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Catherine of Croydon

Social Work Adults & Children including Independent Visitors

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Edited by Catherine Pestano, Friday, 5 Nov 2021, 17:45

I have held a number of social work frontline and management roles including head of Adult Safeguarding, Assistant Director of a charity for disabled young adults and principal manager (mental health), for a national charity and then for a local authority. I have also taught postgraduate leadership across health and social care as well as more broadly. I am currently authoring on a postgraduate change management leadership module K805. 

A little known part of the Children Act, Independent Visitor services is an area I have volunteered then worked in for many years. I used to co-ordinate a service as part of a local authority team and have a longstanding relationship with two young people for whom I was an IV. Here is a social work/volunteer management focused piece that I wrote for a youth sector publication.  
https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/cypn.2019.7.22 for abstract and link below (full piece).

Articles/chapters:

Pestano, C. (2020) “The role of the Independent Visitor”, Community Care Inform, (2500 words) Online (paywall)

Pestano, C. (2019) “Independent Visitors: Volunteers Help Children In Care” Children and Young People Now, London: MA Education group https://www.cypnow.co.uk/best-practice/article/independent-visitors-volunteers-help-children-in-care 

Pestano, C. and Whatley, E. (2019) Voice of the Child https://www.researchinpractice.org.uk/children/news-views/2019/january/safeguarding-children-the-role-of-the-independent-visitor/

Pestano, C. and Whatley, E. (2017) An Independent Visitor for foster children Foster Talk Magazine (Winter 2017 pp 6-7)    

I can be contacted at Catherine.pestano [at] open.ac.uk



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