Currently delivering Restorative Practice in groups and on a one-to-one basis for the London Community Rehabilitation Company. Joanne describes living, working and her passion for striving to understand and tackle the source of people’s problems as part of her DNA. She constantly endeavours to enable people to become their greater selves; to unearth and release potential which may have been left untapped, dormant for years or fractured/stuck as a result of trauma. This has been most visible in her flagship programme “Dare To Be Different.”
Joanne acknowledges strength in unity and uses this positively in her work philosophy and her general strategy for living. To this, she added personal-self responsibility and clear boundaries to create safety for all.
Her working history includes Women’s Aid in Bristol and youth working in a range of centres in London and Bristol. She still meets former members who speak of the encouragement she provided during their critical years. Joanne amassed over 26 years of service within London’s Probation Service, working in a range of settings including one-to-one in the community and in HMP Brixton with high and very high-risk prisoners; group work, practice teaching, NVQ Assessing, trainer, course/programme developer and as a Restorative Justice practitioner. She was the only probation officer to secure a role of restorative justice assessor for the Restorative Justice Council.
One of the first appointed Treatment Managers in 2002, she worked in an Offending Behaviour Programmes Unit in a borough with a high combination of mental health issues, prolific and serious offenders for 10 years. Part of her brief included ensuring accredited programmes were delivered to the programme designers’ specification, whilst simultaneously developing facilitators’ practice. When necessary, she acted as an intermediary between facilitators and participants. She also regularly delivered workshops to assist practitioners’ development.
Her passion for working with diversity resulted in Joanne generating an excellent reputation for her working style within and outside of the Probation Service. This influenced changes within practitioners and service users individually and in groups
Joanne achieved Chartered Membership status within the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in 2006. She gained an MSc in Race and Ethnic Studies from Bristol University in 1991, immediately after completing the Social Work Certificate as part of an Honours degree in 1989 at Plymouth University. Since then she has completed numerous courses in social welfare and business studies; coaching and counselling including trauma-based practices.