Rachel Louise Netto
Gibraltar
Summary
Passionate and motivated, I am a dual qualified social worker and therapist with extensive experience in the field, and with a deep understanding of the challenges and complexities surrounding social work. I am highly dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of individuals within our community, by creating a supportive and inclusive environment within Children's services. I am confident that my combination of qualifications, passion, and leadership abilities makes me a highly suitable candidate for this position.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Therapeutic Counsellor
Therapeutic Services, Care Agency, Government of Gibraltar
02.2020 - Current
- Lead Counsellor Role:
- Deputised for the Head of Service during periods of leave, including attendance at Senior Management meetings, updating and preparation of relevant reports/information and responding to Parliament Questions.
- Supervisory Duties of staff members. Currently, this includes providing regular 1:1 supervision and facilitating peer supervision for DARS counsellors, as well as providing ongoing case management oversight.
- Supervisory duties have also included the provision of 1:1 supervision for all therapeutic counsellors and providing management oversight of Team Appraisals for administrative staff.
- Contributed to essential departmental reports including, Budget, Estimates and Governance reports.
- Contributed to the development of a standardised referral process in order to ensure timely allocations and interventions for clients.
- Development and revision of Policies and Procedures for the Therapeutic Service and for DARS, this includes the development and implementation of policies and procedures for the newly established 'Dry House'.
- Development of database and pathway procedures for DARS, for the purpose of promoting effective multi-agency partnership working and communication to ensure the holistic needs of clients are met.
- Gathered, analysed and submitted data for Vienna Convention.
- Analysed and prepared a report in respect of the data around self-discharges from the Residential Service.
- Facilitated and provided management oversight at weekly professional meetings.
- Established effective working practices with the Homes Manager and shift leaders for DARS Residential service on operational matters.
- Involvement in meetings to establish links with NGOs and local charities.
- Review of therapeutic interventions and practices to enhance service delivery and develop new programmes.
- Participated in ongoing evaluation of the therapeutic service and contribute to clinical outcome data.
- Clinical Practice:
- Therapeutic play specialist providing therapeutic interventions for children and young people.
- Provided structured non-directive and directive therapeutic play interventions for children experiencing trauma due to various adverse experiences.
- Facilitated group play therapy sessions with young children presenting with similar needs/issues.
- Provided consultation and advice in relation to child clients to parents and/or carers.
- Facilitated mediation sessions between children and parents to enhance and promote key relationships.
- Delivered a range of Therapeutic Team programmes including the Freedom Programme on a 1:1 basis, the 6-Step Family programme and the Co-parenting programme.
- Facilitated psychoeducational group sessions with DARS Residential clients.
- Assessed elements of risk of harm to client/self/others/property and take action as appropriate as defined by ethical framework and organisational protocol and procedure.
- Maintained confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment.
- Guided clients in developing skills and strategies for dealing with problems.
- Implemented evidence-based therapeutic interventions e.g CBT, to promote positive behavior change.
- Liaised with relevant professionals and advocated for therapy clients, as defined by ethical framework, organisational protocol or as required managerially
- Prepared reports for Court in relation to therapeutic interventions.
- Training and debriefing sessions for Care Worker Staff on matters relating to trauma, attachment, and strategies to ‘repair the trauma’.
- Communicated and worked closely with other counsellors in the therapy team to devise programs and activities based on identified gaps and service needs.
