1. Yvonne Blake
(CQSW, DipSW, Cultural Studies (MA) & LLB (Hons))
HCPC Registration No. SW73327 DBS No: 001461684381
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERTISE
Profession
Social Worker
Areas of Expertise
• Drug & Alcohol Abuse
• Teenage Parents
• Child Protection/Safeguarding
• Domestic violence
• Form F Assessments
• Abuse/Neglect
• Kinship Assessments
• Viability Assessments
• Parent/Child Assessments
• Asylum Seekers/Deportation
• Pre-birth assessments and assessments to determine whether
children/young people can be returned to the care of their parents
I undertake independent assessments in a variety of areas and have written
reports for the courts relating to children and parents or other family members.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
I have 26 years of Social Work experience, which includes work with children &
families (child protection, safeguarding, public and private law proceedings),
children with disabilities, adults with learning disabilities, mental health,
drugs/alcohol, domestic abuse and family placement work.
Throughout my career, I have done extensive assessment work, which includes
parenting, Core, Court Statements, Form F Assessments (to assess the suitability
of individuals to foster), Looked after Review and contact reports.
I have good verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to
communicate effectively in a variety of different settings and with a wide range of
people as required. For example, direct work with young people during video
interviews, at strategy, planning and professional meetings, as well as in court.
I am able to work and manage challenging and complex situations, whilst meeting
the multiple needs of clients. For instance, conducting risk assessments, section
47 child protection investigations and obtaining emergency protection orders
evidence this. Throughout undertaking initial, review and CORE Assessments I
am able to plan for on-going treatment, monitor and regularly evaluate cases,
whilst working in partnership with service users in the aim of achieving the
desired outcome. I am able to work under stressful and pressurised situations,
for instance, giving evidence in very complex care proceedings and cope by
having a lot of extra-curricular activities.
Throughout my work I use a variety of techniques; task centred, crisis
intervention, family therapy, empowering and counselling. Feminist and anti-
1

2. oppressive perspectives inform these practices. My main area of expertise is
working with children and families and undertaking parenting and Form F
Assessments, as well as preparing statements for court.
For full details of work history please refer to the attached Appendix.
REPORTS
I have prepared a number of court reports for the family courts from 1997-
2005. I have recently started doing some work via Core Assets on behalf of
CAFCASS, which involves preparing court reports in Private Law cases. These
reports have covered the following areas:
• Public Law assessments of children and adults
• Private Law assessments of children and adults
I have also undertaken Form F Assessment work for Foster Care Associates and
other Independent Fostering Agencies.
QUALIFICATIONS, TRAINING & RESEARCH
Qualifications
• DipSW/CQSW
• MA Cultural Studies (Policy/Women’s Studies)
• LLB (Hons)
• European Community Driving Licence Certificate
Training
• FCA Carer Conference (with the theme of Safer Caring)
• Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
• CRB/Risk Assessment Workshop
• FCA Form F Assessment Training
• Solution Focused Brief Therapy
• Train the Trainers: Delivering the Skills to Foster
• Health & Safety Awareness Course
• Supervision for Family Placement Managers
• Separated Parents Information Programme
• Bereavement & Loss in Children & Young People
• KDA Implementation
• FCA Panel Workshop
• 2 days MAPA Training
• Supervision Training
• Understanding Autistic Spectrum Disorders
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3. • Workshop for Practice Educators: Group Work
• Legislation, Regulation & Standards Training
• Advanced Assessment Skills Workshop
• How Safe in Practice Course
• Mandatory Safeguarding
• Leading & Developing High Performance Programme
• Identifying Risks to Assessment
• Practice Educator Professional Standards for SW
• Equality, Diversity & Rights
• Brain Development Training
• Delegated Authority Workshop
• Safer, Stronger Families Regional Awareness Briefing
• Corporate Risk Workshop
• Supporting people with L/D through Nursing and SW
• UKCP Child & Adolescent Conference
• Level 5 Diploma in Management
• Level II Practice Educator
MEMBERSHIPS & PUBLICATIONS
Professional Memberships
• BASW Member - 70073
• HCPC Membership Number SW73327
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
• I hold personal professional indemnity insurance
Appendix
CHRONOLOGICAL WORK HISTORY
14.4.86.11.10.90 Social Worker (Generic) - Family and Community
Services, Sheffield. To advise on a range of social
services for the elderly, children and families and those with
mental and physical disabilities. Provide escort duties.
Undertake assessment of needs and risks. Provide welfare
benefits advice. Liaise with related agencies and services
3

4. for the necessary provision; convene case conferences and
organising and assisting groups within the community.
