Engage & Educate
CASE-UK
07999987985
CV
Colleen Allen Educational Specialist
Independent Educational specialist
January 2017 - current
Freelance Educational Specialist
Fresh Start Education April 17 - present
M. 07999987985
Employment History - Summary July 2017
Independent Professional Celebrant
Fellowship of Professional Celebrants
www.hertfordshirecelebrant.com
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017
Team Manager Family Safeguarding Service (Safeguarding & Specialist Services)
Hertfordshire County Council - Children's Services
December 2013 – October 2015
I Managed a team of Qualified Social Workers and Family Safeguarding Practitioners in the delivery of specialized services - Impact on children focused interventions including; Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Substance Misuse, Adult Behaviours, Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, CLA, RGB and Basic Care- to families with a child/ren subject to a Child Protection Plan and towards diversion from proceedings where possible / in line with PLO.
Working with Locality & Assessment teams, multi-agency teams (safeguarding midwife / police / school / GP'S/ CAMHS, Probation/ CMHT/ LADO /MARAC etc.) Responsible for managing staff, supporting ASYE and Academy students, supervision, attending ICPC / RCPC/ Legal Planning and managing threshold for referrals, allocating case-loads, case auditing, carrying out PDP, PMDS, providing data/statistics for senior managers and reporting / training as required.
Currently along normal duties managing change in service via consultation, 1-1's, skills audit, staff well-being and interface between project (change) team and stabilising service during wind down, prior to restructure. I have also designed leaflets for the Hertfordshire Parenting Assessment Team- literature for Court and for the Family Safeguarding Service.
Specialist Family Support Practitioner
Action for Children
June 2013 – November 2013
Houghton Regis
Key Responsibilities
• Responding to the needs of children & young people experiencing significant difficulties; Child in Need (CIN), Child Protection (CP) & Looked After Children (LAC)
• Liaising with social workers, schools, agencies, professionals, families, carers
• Managing a caseload, writing assessments, service delivery plan & delivering sessions in line with the needs identified by the project/statutory organisations
• Provide a structured service/intervention with children, young people & or their parent/carers that enables a safe place for therapeutic activities, confidential dialogue (in line with safeguarding) & identifies immediate & long term needs; 'Wishes & Feelings' and Protective Behaviours along with other strategic activities
• To respond to the CAF (Common Assessment/Core Assessment or other assessment provided at referral, to make child protection referrals where a disclosure is made and follow up in all cases with the lead professional.
• To write extensive reports for each case, monitor all activity in a robust manner and attend supervision regularly to track progress. Attend & feed in to all meetings as required during the CP process/CIN Process and other meetings as required, attend staff meetings & appraisals
Specialist (Therapeutic Arts) Family & Children Support Practitioner
The Knights Templar Academy
April 2009 – August 2012
Key Responsibilities
• Responding to the needs of children & young people and their parent/carers experiencing social, physical, emotional, behavioural, economic difficulties, either within the home or/& school - EI, Child in Need (CIN) and Child Protection (CP)
• Writing a CAF (Common Assessment Framework) for children/parent/carers as required and acting as lead professional during the process
• Working with 8 schools across North Hertfordshire as part of the extended schools consortium and responsible to the hub school (Knights Templar)
• Writing extensive reports as required to feed into the overall plan for the individual child or family, complete entries into the bespoke database system for the consortia
• Providing therapeutic art sessions, Protective Behaviour, Wishes and Feelings on a one to one / small group basis to children/young people with specific needs, including: grief/loss/abuse/mental health/ASD/ADHD/Selective Mutes/Anorexia Nervosa/ etc.
General Manager- Multicultural Centre
Including The Unity Centre –Multi-lingual Unity Childcare Centre, Multi-lingual Roma Support Centre and Roma Dance Group, Halal Café and The Welcome Centre (school for Asyum seeking/unaccompanied children)
May 2005 – January 2009
Key Responsibilities
• Provide overall management of a large Multicultural Centre, Room Hire, Cultural activities, a bilingual Childcare Centre, Roma Support Centre and Halal Café
• Develop all training, fundraising, community learning and responsive culturally and faith sensitive group development
• Manage a budget of £300,000 per year and 300 people using the building daily.