Duty Team Manager
Children’s Services, Care, Government of Gibraltar
01.2017 - 11.2018
- Responsible for allocating cases between the Duty Team
- Responsible for making timely decisions on new referrals, determining appropriate interventions and further action required and
- Providing advice, support and guidance to the Workers on cases open for assessments, short-term interventions, signposting and crisis intervention
- Maintaining policies and procedures and making sure that these are up to date and ‘fit for use’ within the service
- Responsible for chairing strategy meetings
- Fostering close relationships with the Police Safeguarding Unit and other relevant agencies, to ensure that cases where a child is deemed to be at risk of immediate harm are responded to accordingly
- Ensuring that Court documents are written and submitted within defined timeframes and the principles of the Children Act 2009 are adhered to
- Responsible for overseeing the Court Welfare Team and Children with Disabilities cases
- Ensuring that cases are allocated in a timely manner to meet the defined timeframes outlined by the Courts
- Attending Court with the lead Social Worker and give evidence as required
- Offering advice and guidance regarding the assessment of Children with Disabilities and acquiring care packages as identified within these assessments
- Responsible for overseeing the role and workload of the Assistant Social Worker
- Responsible for providing regular supervision for social workers and the assistant social worker
- Quality assurance of assessments and reports, ensuring these are of a high standard
- Ensuring that information systems and service users’ records are effectively maintained to provide up-to-date and accurate information on the basis of which essential decisions about service delivery are made
- Auditing of case files when ready for transfer or closure
- Responsible for ensuring effective communication and partnership working with partner agencies
- Fostering and developing new and current working relationships, in order to facilitate effective service delivery
- Organising and/or attending multi-agency meetings with the relevant professionals, as well as offering regular advice and guidance to professionals as required, particularly in relation to the referral process and on the importance and relevance of sharing vital information when there are concerns for a child.
Qualified Social Worker
Children’s Services, Care Agency, Government of Gibraltar
07.2012 - 12.2016
- Responsible for managing child protection, child in need and ‘looked after’ children cases:
- Undertook assessments of children and young people who were suffering from trauma and abuse
- Built positive working relationships with parents/carers to ensure safety and adequate care of children and young people
- Monitored clients' progress and adapted care plans to meet changing needs
- Undertook direct work with children and young people to gather their wishes and feelings, and provide psychoeducational interventions
- Befriended, advised and supported Care Leavers
- Collaborated with other professionals to plan and coordinate care for clients
- Assisted and advised a young person with regards to LGBT and transgender issues
- Worked within the Duty Team
- Undertook assessments, made informed recommendations with regards to the welfare of children and young people, and referred/signposted children and their families to appropriate services as required
- Offered practical assistance to disadvantaged families
- Liaised with other agencies to provide the necessary support and assistance to children and their families
- Contributed to and Chaired Strategy meetings
- Organised and attended Child Protection Medicals
- Responded effectively to crisis situations
- Undertook Duty Manager Acting duties
- Court work - public and private law
- o Written and oral contributions for Court
- o Prepared, implemented and reviewed Care Plans for children in care
- o Gathered the wishes and views of a child diagnosed with autism with the assistance of the speech and language therapist
- Responsible for own professional development
- o Successfully completed the ‘Freedom Programme’ course - developed a greater understanding of the impact of domestic violence/abuse on children and survivors
Qualified Social Worker
Children In Need Team, Royal Borough Of Windsor And Maidenhead
01.2010 - 06.2012
- Responsible for managing child protection and ‘looked after’ children cases
- Sole working and co-working cases
- Multi-agency partnership working
- Managing challenging service users using best practice guidelines
- Communicating and engaging with parents
- Undertaking direct work with children and young people
- Working with children and families on Child Protection Plans
- Written and Oral contribution at Review Conferences