14.10.90.23.10.92 Equal Opportunities Development Officer - Sheffield
Training and Enterprise Council. Advise Directors and
Senior Managers on how to implement and improve their
Equal Opportunities Policies. Provided training for staff and
management regarding Equal Opportunities. Planning and
facilitating sessions within schools, youth and community
centres. Presentation of research and reports to Managers
of the TEC. Performing outreach duties to the community,
fundraising, finance management and helping to set up
community based organisations.
24.10.92-31.10.94 Financial Advisor - Sun Life Unit Services Ltd,
Sheffield. To advise and sell life policies, investment and
pension policies. Top producer for September 1993.
Attended top achievers conference and monthly top
consultants' dinner parties
1.11.94.6.9.96 Director - Homecare Direct Marketing Ltd - Aizlewood
Business Centre, Sheffield. Maintaining the financial
accounts of the company. Organising meetings and attend
conferences. Conversant in Word 6, Spreadsheets (Excel)
and Databases (Access). Lead and advise on company
strategy, both financially and structurally to cope with
company growth. Telesales and Telemarketing, as well as
direct selling to various outlets.
20.1.97.20.2.1 Social Worker (Children and Families) -
Sheffield/Rotherham Social Services Directorate.
Assessing the needs of children and their families.
Determining the risks to children and young people and
conducting risk assessments, child protection investigations
and obtaining emergency protection orders. Preparing and
presenting case conference reports, section 7, section 37,
schedule 2 and adoption reports and also the range of public
law statements for the Magistrates and Family Courts.
Undertaking research and training for personal and career
development.
20.2.00-18.9.00 Reviewing Officer/Case Conference Chair - Doncaster
Social Services Department (P/T). Chairing of Statutory
Reviews for children, and Case Conferences. Making
Recommendations in respect of future plans for the child
and writing reports.
19.9.00-01.12.00 Social Worker (Children with Disabilities) - Social
Services Directorate (P/T). Conducting Initial
Assessments, and providing a package of care of children
with disabilities and their families.
02.12.00-01.02.01 On Track, Darnall and Tinsley (Sheffield), development
role within a newly created project to examine its
assessment and referral procedures, as well as offering
training.
02.02.01-01.10.01 Social Worker (Children & Families), Sheffield Social
Services.
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5. 12.10.01-02.02.02 Drugs & Alcohol Worker, Rotherham Social Services
and Know The Score, a drug/alcohol misuse project for
under-19s, which involves creating systems for child
protection and drug misuse under the new assessment
guidelines (APIR - Assessment, Planning, Implementation
and Review). I also provide some training in this area, as
well as providing advice, counselling and support in respect
of drug and alcohol abuse for under-19s.
03.02.02-23.05.02 Social Worker, Asylum Team - Sheffield Housing
Services. Conducting initial assessments and providing
family support for children and families who were seeking
asylum due to difficulties in the country of their birth.
26.05.02-05.11.04 Social Worker (Children and Families), Sheffield Social
Services Directorate (part-time)
01.10.02-22.08.03 Social Worker, Family Crisis Response Team,
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (part-time).
To prevent family breakdown by offering practical support
and advice to young people and their parents.
19.08.03-31.12.03 Social Worker (Children and Families), Oakmead
Social Services Department, Kirklees Metropolitan
Council (part-time)
06.01.04-22.07.05 Social Worker (Family Placement Service), Rotherham
Metropolitan Borough Council (part-time) - via
Reliance Care, Sheffield
02.06.05–Present Independent Form F Assessor Work (On-going)
23.07.05–08.05.07Senior Practitioner, NCH Community Placement
Sheffield (Part-time)
17.01.05-01.03.10 Senior Supervising Social Worker, Foster Care
Associates, Sheffield (Part-time & Full-time)
01.08.08–09.12.13 Residential Social Worker, SSA/Reed Social Care
(Agency – Part-time)
March 2010-
Aug’ 2013 Assessment Manager, FCA. Undertake Form F
Assessments, recruit Form F Assessors, provide training
and ensure that good quality assessments are presented to
the Fostering Panel. Undertake reviews for foster carers
and preparation training for prospective foster carers.
June 2010-May 2012 Independent Panel Member – Leeds City Council
Sept’ 2011-Present Independent Practice Educator (Sheffield Hallam
University) – support and supervise social work students;
support them in putting theory into practice.
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6. Jan’ 2013-Present Independent Practice Educator (University of
Sheffield) - support and supervise social work students;
support them in putting theory into practice.
August 2013-Nov’14 Service Manager, FCA Independent Assessment
Service (National Role) – Supervise and support Form F
assessors to undertake good quality Form F Assessments;
undertake foster carer reviews, provide training and
inductions for independent social workers.
