• Founder/Director

    Nominated Individual

    Registered Manager

    With over 20 years' experience in the social care sector, Gul has managed a range of services focusing on young people leaving care. Gul has always focused on adding value to the care offered, including setting up an in-house counselling service for the young people, helping them to develop resilience and make sense of some of the trauma they have faced.

    Gul consistently promotes educational opportunities to the young people she has worked with, and when there are none available, she has initiated them herself, including setting up a training café. This helped the young people gain valuable life skills as well as giving them the opportunity to develop real, transferable, employable skills. Gul is creative in her approach and looks for solutions that align with the young person’s personality and prospects, without trying to steer them down a conventional route, as this may not be suitable for all.

    Recently, Gul was Head of HR for a Supported Housing Service. During this time, she had full responsibility for the HR function as well as supporting the business operations. Not only does Gul have a passion for supporting young people in unlocking their true potential, but she also believes that the same should be done for staff.

    Other achievements include implementing a community café at The Galleries of Justice, a Nottingham landmark, which offers learning and employment skills for people with learning difficulties.

    In addition to her valuable work experience, Gul has a solid range of qualifications, including PRINCE2 Project Management, ILM Leadership & Management, Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling & Psychotherapy, and Person-Centred Art Therapy.

    Gul also has extensive experience in running a business and has successfully run her own company alongside her work for the last eight years.

  • Clinical Supervisor

    Freelance Consultant

    Leona possesses over 15 years of experience in the children’s social care sector, spanning statutory, private, and voluntary organisations. Her career has predominantly involved management positions across diverse services for children, young people, and families. These services include interventions for women and children experiencing domestic abuse, community-based parenting assessments, supervised child contact, respite and short breaks for young carers, inclusive activities and advocacy for disabled children, early help and intensive family support, and fostering.

    Prior to becoming self-employed in 2018, Leona served as a Quality Assurance & Safeguarding Manager with an Independent Fostering Agency. She was responsible for overseeing three regions, providing guidance to Registered Managers, and disseminating best practices to Supervising Social Workers to facilitate adherence to the Fostering Service Regulations (2011) and the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services.

    Leona’s professional background includes extensive experience in the education sector, where she served as a practitioner, before advancing into management within children’s social care. Currently, Leona holds a position as a Local Academy Committee Member (Governor) at a primary school within the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust.

    Leona is also appointed as a Responsible Individual, for two private residential family assessment centres, and Independent Regulation 44 Visitor for a children’s home. She serves as a Panel Chair for an Independent Fostering Agency. Leona investigates Stage 2 Children’s Social Care Complaints, and/or chairs Stage 3 Children’s Social Care Complaint Review Panels, for two Local Authorities. She provides independent support, advice, mediation, and advocacy to foster carers who are subject to a complaint, concern, or allegation on behalf of a fostering charity too.