- Chairing Core Group meetings and updating children’s plans
- Managing Written Agreements
- Participating in Family Group Conferences
- Court work and managing Adoption Cases
- Preparing Court reports, Care Plans and Chronologies
- Written and Oral contribution at Adoption Panels
- Prepared Special Guardianship Reports
- Responsible for own professional development
- Engaging and Participating in Safeguarding Training
- ABE trained
- Contributed to duty rota, demonstrating an ability to respond to crisis and be creative
Qualified Social Worker
Children And Families Team, Derbyshire County Council, Ilkeston
02.2009 - 07.2009
- Responsible for child protection and “child in need” cases
- Worked as part of a team and individually on a variety of cases
- Liaised with Family Resource workers and Family Support workers
- Managed challenging service users using best practice guidelines
- Communicated and engaged with parents
- Worked with children and families on Safeguarding Plans
- Written and Oral contribution at Review Conferences
- Observed family contact sessions and completed write-ups
- Regularly visited children
- Undertook Core group activities
- Updated children’s plans and produced reports
- Organised and chaired meetings
- Involved in extensive multi-agency partnership
- Maintained up to date and accurate case notes
- Completed Core Assessment, requiring research and communication skills
- Prepared section 37 Report
- Developed a Later Life Letter
- Contributed to duty rota
Community Care Worker
Children In Care Service, Derby City Council, Derby
10.2008 - 02.2009
- Managed long-term cases
- Prepared Care Plans
- Organised and attended LAC Reviews, this also included providing written and oral contributions
- Undertook home visits in line with statutory guidelines
- Involved in building and maintaining ongoing multi-agency relationships
- Assisted service users in completing applications (e.g. asylum application)
- Identified foster placements for young people and worked closely with foster carers
- Demonstrated adaptability and flexibility through the role of duty worker
- Knowledge of the Children Act 1989/2004 and Every Child Matters policy
Student Social Worker
Nottingham Youth Offending Team
02.2008 - 07.2008
- Acted as Referral Order Liaison Officer
- Conducted Initial and Risk Assessments
- Prepared and defended Court Reports
- Experience of working closely with volunteers and acting as mediator in community panels
- 1:1 session work with young people using YOT resources
- Managed project focused on raising awareness of parenting programmes in the community
- Developed knowledge of and gained experience in anger management issues, domestic violence, drug dealing, drugs and alcohol, teenage pregnancy, peer pressure, amongst other relevant themes and delivered 1:1 workshops on such issues as part of the requirements of the Court Orders
Student Social Worker
University of Nottingham Day Nursery
07.2007 - 07.2007
- Worked with groups to promote individual growth, development and independence
- Demonstrated the requisite patience and communication skills to deal with young children
- Adhered to values belying ‘Equal Opportunities’ policy and anti-discriminatory practice
Student Social Worker
Alcohol Problems Advisory Service, APAS, Training Scheme
02.2007 - 06.2007
- Responsible for a caseload which involved counselling individuals on a direct basis
- Undertook initial assessments of service users using the drop-in service
- Acquired a strong understanding of all aspects of alcoholism
- Applied ‘motivational interviewing’ skills (Miller and Rollnick, 2002)
Trainee Social Worker
Government Of Gibraltar Training Scheme
09.2002 - 09.2003
- Gained experience of Court Welfare and Child Protection cases
- Implemented the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families
- Engaged with and provided basic care for looked after children and young people
Education
Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy - Play Therapy
Play Therapy UK/Leeds Beckett University
United Kingdom03.2024
Postgraduate Certificate - Therapeutic Play Skills
Play Therapy UK/Leeds Beckett University
United Kingdom01.2020
MA/Postgraduate Diploma - Social Work
University of Nottingham
2008
BSc ECON - Criminology And Social Policy
Cardiff University
Cardiff2006
A-level -
Westside Comprehensive School
Gibraltar2002
Skills
- Family and Friends Assessment Training (RBWM)
- Assessment Skills (RBWM)
- An Introduction to Safeguarding Children - Level 1 (RBWM)
- Managing Meetings (RBWM)
- Joint Investigation Course - ABE (Thames Valley Police)
- Child Sexual Abuse Specialist Level 2 (RBWM)
- The Adoption Process: Getting it right (Berkshire Adoption Advisory Service)
- Legal Training (RBWM Legal Team)
- Specialised Pastoral Arrangements training programme (RBWM)