Dec’ 14 – April 2015 Locum Team Manager, Sunbeam Fostering Agency
(via Liquid Personnel) – manage a team of social
workers and an administrator. Provide supervision and
support; training for foster carers, staff and undertake
reviews of foster carers.
References Provided on Request
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7. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
In my former position, I was a team manager for a fostering agency and
managed 3 social work staff and an administrator. I continued to do
independent work and assessed the suitability of prospective foster carers,
present the completed Form F assessment to a Foster Panel, supervise and
support foster carers. I have assisted in running the Skills to Foster
Preparation training with colleagues and attended a number of training
courses relating to looked after children. I have an excellent understanding
and working knowledge of child protection practices and issues, which is
obviously and integral part of my work with children and young people.
I have also worked as an Assessment and Panel manager in a larger
fostering agency. The role was pivotal in helping the Agency to increase the
number of carer households and required the management and overseeing
of all recruitment processes, ensuring that performance targets were met with
regard to the stages from Enquiry to Initial visit, allocation to form F
assessors and presentation at the Fostering Panel. I also offered a mid-point
assessment meeting to assessors and quality assured the completed
Assessment.
I worked for the Family Placement Services in Rotherham from January 2005
to July 2006. The work involved supporting and supervising foster carers,
and undertaking regular supervision visits. I understand that my first
responsibility is to the child in placement, as their welfare is paramount and I
have to ensure that their child development needs are being met
appropriately. I attended Statutory Reviews and completed annual Reviews
with foster carers. The supervision visit is an opportunity for concerns and
issues to be raised, identification of career development and training needs,
health and safety issues and other relevant areas. I participated in the duty
service in the office, and would be happy to participate in an out of hours'
service. I also helped to run a Foster Care Support Group, which met once a
month on a Tuesday evening. I conducted a number of initial visits and
undertook second opinion visits. I have also dealt with complaints by foster
carers and allegations made by children and young people in respect of their
carers.
I have also worked part-time for the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough
Council in the Family Crisis Response Team. Its purpose is to provide
support to the Department’s Children and Families Service by implementing
comprehensive, responsible, flexible and preventative initiatives throughout
the Borough with young people and their families at acute risk of family
breakdown. This is a Child in Need Service where there is a child or young
person aged 8 to 18 years of age. The team provides a crisis response
service to all children and their families in Rotherham outside of office hours
including weekends and statutory holidays in accordance with the
requirements of relevant legislation, and Council and Programme Area
procedures.
I have good verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to
communicate effectively in a variety of different settings and with a wide
range of people as required. For example, direct work with young people
7

8. during video interviews, at strategy, planning and professional meetings, and
as well as in court. I worked as a Reviewing Officer at Doncaster
Metropolitan Borough Council and chaired Statutory Reviews and Child
Protection Case Conferences. I have also chaired CORE Group and Child in
Need meetings. My written skills are excellent, and have written a number of
court reports and statements. Some of my work has been used as examples
of good practice for other social workers. I have facilitated training for staff in
Rotherham on how to complete Initial and CORE Assessments, which the
staff benefited from and I found very rewarding. I have also done some Form
F Assessments for prospective adopters on behalf of Barnsley Fostering and
Adoption Agency.
I believe I am very able to work and manage challenging and complex
situations, whilst meeting the multiple needs of the service users. My
conducting risk assessments, section 47 child protection investigations and
obtaining emergency protection orders evidence this. Throughout
undertaking initial, review and CORE Assessments I was able to plan for on-
going treatment monitor and regularly evaluate cases, whilst working in
partnership with service users in the aim of achieving the desired outcome.
The nature of social work means that I am continually working under stressful
and pressurised situations, for instance, having to give evidence in very
complex care proceedings, dealing with complaints and investigations in
relation to foster carers. I cope by having a lot of extra-curricular activities,
and offer and gain much support from colleagues and my line manager.
Working in partnership with young people and their caregivers is my key
objective. I have had caseloads that dealt with non-attendance at school,
offending behaviour, substance misuse, teenage pregnancies; a parent’s
inability to provide boundaries for their children at home. This meant working
in close partnership with parents, schools, the voluntary sector, health
workers, the police and the courts. I have had very good relationships with
the Children's Guardians and solicitors/barristers in Care Proceedings and
work closely to ensure the best outcome for children and their families.
Through the constant use and reference to research, theory and colleagues, I
am able to process and analyse what service users present, and often their
underlying difficulties with the purpose of anticipating future needs and risks.
