Working within Bristol City Council as part of the Drug Strategy Team, Kath is involved in commissioning drug treatment services across Bristol. Kath and her team are responsible for reporting on performance, accounting for public spending and assessing areas of unmet need. With an estimated 7,500 drug users in Bristol the area of work is both challenging and rewarding. Kath is genuinely interested in the effects of crime and drugs on individuals, families and communities and feels fortunate to be working in this field.
Like other members of the GSE team Kath is enthusiastic about travel and following University spent a year visiting South East Asia, Australia and South America. Whilst this was now nine years ago the memories are vivid and the overwhelming friendliness of local people made a lasting impression. Holidays have never been the same since with Greek island hopping, sailing with her parents and skiing with friends.
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| Kath and her husband Russ |
Like other members of the GSE team Kath is enthusiastic about travel and following University spent a year visiting South East Asia, Australia and South America. Whilst this was now nine years ago the memories are vivid and the overwhelming friendliness of local people made a lasting impression. Holidays have never been the same since with Greek island hopping, sailing with her parents and skiing with friends.
At the weekends Kath loves to spend her time at her allotment trying to grow anything edible, socialising with friends and trying out new recipes. Kath is a positive person with a good sense of humour and her enthusiasm is infectious.
Essay Of Intent
Before I launch into an explanation of why I would relish this opportunity I would like to give you a flavour who I am and what makes me tick, on both a personal and professional level. At the age of 31 I am thoroughly enjoying my life. My job is both challenging and rewarding, I love newly married life and have a close group of friends. I am a positive person with a good sense of humour and am cheerful the vast majority of the time.
As I have a genuine interest in the effects of crime and drugs on individuals, families and communities I feel fortunate to be working in this field. Although my role is not front line my work does make a difference to real people, which helps me get through the more bureaucratic aspects of the job. Over the last year I have found myself in particularly challenging situations and have lead on projects which have verged on being unachievable. This has made me stronger and more confident and I certainly thrive on being challenged. I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as ambitious but I take pride in doing a piece of work well and I value my reputation. My commitment at work has earned me positive feedback from senior managers and colleagues within the Council and partner organisations. I have strong interpersonal skills and am friendly and approachable. I take care to treat people as I would like to be treated and find empathy is crucial in all aspects of life.
Personally I feel I am doing well with my career in relation to my age. I work directly with people much higher up the food chain than myself and at meetings I sometimes think I’ll be tapped on the shoulder and asked to leave! I have been quite aware of my lack of vocational qualifications and as such I sometimes feel intimidated by professionals who are experts in their field. This spurred me on to undertake my diploma in management studies which has given me another string to my bow. Self-confidence is an area I am keen to develop and as I push myself I demonstrate that I can make valuable contributions and bring a refreshing perspective to the status quo.
On a personal level I like to make the most of my spare time and can be accused of trying to cram too much into a day. My husband and I have an allotment which is great fun and proving to be quite a commitment, I also love eating out and am becoming more and more passionate about cooking. We have recently experienced a flurry of marriages and now several of our friends are having babies. Whilst having a family is important to me I am currently looking for a slightly different type of adventure, which I feel the Group Study Exchange presents.
Following university I was fortunate enough to spend a year visiting South East Asia, Australia and South America. It was such a wonderful experience and although it was nine years ago the memories are vivid and we regularly reminisce with friends we met along the way. One of the key things I took away from the experience was the overwhelming friendliness of local people we met. It was uplifting to meet people who were so proud of their country and were keen to show us what made it special. Whilst the whole trip wasn’t trouble free I found that to make the most of the experience you had to let your guard down. We had such an amazing time it will be with us forever, holidays have never the same since and we now tend to do things slightly differently.
Studying my profession in another country:
Professionally and personally I would gain a great deal from the Group Study Exchange. Below I have addressed some of the key elements of my profession with the aim of demonstrating what I can contribute, what I hope to learn and how this would have a lifelong impact on my career.
