Sarah Holmes

I currently work as the Manager of a kennels / cattery where I am required to maintain the daily life of all animals which are resident. I am in daily contact with customers which allows me to display my exemplary customer skills. I am meticulous in keeping all areas of the kennels clean adhering to Health and Safety and COSHH guidelines which prevents the spread of disease. I am required to keep the the database up to date and ensure bookings are made and recorded in he correct manner. My role includes the care of animals ensuring they receive the requisite amount of attention and exercise and correct diet.

I am used to working as a team and work effectively with people, I have worked with vulnerable and complex young people in a hospital setting as part of my previous role, providing 1-1 support and delivering to groups. Supporting young people to have their voice and empowering them to take control of their lives, understanding their rights, identifying their goals and helping them with support plans. The young people I worked with were often detained in a mental health hospital and part of my role was to understand their learnt experiences and help them understand and develop their own care & treatment. I have extensive experience working with young people having worked in this setting from 2016 to 2023 and was shortlisted for The National Advocacy awards for our work with young people’s advocacy. I am a part of Article 39 – Movement for change which is a charity which fights for the rights for children.

In my role as an Independent Advocate we were required to keep our safeguarding training updated yearly and I have reported safeguarding alerts for children and adults alike adhering to the company policies.

My role as an advocate required me to liaise with many different professionals such as Consultants, Social Workers, Housing Officers, Mental Health Charities, Solicitors, CQC and many more.

I am highly motivated and passionate about equality and young people being listened to, empowered and promoting confidence and independence, lifting young people up and enabling them to see the positives and helping them to gain the skills needed to flourish.

In addition to this I am a mum to a daughter with Autism and mental health, I support my daughter to live her best life, she is living independently with minimal support, I attend appointments and assessments with her and support her in some tasks she finds difficult while encouraging her to be brave and feel empowered.

I am used to having a case load and working to deadlines, and adhering to data protection.

During my time as a project worker with Voiceability, I ran groups for young people aged 16-25 promoting independence and work skills as well as Independent travel training. I also did a project with aiming high giving 1-1 respite time for young people with autism, planning and taking the young people on activities such as laser quest, bowling, cinema and bike riding, these sessions were led by what the young people wanted to do. I also led holiday clubs taking a mini bus of young children with complex needs for day trips

Throughout my professional and person life I have had to be resilient through tough challenges while staying calm, link and refer to external agencies, building good working relationships.

Working with complex and often challenging young people I have had to adapt a flexible and creative approach, acknowledging the different needs of young people. Some of which can be very emotionally charged and requires me to adapt quickly in order to continue to engage with them. The young people can come from many different socio-economic backgrounds and I understand that a person’s past does not have to define their present or future and that any discussions which take place are without prejudice and help the person to achieve their individual goals.

I have learnt a lot during my time working with young people and appreciate that individual needs need an adaptive approach whist always reflecting on my practice. I know that supporting young people often means a “one size fits all” approach does not always work and that my work will adapt to suit any given situation. This may mean staying late or starting early and working to the needs of the service to ensure goals are met.

Lastly I relish a challenge, I am hard working and committed, and not easily put off.

• I absolutely love all animals and anything animal related. I have many rescue animals that keep me busy including, horses, a donkey, 2 goats, pigs, chickens and ducks as well as a dog and 3 cats and also 2 turtles. I enjoy going out and doing activities such as eating out, shopping, bowling, cinema and holidays and love a good film night.