- Integrated Working Common Assessment Framework in Practice (RBWM)
- Emotional Abuse Specialist Level 2 (RBWM)
- The passionate mind: How people with autism learn (Research in Practice)
- Assessing Neglect (Slough Borough Council)
- Attachment Theory (Reconstruct Training)
- Scales, Tools and Questionnaires (Reconstruct Training)
- Solution Focused Therapy (Reconstruct Training)
- Children and Domestic Abuse Training (Thames Valley Police)
- Triple P Training Basic Primary Care with Accreditation (Passed)
- “Signs of Safety” (Lesley Richardson)
- Child Exploitation Training (Reconstruct Training)
- Equal Opportunities Training (Care Agency)
- Domestic Violence and Young People: Tackling Teenage Relationship Abuse (Public Policy Exchange)
- Emergency First Aid at Work (Heart Starterz)
- Autism Awareness Conference (Autism, West Midlands)
- Understanding Learning Disabilities (British Institute of Learning Disabilities)
- Handling challenging contacts with suicide awareness (Samaritans)
- Reflective Practice Session (Care Agency Multi-agency)
- Freedom Programme (Pat Craven)
- Reflective Practice Session (Care Agency Multi-agency)
- Introduction to Care Proceedings (Gillian Guzman QC)
- Signs of Safety 2 Day Introductory Training
- Signs of Safety 5 Day Advanced Training
- Specialist Child Abuse Investigators Training and Domestic Abuse Awareness
- Reflective Practice Session - Child Sexual Exploitation
- Suicide: A Public Health Risk Partnership working and best practice (Conference)
- Domestic Abuse Matters (RGP) First Responder Training
- Dignity at Work Training
- CBT Essentials (APT)
- Working Safely and Effectively with Sexual Abuse (Mark Naylor, Independent Forensic Nurse Consultant)
- Child Case Consultation, Child Mental Health and Therapy Court Report Writing (Pauline Mahon, Consultant Child Psychotherapist)
- Towards More Analytic Recording (Professor D Shemmings, Expert Consultant in Social Work)
- Skills for Quality Improvement (Clinical Audit Support Centre)
- SA: GDPR HM Gibraltar
- Leadership and Management (Professor D Shemmings, Expert Consultant in Social Work)
- Educational Training week at Change Grow Live Community Rehabilitation Service, Sefton, United Kingdom
Certification
Play Therapy UK/Play Therapy International
Certified in Therapeutic Play Skills 201601449,
Social Work England
Social Worker SW09742
APT Accreditation
Level 2 CBT Essentials (online course)
Additional Information
• Supported disabled adults as they participated in the Gibraltar Special Olympics
• Taught contemporary dance to primary school children in Cardiff
• Participated in a sports activity programme supporting severely disabled children at a Special Needs School
• Participated in a community service programme, visiting an older person in the local community
• Assistant facilitator in Tai Chi class for children diagnosed with ADHD and Autism
PROFICIENT IN BASIC IT SKILLS
- Demonstrated ability to effectively use Microsoft Office programmes, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook, to create and manage documents, spreadsheets, presentations and emails.
- Skilled in conducting internet research and utilising search engines to gather information quickly and efficiently.
- Skilled in using various operating systems and navigating through different software platforms.
- Adaptable and quick to learn new software applications and tools providing me with the ability to effectively utilise different IT programmes as needed.
Timeline
Therapeutic Counsellor
Therapeutic Services, Care Agency, Government of Gibraltar
02.2020 - Current
Duty Team Manager
Children’s Services, Care, Government of Gibraltar
01.2017 - 11.2018
Qualified Social Worker
Children’s Services, Care Agency, Government of Gibraltar
07.2012 - 12.2016
Qualified Social Worker
Children In Need Team, Royal Borough Of Windsor And Maidenhead
01.2010 - 06.2012
Qualified Social Worker
Children And Families Team, Derbyshire County Council, Ilkeston
02.2009 - 07.2009
Community Care Worker
Children In Care Service, Derby City Council, Derby
10.2008 - 02.2009
Student Social Worker
Nottingham Youth Offending Team
02.2008 - 07.2008
Student Social Worker
University of Nottingham Day Nursery
07.2007 - 07.2007
Student Social Worker
Alcohol Problems Advisory Service, APAS, Training Scheme
02.2007 - 06.2007
Trainee Social Worker
Government Of Gibraltar Training Scheme
09.2002 - 09.2003
Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy - Play Therapy
Play Therapy UK/Leeds Beckett University
Postgraduate Certificate - Therapeutic Play Skills
Play Therapy UK/Leeds Beckett University
MA/Postgraduate Diploma - Social Work
University of Nottingham
BSc ECON - Criminology And Social Policy
Cardiff University
A-level -
Westside Comprehensive School
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