I was latterly the Principal Policy & Practice Officer (Disabilities) for the national child-care charity Barnardos.  Following qualification in social work in 1977, I worked for almost twenty years in social work practice and management, before embarking on a career in Welfare Law in a small private law firm.  Following a two year period working in a northern local authority as a generic social worker in the later 1970s, I moved to Barnardos first as a senior social worker, then as manager of a specialist social work team responsible for service development to families with a disabled child.  In this period, I was accountable for all matters relating to the professional actions of staff under my management, and was responsible for the Health and Safety function in that team.  In 1986, I was a founder-director of Independent Living, Keighley, Ltd., an innovative housing and social care programme for young disabled adults, devised in conjunction with the North British Housing Association.

From 1991 to 1994, I held the lead responsibility for Barnardos in monitoring and developing local services, a role which included regular discussions with government and major voluntary organisations.  Amongst other responsibilities, I was involved in revising and updating Policy and Procedure manuals for care staff working in a variety of settings, and with various client groups including those with "challenging behaviour"

During my lengthy period in social work practice, I lectured in the United States, and was a contributing author to a number of publications on a variety of social policy issues, primarily relating to childhood disability, and the responsibilities of local authorities and needs of families with a disabled child.  I was the author of Childhood Disability & Legislation (1994), published by Barnardos. I have been a contributing author to a number of publications, on topics as diverse as Health and Safety at Work (Croner Publications) and the role of voluntary organisations in welfare services (Association of Metropolitan Authorities).  I continue to publish in academic journals on an occasional basis, most recently, (Spring 2005) the Journal of Education Law,, (Spring 2006) Elderly Client Adviser, and (Spring 2007) Education, Public Law, and the Individual.

I now work as a freelance consultant, and independent social work adviser, involving assessment of individuals, and analysis of social services department performance.  I am instructed by a number of leading law firms in relation to a range of matters concerning disabled children, adults with disability, and on issues concerning the abuse both of children in the care system and disabled adults in residential provision. I am also instructed on matters where dispute resolution is regarded as the most appropriate way of managing complex issues. My work in litigation frequently involves applications to the High Court and Court of Appeal on a range of community care and education issues, some of this work being reported in The Times, Education Law Reports and Community Care Law Reports. 

I am a graduate of the Universities of Bradford and Manchester, and hold a higher degree in Social Policy & the Organisation of Welfare.  I also hold a post-graduate Diploma in Education Law from the University of Buckingham Law School.  I am a member of the British Association of Social Workers, and a member of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses.  I am a social worker registered with the General Social Care Council (registration number 1141364)