Graeme has been working with children and young people in social care for the past 23 years. Graeme started his career as volunteer in a school for young people with ASC in Scotland before going on to run a charity at the University of Edinburgh, which provided weekly relief and respite for young people from disadvantaged and under-resourced areas in the city.
After graduating, he spent a year in Canada before returning to the UK where he worked with young adults who had been made homeless and supported them in gaining qualifications and employment whilst living in supported accommodation.
He then spent 10 years working and running children’s homes in a therapeutic community in the Cotswolds where he undertook training in psychodynamic theory and how to apply this to the work he did with the young people. He then worked for a local authority residential special school as Head of Care and achieved Outstanding for their care.
Graeme has run a number of services for young people from small to large children’s homes, schools (including residential special schools), fostering agencies and adult homes for young people with Emotional, Social and behavioral difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Condition and learning difficulties (including profound and multiple learning difficulties and associated conditions). For the past 17 years Graeme has also volunteered for a charity called the Newman Trust where he runs a holiday for children and young people with special needs and this has consistently achieved ‘Outstanding’ from the Care inspectorate in Scotland. Having worked in England, Scotland and Wales, Graeme has an excellent understanding of all 3 regulatory bodies and subsequent legislation.
Graeme has worked for large charities, local authorities and the private sector and all services that he has run have achieved a grading of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ (or the equivalent of, dependent on the regulators grading system). As well as running a number of different, and varying, services Graeme has also worked with FE colleges in the capacity of Governor and held an advisory position for an Educational Trust in the Cotswolds.
He has also been a member of the Learning and Disability Advisory Group, which advises the Welsh Assembly on policy and best practice in Wales. He strongly believes in every child and young person being given the best opportunities in life, no matter where their starting point was and by doing so, we are in a privileged position to be able to be part of the lives of these young people.
