Natalie is a Life skills and Participation Coach within St Christopher’s Fellowship and has been working with them for over 3 years. Previous to this, she worked in Child Protection Services within a Local Authority for nearly 10 years and she was also a respite Foster Carer.
Her current role is to work alongside young people in the Children’s Residential Homes, as they make the transition from care to leaving care services, and co-produce a programme of support that can be used widely to assist young people to feel confident and prepared for moving to a more independent setting. This includes experiential opportunities to practice and have stays in a more independent setting with time for learning and reflection. Future support around life skills can then be tailored to the individual and successes can be celebrated to build on confidence and self-esteem.
Natalie spends time at the homes building relationships with young people and staff; she supports them to confidently co-produce a package of support that enables them to take steps towards independence in a way that feels right for them and leaves the Young Person feeling supported about their future. She also delivers workshops and facilitates training about Social Pedagogy within St Christopher’s and she has a real passion for the approach.