Zoe has worked within community and inpatient mental health settings since 2017. In the community, this has involved project managing an out of hours crisis service, a community based one to one support service and peer support services. In inpatient mental health services, this has included managing involvement and co-production projects across CAMHS Tier 4, perinatal, adult eating disorder, adult secure care and learning and disability and autism services across multiple Provider Collaboratives.

Elaine graduated in 1992 with a Sociology Degree and worked in Special Educational Needs in community settings until she completed her PGCE in Post Compulsory Education and Training in 2000.

She worked in both mainstream and Special Education Schools as a teacher until completing an Acupuncture degree in 2015.  She continued to work in Special Educational Needs as a Teaching Assistant and began to develop her own Acupuncture Practice.

At that point her eldest child of 3 started to struggle in school and developed an eating disorder. She required many medical interventions until she was admitted to Tier 4 services.

Seven years later Elaine joins the Family Ambassador team with a wealth of knowledge about Special Educational Needs and the experience of having a child in Tier 4 services.  With extensive experience of the variety of processes involved due to her child having several long-term admissions, Elaine will be able to offer insight, practical advice and knowledge to any parent who needs it.

Sian has worked in administration, as a PA and Private Secretary for board of directors since leaving school at 16.  In 2013 she left full-time employment to focus more on her two children who are both autistic, her eldest spending time in a mental health unit 100 miles away, and her youngest being diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth.

Sian has knowledge of navigating the education system to ensure her children have the best education possible, with her youngest receiving an EHCP and being accepted to a Special Educational Needs School and her eldest successfully passing her GCSE’s, after leaving an impatient admission and not returning to her mainstream setting, passing a college course and now maintaining a full time supervisory role at a Gastro Pub as a Mixologist.

Over the past few years Sian has worked at a mainstream school as a lunchtime supervisor supporting children with SEN alongside assisting TA’s and giving advice to help them in their roles or with their families.

Renate ran her own businesses before taking some time out to focus on her family’s needs when her eldest daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy.  In 2018 she returned to education and retrained as a therapeutic counsellor.

Her youngest daughter started struggling in school during lockdown and was diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2022, requiring medical interventions and admission to a Tier 4 Unit as an inpatient.
Following her inpatient stay she was supported by CAMHS Tier 4 Hospital at Home for Eating Disorder services.  Alongside this she accessed hospital education through her Local Authority and gained her GCSE’s, enabling her to return to full-time education in college.

Renate has lived experience of autism, ADHD, Neurodiversity, substance misuse & addictions and mental health illnesses.

Hilary worked in customer services and then as a Teaching Assistant in mainstream schools supporting children with SEN whilst also caring for her family. In 2021 she gave up work to concentrate on supporting her daughter full time due to her high level of needs. Her daughter had been struggling with her mental health since 2019, and this culminated with an admission to a tier 4 unit in 2021, and another one in 2022. Her daughter received a diagnosis of Autism and ADHD during this time, and with the right support is now studying at college.  This enabled Hilary to start volunteering at Citizens Advice, where she has been helping a wide range of people and has built on her understanding of the benefits system.

Hilary has lived experience of Neurodiversity and mental health illness and knowledge of navigating CAMHS, Education, Health and the Benefits system.