What inspired me to join as a National Voices trustee?
I believe in what National Voices stands for and feel that their vision aligns perfectly with my values and core beliefs. I have always sought to be a voice for the voiceless and advocate for others throughout my life. Being a part of the solution is one of the essential attributes that has driven me throughout my career. Becoming a part of the leading coalition of health and social care charities in England is an honour and a privilege.
My current role
I work for Turning Point within the Drugs, Alcohol and Wellbeing Service (DAWS). As a wellbeing and leadership development manager, I was responsible for the designing and ongoing development of the wellbeing strategy across the service for 110 staff across several teams, based on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing model. I am also currently focusing on improving the quality of life for those accessing our services.
I lead the staff leadership programme and play an essential role in the leadership development of employees and communication channels by implementing the DISC methodology and DISC Workplace training into the service across all levels of staff.
DISC is a self-assessment tool that helps you understand why you and others behave in the way you do in the workplace. The four dimensions – Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness – describe the typical behavioural styles of individuals.
The DISC model is based on the work of American psychologist William Moulton Marston and has been used extensively for over 40 years.
Passionate about change
I have lots of experience in influencing culture change. I have been working within the substance misuse sector since 2005 and have provided practical support and treatment for service users experiencing multiple disadvantages for over 13 years. I worked within the prison service for over a decade, supporting incarcerated male prisoners with substance misuse issues.
My integrity and work ethic earned me an achievement of recognition award from the Chief Executive of Phoenix Futures for setting up and getting the Peer Mentoring scheme accredited with an Approved Provider Standards (APS) accreditation. I was presented as a Phoenix People role model to staff in 2013, awarded to ten individuals within the whole organisation. I also received the Inspired by Possibility Award for my outstanding contributions to Turning Point and for demonstrating their values in 2020.