various inhouse training completed over the years with the various organisations I have worked for.
Supporting Statement for Ms Pauline Harding-Binns
- I am an experienced Adult Lead Worker with a strong background in housing advice, floating support, and the delivery of intensive, trauma-informed services to adults with complex and multiple needs. I am currently delivering both community- and accommodation-based support, where I build trusted relationships, complete holistic assessments, and co-produce personalised support plans that are responsive to individual needs and risks.
- I have significant experience supporting individuals experiencing domestic abuse, poor mental health, substance misuse, repeat homelessness, offending histories, and social exclusion. My approach focuses on empowering victims and survivors of domestic abuse to recognise risk, understand the dynamics of abuse, and regain control over their lives. I deliver effective one-to-one interventions and group work to promote recovery, resilience, and sustainable independence.
- My practice is underpinned by a client-centred, strengths-based approach, ensuring individuals feel heard, understood, and respected throughout their journey. I am confident working with high-risk and emotionally complex situations and demonstrate empathy, professionalism, and effective crisis intervention while remaining calm and solution-focused.
- I am highly skilled in multi-agency working and regularly liaise with social services, probation, police, health services, and voluntary sector partners to deliver coordinated and appropriate support. I am confident in advocacy and signposting, ensuring individuals can access specialist services and resources to meet their needs and reduce barriers to engagement.
- I am committed to continuous professional development and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of best practice in trauma-informed and intensive support services. I work collaboratively within a dedicated team, contributing positively to service delivery by creating safer environments, promoting independence, and reducing reliance on statutory interventions.
Timeline
Complex Needs Practitioner (Temporary Contract -6mths)
Aquarius
2024.10 - 2025.03
Housing Support Worker
Nacro Cas2
2024.08 - 2024.09
Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA)
Black Country Women’s Aid (BCWA)
2023.10 - 2024.07
Adult Lead Worker
Trident Group
2023.06 - 2026.04
Project Worker & Safeguarding Officer
Nacro
2014.01 - 2023.10
Project Worker / Estate Manager
Adullam Homes, Hanover Housing
2013.05 - 2013.12
Supervisor / Team Leader
Housing 21, West Midlands Homebase Care, Anchor Trust, Age Concern and Trident Reach
2009.04 - 2013.04
Housing Officer / Project Worker
Accord, NACRO Housing and Family Mosaic
2004.11 - 2009.03
Homelessness Officer
Colchester Borough Council
2000.04 - 2000.09
Office Manager
5am Records Ltd
1999.01 - 2000.02
Foundation Degree Management - Business and Administration
1998.01 - 2002.01
Supported Housing, CIH, Food Hygiene, CIEH, Health and Safety, CIEH
Middlesex University
1996.01 - 1998.01
BTEC National and BTEC HNC - Housing Studies
NW London College
1992.01 - 1995.01
Housing / Community Care Officer
Shepherds Bush Housing Association, Ujima Housing Association and Network Housing Association
1991.04 - 1998.12
In-house Training / Self-Financed Training
1987.01 - 2008.01
Personal Assistant / Administrator
NACRO Housing and Harambee Centre
1978.09 - 1991.03