I have the ability to ensure that my administrative casework is kept up to date
and type and maintain my own file reports. I have good computing skills, in
particular, word-processing, databases and spreadsheets, and have my own
computer at home. I completed the European Computer Driving Licence
course in June 2004. Equally, I have developed a wealth of experience in the
preparation and presentation of case conference reports, section 7, 37,
schedule 2, fostering and adoption reports and also the range of public and
private law statements as required. As an Independent Reviewing Officer, I
also demonstrated my ability to contribute to the development and
maintenance of quality assurance measures in respect of children and young
people looked after in the care system; as well foster carers.
I feel that my listening and reflective skills are effective and I work towards
the aim of enabling; promoting protection, harm reduction, empowering both
young people, their carers and parents, whilst remaining child focused. This
is evidenced in my previous work with children disclosing abuse,
8

9. stranger/danger work, life story, working with parents and teenagers who
misuse substances, homelessness, offending behaviour, safe sex and HIV. I
have also had the opportunity to work for a Drug and Alcohol Project in
Rotherham for under-19 year olds. I had to conduct assessments,
counselling, undertake drug testing and work closely with families to enable
rehabilitation. Throughout my work I use a variety of techniques; task
centred, crisis intervention, family therapy, empowering and counselling.
Feminist and anti-oppressive perspectives inform these practices.
As a black female, I understand that I have suffered oppression, and I am
aware of the oppressive regime young black people are living in. I am an
African-Caribbean employee I work for an organisation, which is
institutionally racist. I strive hard to practise anti-oppressive thinking
regardless of situations and peoples' circumstances. This is very much
exemplified in my work with foster carers and looked after children.
Throughout supervision I am afforded the opportunity to reflect upon my
work. I am able to respond effectively to constructive criticism. I enjoy being
part of a team, and believe I offer support, enthusiasm and humour to my
team members.
I am highly motivated, think imaginatively, able to use my own initiative and
work effectively as part of a team. I am dedicated to developing and
delivering services for children and their families. This is evidenced by the
fact that I carry my own caseload, and have to plan my workload on a daily
and weekly basis.
I believe that my current and previous work experiences have provided me
with transferable skills to undertake a variety of roles in social work. I have
worked in a range of residential settings, which have primarily been with
children and young people. I have limited experience of working with people
with mental health problems, although some of the fostered children I have
worked with have parents with mental health issues. As a social worker I
have had involvement with young offenders in a secure unit and the
community, as well as children with physical care needs, that are hygiene
and basic care needs. As a residential worker, I have been a key worker,
and involved with case assessment individual care programmes. I have also
supported young people with semi-independent and independent living. This
involved budgeting, paying bills, cleaning, ironing and so on.
I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss my suitability for a locum
position, as I believe with my skills and experience; I would be an asset to
your Agency.
9

10. stranger/danger work, life story, working with parents and teenagers who
misuse substances, homelessness, offending behaviour, safe sex and HIV. I
have also had the opportunity to work for a Drug and Alcohol Project in
Rotherham for under-19 year olds. I had to conduct assessments,
counselling, undertake drug testing and work closely with families to enable
rehabilitation. Throughout my work I use a variety of techniques; task
centred, crisis intervention, family therapy, empowering and counselling.
Feminist and anti-oppressive perspectives inform these practices.
As a black female, I understand that I have suffered oppression, and I am
aware of the oppressive regime young black people are living in. I am an
African-Caribbean employee I work for an organisation, which is
institutionally racist. I strive hard to practise anti-oppressive thinking
regardless of situations and peoples' circumstances. This is very much
exemplified in my work with foster carers and looked after children.
Throughout supervision I am afforded the opportunity to reflect upon my
work. I am able to respond effectively to constructive criticism. I enjoy being
part of a team, and believe I offer support, enthusiasm and humour to my
team members.
I am highly motivated, think imaginatively, able to use my own initiative and
work effectively as part of a team. I am dedicated to developing and
delivering services for children and their families. This is evidenced by the
fact that I carry my own caseload, and have to plan my workload on a daily
and weekly basis.
I believe that my current and previous work experiences have provided me
with transferable skills to undertake a variety of roles in social work. I have
worked in a range of residential settings, which have primarily been with
children and young people. I have limited experience of working with people
with mental health problems, although some of the fostered children I have
worked with have parents with mental health issues. As a social worker I
have had involvement with young offenders in a secure unit and the
community, as well as children with physical care needs, that are hygiene
and basic care needs. As a residential worker, I have been a key worker,
and involved with case assessment individual care programmes. I have also
supported young people with semi-independent and independent living. This
involved budgeting, paying bills, cleaning, ironing and so on.
I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss my suitability for a locum
position, as I believe with my skills and experience; I would be an asset to
your Agency.
9