Anna has been working with children, young people and families for 25 years. She has been inspired by the people she has been alongside: people requiring protection from abuse and recovering from trauma; managing challenges such as custody, homelessness and substance misuse; families wanting help to stay together and young people deman
Anna has been working with children, young people and families for 25 years. She has been inspired by the people she has been alongside: people requiring protection from abuse and recovering from trauma; managing challenges such as custody, homelessness and substance misuse; families wanting help to stay together and young people demanding empowerment when that has not been possible.
Anna has been lucky to have a range of roles in the social care sector which range from direct support of children and families to consultation for professionals working with complex situations, to national roles overseeing policy, practice and youth voice. Anna is currently the Service Manager for BCJ and she truly thinks this is the best job she has ever had. It is a place where she can apply her professional understanding to creating systemic change; her long held commitment to righting injustices incurred in early life; and her own experiences of ‘family’ as places in which love is apparent through the presence of solidarity, commitment and generosity.
Born and raised in Brent Appia has been working in the public and voluntary sector for 19 years. She began her career as a recruiter on a youth panel for connexions at the age of 16, giving her views as a young person to then progress to a full-time position as an Employment training advisor , further progressing to become the Youth Inv
Born and raised in Brent Appia has been working in the public and voluntary sector for 19 years. She began her career as a recruiter on a youth panel for connexions at the age of 16, giving her views as a young person to then progress to a full-time position as an Employment training advisor , further progressing to become the Youth Involvement Lead. Appia then spent 5 years working for Her Majesty’s Prison Services where she spent 2 years in a female cat A prison co-ordinating employment and activities for the female offenders to support reducing reoffending on release and monitoring the prisons daily regime. Appia then went onto working in a Cat B prison as a Drugs and Alcohol practitioner supporting male inmates with addiction. She has been with BCJ since the beginning of its existence, initially as a senior project worker, before successfully applying for the role of Lead Project worker – coordinating all operational work to ensure that it is relevant and dynamic for young people in Brent.
Shauntel grew up in brent, she has been working in the public and voluntary sector for 6 years, she began her career working in early years and doing one to one work with new and expecting mums, providing them with support coping with children under the age of 5. Shauntel then went on to working with and supporting children with disabi
Shauntel grew up in brent, she has been working in the public and voluntary sector for 6 years, she began her career working in early years and doing one to one work with new and expecting mums, providing them with support coping with children under the age of 5. Shauntel then went on to working with and supporting children with disabilities within schools, she also works with young people in care, working in semi-independents and doing one to one work with young people. Shauntel joined Barnardo’s a year ago working within schools to deliver strategies, coping techniques for dealing with anxiety, difficult behaviour, and information to parents, she is now our new Senior project worker at BCJ supporting the young people in Brent.
CURRENTLY ON MATERNITY LEAVE
BCJ is an amazing place where young people gain connection through relatable experience. I feel a unity and comfort whilst working here as I had similar experiences. I found this place through a Kickstart Internship with Barnardo’s Innovation Lab. I was shadowing a Service Designer when I met BCJ and I absolutely feel in love and knew I wanted to work here in the future.
There is nothing that brings me more joy than working with BCJ and our young People . Someone once told me “we get two chances at a family - the one we were born into, and the one we create”. BCJ welcomed me as a member of staff and as a young person.
Growing up in Brent witnessing and experiencing first hand the problems and challenges young people face, has made me uniquely driven to make a positive impact for the youth in London. Having felt I had no one to talk to understand or even hear me out I can now be that person to listen, comprehend and inspire the youth to achieve even more then they believe.
I work as the Service Administrator for Brent Care Journeys and provide high quality financial and administrative support within the team.
I enjoy working with BCJ as I get to see, first-hand, the positive changes that occur for the people who collaborate with us. We work hard to do our best for care leavers and young people to reach a
I work as the Service Administrator for Brent Care Journeys and provide high quality financial and administrative support within the team.
I enjoy working with BCJ as I get to see, first-hand, the positive changes that occur for the people who collaborate with us. We work hard to do our best for care leavers and young people to reach a positive destination. The work can be challenging but is ultimately rewarding. Being involved in the process from start to finish helps me to reflect that, whatever your role is within the team, we all make a difference.