• Manage a staff of 20, provide supervision, staff development and disciplinary
• Provide and update Equal Opportunity policies/Anti Discriminatory practice and monitor the needs of new communities and their specific holistic needs
• Respond to a Management Committee -maintaining the work in line with the constitution
• Contribute to business plan, write detailed reports & funding bids, attend meetings & deliver training to the council on the Roma Community. Engaging with 1000 Roma people from Czech Rep, Slovakia & Romania, the Pakistani/Eastern European Migrant Worker communities, Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Other Positions in brief 1996-2005
MANAGER
North Anston Family Learning Centre
September 2002 – April 2005
Rotherham
Workers Education Association
Developed from conception resources for a community facing profound unemployment, ASB, ill health and social exclusion- post mine closures. Including accredited learning, childcare coop, breakfast club, Internet café, Youth Dance, elders clubs, Youth groups- interworking with school (Arts based)
MANAGER- 12 – 16 year old excluded young people
June 1999 – September 2001
Manchester
School Otherwise (commissioned to develop ‘sister’ alternative education provision to SNAP-from conception-within a house/ ‘home’ setting (designed and decorated by young people) with intense holistic support)
MANAGER-School Non Attenders Project. (SNAP) (Developed radical new approach to no school attenders)
Save the Children Fund
June 1996 – May 1999
Manchester
Researched and developed from conception a creative response to young people involved in ‘gangs’ negative street activity, those with mental health issues and vulnerable YP at risk of Child Sexual (and criminal) Exploitation- all excluded or self-withdrawn from school. Set up provision including Art, Graffiti, Music recording, core skills, pastoral, mentoring etc. Developed links with youth, education, health, social care, local business and chief executives including national projects (United Nation Rights of the Child consultation.
Art Lecturer- Young Offenders Male 15-21
Hindley Prison - Bickershaw Greater Manchester
June 1994 – September 1996
Manchester
Education History
Highest qualification Masters Degree
Manchester Polytechnic
Jan 1987 – Jan 1988 ( 1 year 1 month )
Masters Degree Arts Post Graduate
Sheffield Polytechnic
Jan 1983 – Jan 1986 ( 3 years 1 month )
BA Art 2.1
New Oceans
Aug 2011 – Aug 2011 ( 1 month )
Diploma Neuro-Linguistic Programming SEN/Education Diploma
Neuro Linguistic Programming 32 hour course
Publications, Courses & Events
UN Convention Rights of The Child May 2000
Approximate date- I was commissioned by Sae the Children Fund and UNICEF to consult with a group of vulnerable young people and collated their thoughts/delivered sessions after which they spoke at the House of Commons during the consultation prior to ratification of the UN Convention Rights of the Child
The Sociology of Deviance-Sociologìa de la Desviación: un Obituario Dec 2012
A Book Cover Illustration I was commissioned for - Author Prof. Colin Sumner
http://www.crimetalk.org.uk/shop/e-books/768-sociologia-de-la-desviacion-un-obituario.html
Charlie Baker Ghost Seeker Jan 2011
Commissioned Book cover and illustrations for childrens book - Author-Pat Marshall
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Charlie-Baker-Seeker-Pat-Marshall/dp/0957096704
Personal Interests
Professional artist and published poet, I love to spend time writing and drawing, walking my dogs, listening to music and spending time with significant others visiting new and interesting places.
Additional Information
Recent Course Dates
MAPA License Managing Actual & Potential Aggression 2017
Female Genital Mutilation May 2017
PREVENT Level 2 2017
Safeguarding April 2017
Fellowship of Professional Celebrants 2016
ASYE for Managers - Informal 2014-2015
Sexual Abuse - (Protective Parent) 7/14
Sexual Abuse - (Perpetrator) 12/14
Grooming Process / Signs and behaviours TM - Dev Aug 14
ICS Stage One training 30/01/2014
Managing Individual Perf Lite Bite 03/02/2014
ICS Child Protection 05/02/2014
Safeguarding C&YP in Diverse Communities 11/03/2014
Managing PMDS Lite Bite 24/03/2014
Managing Ill Health Lite Bite 26/03/2014
Managers Forum 02/04/2014
Interviewing Skills 22/04/2014
ICS - Integrated Childrens System - Mand 03/12/2013 06/12/2013
ICS - Integrated Childrens System - Addi 06/12/2013 16/01/2014
Health and Safety Induction 30/12/2014 15/01/2014
A Year in the Life of a Budget Manager - 14/01/2014 16/01/2014
Management of Health and Safety 14/01/2014
Managing PMDS Lite Bite (Mandatory) 15/01/2014
ChildrenFirst Training Programme 17/01/2014
Hertfordshire Induction 22/01/2014
Recruitment & Selection - Safe Recruitme 03/02/2014
ICS Child Looked After 03/02/2014
ICS Child Protection 11/02/2014
Safeguarding for Managers 19/03/2014
Academy Launch 29/09/2014