“My professional background is in social care and health which I have been working in for over 30 years. I started as a social worker in 1991 and worked in several service areas including older people, mental health and substance misuse. In 2007 I moved into commissioning and now I work jointly for a local authority and integrated health board leading on the commissioning of mental health and learning disability services.
My personal background has definitely influenced the work I do and my approach to it. In the early 1960s, my parents came to Britain from Nigeria and experienced many of the issues and challenges common to many newly settled migrant communities: poverty, discrimination, and the impact from this on our family life. So, my professional journey into social work and what I do now was inspired by a desire to help support the most vulnerable and least heard in society.
When I was a practising mental health social worker, I gained considerable experience of writing social circumstances reports and attending tribunals. This gave me direct insight into the importance of using my professional curiosity and knowledge to provide clear, good quality reports and verbal evidence to support the Tribunal panel to make the best possible decision in the interests of both the patient and justice. At the point of application, I had been a team manager for a few years, and I hoped that my operational experience would assist me in making a positive contribution to the work of the Mental Health Tribunal.
I considered applying for the position after a senior manager where I was working at the time pointed out the advert to me and suggested that it might be of interest. After reading the advert and finding out further information I applied and felt that if I was successful the role would provide an opportunity to use my existing experience and apply it in a positive way.
When I applied, I remember going through the application form very carefully over a number of days to ensure I had covered all the key points to give appropriate personal and professional examples. The interview process was quite searching, and it was clear they were seeking people with the right balance of professional knowledge, independence of mind and ability to work as a team.
Aside from the initial induction and annual refresher training provided by the Judicial College, I have been able to pick up a lot of ‘on the job’ knowledge from working with fellow Tribunal members and managing different situations during hearings. More recently, I have also had the opportunity to contribute to the training of Tribunal members myself which has been very gratifying.
Being able to use my knowledge and experience in a very practical way that can make a direct impact on someone’s life and their fundamental human rights is something I find extremely fulfilling. I continue to enjoy my role immensely and what has been pleasantly surprising is the increasing diversity of the Tribunal membership I have noticed over the last 20 years or so.
What I find most enjoyable is the sheer variety of the work and doing this together with my colleagues in the Mental Health Tribunal. We are all from different backgrounds and each of us brings something unique to the work that we do.”