Senior Home School Project Worker

Chris joined the Red Hen Project team in 2002 having previously worked for 14 years as a Teaching Assistant in a local primary school and 2 years for social care. She was also a parent governor and then a staff governor at the primary school before moving to social care. Chris has lived in the local area for 42 years and raised her 3 children here alone and is now a proud grandparent of 3. Chris is finding being a grandparent much easier than a parent but has experienced the hardship of raising children alone in a sometimes difficult area and uses this experience and understanding in her work with the families.

During her 15 years at the project Chris has seen families grow, move on and have their own children and takes great delight in them coming to see her to update her on their progress. She has also enjoyed seeing the project move from being relatively unknown to being widely recognised as an example of excellent practice and a source of support for a great many families. Chris uses the wealth of her vast experience and local knowledge in her work, and is also the designated safeguarding lead for the project.

Home School Project Worker

Maria joined The Red Hen Project in September 2015, and loves to work with people and listening to their unique stories. She focuses on the individual’s strengths to motivate them to achieve their goals. Maria has one daughter and she finds parenting challenging at times, but says that she learns every day with her daughter and from the families she works with.

As a Portuguese native speaker - she arrived in England in 2002 – Maria has gained valuable insight on how other people from different backgrounds may find it challenging to adapt and settle in to a different culture. From her own personal experience Maria recognises and is more aware of the issues that individuals may face, such as feeling excluded, being discriminated against and feeling powerless.

In 2012, Maria successfully concluded her BA degree in Social Work in 2012 but she is a ‘life-long learner’ always expanding her skills, knowledge and experience to develop professionally and personally.