Potted career history

I started nursing at the age of 18 in the Royal Navy and qualified in 1972. During the early days I worked in general hospital settings, becoming a Ward Sister in 1974. In 1977 I qualified as a midwife in Oxford and worked in a Neo-Natal intensive care unit prior to training as a Health Visitor and later a Family Planning Nurse.

I have continued working with children and families in front line operational and senior management roles. These include being a Health Visitor for homeless families and Women’s Refuges, a paediatric liaison health visitor in a busy London Hospital, a Designated Nurse for Child Protection and a manager of an integrated Child Protection Health Team for Croydon PCT – identified as an exemplar for the Children’s NSF. More recently I have worked as the Senior Strategic Safeguarding Children Advisor for NHS London Strategic Health Authority (NHS London).

My continuing professional education has taken me into senior posts which straddle strategy and practice in acute and community health settings. I have undertaken a first degree (BA hons) in inter-professional child protection studies and an inter-professional Master’s degree in Society Violence and Practice. I also studied for an advanced nursing practitioner award in child protection studies in 1999.

Since retiring in December 2010 I have continued working pasrt time as the Senior Strategic Safeguarding Children Advisor for NHS London, and have also undertaken work on an independent consultancy basis.

Multi-agency and strategic experience

I first became a member of Croydon Area Child Protection Committee (latterly the Local Safeguarding Children Board) in 1996. I chaired several LSCB sub‑groups (domestic violence, learning and development, and health strategy) and acted as deputy chair of the main LSCB. More recently I have become a member of the London Safeguarding Children Board supporting the Strategic Health Authority. I also acted as Independent Chair the Safeguarding Children Board for Barnardo’s London, East and South East Region prior to reorganisation of the organisation in April 2011.

As the Senior Strategic Safeguarding Children Advisor for NHS London I have worked closely with colleagues in London Councils, the Government Office for London (prior to its abolition), the NHS Confederation, the Healthcare Commission (now CQC) the Royal College for Paediatrics and Child Health, the Department of Health and the Department for Children Schools and Families (now the Department for Education). I have worked and continue to work as a member of several national, regional and local multiagency groups, undertaking various strategic and operational projects for Health, Social Care and the Metropolitan Police.

Inter-professional practice

Being an inter-professional practitioner is my preferred way of working. I studied with colleagues from the other key agencies for both my post qualifying degrees and have worked with a range of colleagues from statutory voluntary agencies since becoming a midwife in 1977. Making relationships and working with colleagues from other professional backgrounds in various settings is central to my working life.

Contact

Please email any enquiries to safeguarding @ ladbury.biz (remove the spaces either side of the @ sign, which are there to help prevent Spam).