My Story

Twelve years ago I left my teaching job in order to work with families. I had become interested in what was happening outside the classroom in the lives of the children I taught, particularly those who were  struggling to learn and fully benefit from their time in school.

My work with West Sussex County Council  took me from working with families when problems were just beginning to surface, to working in the social care assessment and intervention team with families whose problems were often generational and embedded, families who were feeling out of control and struggling to like, love and respect each other.

In 2013 I moved back to my original team as a team manager and it was at this point I started to give case supervision and discovered a passion for this way of working. I found that my training in family therapy and the multi agency therapy work I had been involved in impacted the systemic way I now viewed families . I loved encouraging my team but also challenging them to see new perspectives and to question some of their long held beliefs in order to keep what was good but also to leave those ideas that were maybe not so helpful.

In 2017 I left  West Sussex County Council to take some time out and explore future possibilities, which led to me offering case supervision to schools. My concern about the impact on staff wellbeing of working closely with and caring for vulnerable children on a daily basis made me question why staff in schools were not being offered the same level of support I was giving to my team of family workers. I now offer this same experience to school staff, an opportunity to offload, to be listened to, to find new perspectives and challenge thoughts and beliefs.  to be encouraged, supported and helped to develop working practices.

Qualifications

B.Ed. ( Hons)

Systemic practitioner ( Intermediate level)

SDS accreditation in Clinical Supervision ( level 2)

Certificate in reflective practice and pastoral supervision - Institute of pastoral counselling and supervision

Testimonials

 Here are some comments from a recent review of my work in schools;

I’ve been able to explore stresses in a confidential and non-judgemental way

Jane asks questions I know I need to ask myself

It’s an hour to off-load, without interruptions

I feel better when I leave than when I arrived

I don’t have to have a filter, I can say how I feel

I come away with good ideas to put into practice

This has helped keep me in work and well

Gaining a different perspective has helped me in my work

It’s been an arena to try out ideas for the future and express current concerns and difficulties

Our conversations helped ease the pressures and stopped it being a worry

It made me realise I need to keep myself ok to help others

I think I’m better at dealing with the more difficult parts of the job due to emptying the stress bucket regularly

Gilly Barrett, Family Support assistant

I found Jane always very approachable, warm and welcoming. Jane listened to my needs and enabled me to find solutions to any difficulty I had.

Audrey Kiel, Family Support worker

Jane was able to contain my anxieties around the decisions I was making, she helped me move forward with more clarity and confidence.

Allison Smith, Family Support worker

Through my supervision I was able to develop my understanding and improve my practice within my role. Jane helped me define clear roles and enhanced my knowledge. This helped promote my professional development, which in turn generated good outcomes for the families I supported.

Julie Edwards, Family Support worker

Jane’s creative thinking and encouraging approach helped give me the confidence to step outside of my comfort zone to try new approaches and have difficult conversations with sometimes resistant families.