Cath gained her professional qualification in 1983 and she has substantial experience as a child care social worker. Cath has also practiced as an approved social worker. Cath has taught social work students within Higher Education and is an experienced trainer. She has interests in research and experience of researching the passage of young people through the care system and the social response to the sexual abuse of children. Cath has particular interests in social work education, in many areas of training, the assessment of potential carers, in child protection work and in working with and caring for sexually abused children and young people. She is currently conducting PhD research into the experiences of children living in kinship arrangements. The research includes a specific focus on implications for assessment and on the outcomes for children.
Cherry Blayney BA M.Ed (Educational Psychology)
Cherry is a highly respected psychologist who has been working with children and families for over twenty years. She has worked for both education and social services. Cherry has been involved in complex assessment and court work. She is experienced in therapeutic work with abused children and providing clinical supervision to professionals undertaking assessment and therapeutic work. Cherry provides supervision to Connections partners and associates.
John Ingham BA (Hons) Geography, B.Phil Social Work, CQSW
John has been a qualified Social Worker for over 20 years. He has worked for Local Authorities as a Child Care Practitioner, Team Manager and for 8 years as a Child Protection Coordinator. The latter involved chairing case conferences, acting as a Child Care Consultant, facilitating planning and instructing the Local Authority Solicitor in legal proceedings. He has also been a Guardian ad Litem. He has considerable experience of devising and delivering child care training, especially concerning child protection matters. He has written policy and procedure documents for both the Local Authority and for the voluntary and independent sectors. He has worked as a youth and community worker on a socially deprived estate, been heavily involved in youth offending issues and set up a remand fostering scheme for a youth offending team. He is a qualified mediator and works for a family mediation service. He is currently involved in work with an inter generational abusive network.
Diana Mears SRN
Diana has been a community development worker for 10 years. She has worked in the voluntary sector, education, health and social services. Using this knowledge she works with inter agency groups, bringing together National and local directives regarding issues of social inclusion with a particular focus on:
Provision for isolated young people
Domestic violence
Families on low income
Asylum seekers
Diana offers training in all these areas of practice. Diana applies her experience of systemic family therapy in both clinical and organisational settings.
Christine Munkenbeck
Christine has been working in the field of learning disability for over eight years. She has worked for Mencap as a leisure development officer and latterly as Assistant District Officer. In addition she has worked as a support and care worker at a day centre. Christine has considerable experience of setting up and running successful projects including the 'Get Changed' Theatre Company*. Christine has experience of training having set up packages for volunteers wishing to work in the area of self advocacy. Christine is experienced in the field of effective and meaningful communication for people with learning disabilities using ‘total communication’ (signing, symbols, words, pictures and photographs together).
* The Get Changed Theatre Company is aimed to give young people with learning difficulties a voice and a platform from which to speak out about issues that affect them.