About
I am founder and director of Unique Connections, a consultancy organisation which exists…
Contributions
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You're facing escalating conflicts among volunteers. How can you prevent them from spiraling out of control?
During some volunteers tensions and conflicts during Covid-19, we learnt the following: - Bring everyone together, listen and feedback what you've heard. This re-humanises everyone. - Honour each person's need to feel safe - and re-establish this as priority #1. No organisation can function effectively without this foundation. - Vision-cast again. Volunteers give up time because they believe in the vision. Remind everyone what it is again, and gather everyone around it. - Give permission for volunteers to step back or out where there isn't alignment. They are volunteering, and they can un-volunteer if it is no longer working. This process allowed us to move forward together again.
Activity
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Yep. This can’t be said often enough. 💓
Yep. This can’t be said often enough. 💓
Shared by Beverley Samways
Experience
Education
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University of Bristol
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Research: The emotional experiences of three teenagers with severe learning disabilities who sometimes self-injured.
My research found that the experiences of the participants were best understood as related to - not just to their immediate environment (behaviourally), nor their internal state (biologically) - but also to their relationships and experiences. Each of the participants found different ways to express their sense of being overwhelmed by their emotional experiences, which…Research: The emotional experiences of three teenagers with severe learning disabilities who sometimes self-injured.
My research found that the experiences of the participants were best understood as related to - not just to their immediate environment (behaviourally), nor their internal state (biologically) - but also to their relationships and experiences. Each of the participants found different ways to express their sense of being overwhelmed by their emotional experiences, which were linked to previous experiences of loss, grief or distressing events.
However, the staff tended to interpret self-injury according to behavioural explanations or explanations linked to the participants' diagnosis (as per their training). The research concludes that trauma-informed and attachment-informed principles need to be embedded into the care of young people with severe learning disabilities who self-injure, in order that we can see and understand the whole person. -
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I conducted two years of weekly psychoanalytic observations of a baby from birth and a year of observations of a child aged four. Observations were presented regularly to a seminar group, and psychoanalytic theory applied.
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ESRC-funded
The thesis was a systematic review comparing attitudes of professionals supporting people with and without learning disabilities who self-harm. -
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The thesis was a small, qualitative research case study with families and professionals supporting young people with severe and profound learning disabilities who self-harmed. The research examined factors influencing why the young people’s self-harm had reduced over time.
Volunteer Experience
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Chair Of The Board Of Trustees
EMBRACE WARWICKSHIRE LTD
- Present 4 years 10 months
Poverty Alleviation
I co-chair Embrace alongside another chair of Trustees. My focus is on operational management, including line management of the project management and support of the volunteer team. I also chair the trustee meetings and ensure good communication with donors, supporters and multi-disciplinary team.
In the last year, we have been working on replicating the work of Embrace in a Birmingham. I have spearheaded the planting and establishing of a new charity there, which we will oversee until it…I co-chair Embrace alongside another chair of Trustees. My focus is on operational management, including line management of the project management and support of the volunteer team. I also chair the trustee meetings and ensure good communication with donors, supporters and multi-disciplinary team.
In the last year, we have been working on replicating the work of Embrace in a Birmingham. I have spearheaded the planting and establishing of a new charity there, which we will oversee until it can form as an independent charity with it's own board. -
Local Authority Board member (Chair since September 2022)
MacIntyre Academies
- Present 4 years 1 month
Education
Contributing to the Local Advisory Board requires me to:
• Think strategically
• Make reasoned decisions
• Work on own initiative
• Critically listen and question
• Analyse and solve problems
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