Making a difference  - together!

Lorien Alliance

1. Why do you work with Lorien Alliance
I love the fact that Lorien Alliance is a virtual business, a co-operative structure where self employed individuals who work with people on a one to one or group basis can use as a platform to show what and who they are to the public and other organisations for free. The fact that every member of LA is committed to working with those who are deemed the "hardest to reach "and who are working on a not for profit basis-supporting each other and the community too ! In a harsh financial climate-those of us who work in the "Big Society" can feel shoe horned into target and profit driven contracts or companies. Lorien Alliance lets us be the drivers of our own professional path and work in what we feel is an ethically sound manor.

2. What is your greatest professional achievement and why ?
My career dates back 25 years in the social intervention field. Beginning with Youth work, then Residential Social work, field Social work with most service groups, work with Women's aid, then into Private training organisation/contract management etc. On my CV-most would say that the setting up of DK Lorien (a not for profit organisation upon which Lorien Alliance is based) from an idea, gaining local and then National contracts was number one but for me personally-I think it's how I put together real, meaningful service provision for people which was bespoke and had no eligibility-therefore making support available to everyone, for free and as and how they needed it. I was so frustrated that people could only access advice/counselling etc if they lived in a certain postcode, were on a certain benefit etc. Many said it couldn't be done-but it was done and I'm doing it again !

3.What are your core values ?
Equality, self determination, respect, individuality, honesty ,transparency, genuineness, independence, user led. These are a few that I like to try and live by. I think that all to often, life can have a way of making us forget who we really are. Of believing that we can't-shouldn't or couldn't. I try and make sure that every professional contact I have with another person focuses on their needs and how they might be best met. What are the choices ? where can we find more ? how can we remember who we are and what fantastic potential we all have.

4.Who or what makes you laugh ?
I seem to spend a lot of time laughing-so clearly lots of things do ! I tend to like Comedians like Eddie Izzard, Billy Connolly, Rhod Gilbert and Johnny Vegas. I don't like the "slip on a banana" type comedy or humour though, Frank Spencer made me cry when I was little...

5.How would service users describe you?
I've asked past service users this question and looked back at evaluation sheets to answer
this one. Is that cheating ?? some words and phrases that came up regularly were: understanding, great listener, trustworthy, funny, helped me, dependable, enthusiastic, friendly, intelligent, made me think, solved my problems with me not for me.

6. If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass on to your children, what would it be?
This would be easier if it was what I'd not want to pass on ! but having thought long and hard-I'd say it would be my ability to be imaginative. This can help me solve complex issues, make a lovely meal from a meagre cupboard and try and empathise with others. So it's a good all rounder!!

7.What else do you want to achieve in your work and/or personal life ?
I can honestly say that I'm the happiest I've ever been-both professionally and personally. I have achieved every goal I set myself earlier in my career-I no longer have anything to "prove" to myself or others. What I want to do is more of the same-I want to meet more people who I can learn from and who I may be able to support in a creative and meaningful way. I love challenges-and I'm confident that there will be many more to come.

8. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Well now ! to a degree, I've pushed on regardless most of my life to date. I've always asked myself "why not ?" and then tried to put a plan number 2 (or 52...) in place in case things didn't go according to plan. That said-if this really was a couldn't fail situation, I think I'd travel the world and really live in areas true to each country, getting to know different cultures, ideas, ideologies and theologies.

9. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
It's a bit over used in some ways now-but I believe if you truly think about the phrase and accept it-it can be used in just about every circumstance to help us breath through any event. "This too shall pass".( incidentally, this was attributed to Abraham Lincoln but has been found in ancient manuscripts across many cultures)

10. What makes you who you are ?
Every experience I've ever had-every person I've ever met, every cake I've ever eaten!The nature-nurture argument is one dear to my heart and I'm happy to stand up and say I think I'm a bit of both. I was brought up in a working class family and local community and was the first to go into further education-work out of town etc etc so I blew the nature thing into second place at an early age really...