Performance Management
As demonstrated by my employment history I have always worked in roles that directly account for public spending, particularly within areas of disadvantage. Within the current political climate Bristol City Council is increasingly focussed on delivering more for less. Working within the Drug Strategy Team we commission drug treatment services across Bristol. Bristol currently has an estimated 8,000 class A drug users of which 4,500 are receiving structured treatment, and another 1,000 are accessing advice, information and needle exchange services. To respond to this need as a team we are responsible for an annual budget of approximately £12 million which comes from Government funders such as the National Treatment Agency and The Home Office, the Primary Care Trust and other Council departments. This funding comes with a plethora of performance indicators and monitoring requirements which is my area of expertise.
Obviously it is crucial that public spending is monitored and we are exploring the possibility of performance related payment to focus on the outcomes that services achieve. This is an area I am really interested in developing and it would be interesting to discuss different approaches and viewpoints as part of the exchange. I would find it a valuable experience to learn how other governments assess the impact of services, policies and programmes and would work with colleagues on my return to apply this learning as effectively as possible.
It is a very challenging time for public services and the coalition Governments spending review will no doubt deliver some tough messages. I envisage that the exchange experience would be incredibly grounding and give me a fresh outlook on rationalising the need for performance information whilst still supporting services to get the job done.
Information Technology Solutions
Over the last year we have faced a number of issues with the quality of our drug treatment performance data and have received intense scrutiny from national funders. This was particularly significant as at a national level funding is allocated based on the number of clients we can demonstrate are accessing treatment and issues with data collection meant that Bristols figures were significantly inflated. I have spent much of the last year responding to data quality issues from reviewing the validity of the IT system we had in place, decommissioning our previous software provider and have worked with my team to commission and implement a new case management system across all our drug treatment providers. Throughout this time I have learnt a great deal about IT systems, databases, reporting and the European tendering process. I would like the opportunity to review alternative solutions in an area where there is perhaps less funding available to spend on bespoke software solutions and pass on some of my experiences. Again, with looming budget cuts it would be beneficial to explore the cost effectiveness of some of the simpler solutions available for monitoring outputs and outcomes.
Service User Involvement
As a team we work closely with service users to evaluate and design the services they receive. Service user involvement in Bristol is nationally recognised as good practice and through the Group Study Exchange I would be eager to see how developed service user involvement is in Sri Lanka and gain an insight into the services that are available directly from service users. I really enjoy working with people and having the opportunity to contribute to strengthening service user involvement would be a very enriching experience.
In my role I deal with a great deal of anonymous/faceless data and welcome the chance to meet the real people behind the statistics. This would have a lasting impact on me and having worker as a Research Officer within communities I would be particularly interested in learning about different and perhaps more creative ways to meaningfully consult with communities. This would be directly applicable to my area of work.
Crime Reduction
Visiting Sri Lanka would provide a great opportunity to learn more about what is being done internationally to reduce the supply of drugs, the criminal activity associated with drug dealing and gang cultures. Increasing my knowledge in this area would give me a more developed perspective of the harm caused by drugs and the chain of supply and demand. Politically it is recognised that drug treatment is becoming more frequently associated with benefits in terms of crime reduction as opposed to health gains and exploring this further would help me a great deal in my future career.
This would be a fantastic opportunity to learn about how criminal behaviour is viewed within different cultures and the public perception of drug users. Stigma can seriously hamper peoples ability to recover from their drug use and I am sure I would benefit from looking into the role that families and communities play in recovery within Sri Lankan culture. Equally it would be interesting to compare the messages that are given to children and young people about crime and drugs within the UK to Sri Lankas approach.
The opportunity to make comparisons and recognise differences in approaches would be a valuable part of this experience and would have a lasting impact on my outlook.
Transferable Skills
Like many people I don’t relish public speaking. My confidence has grown considerably with practice but I would like to push myself further. I envisage that participating in the exchange and acting as an ambassador for the Rotary would have a tremendous effect on my own self confidence and ultimately my professional development.
I have a great support network in the way of family and friends but throwing myself into this six week unique opportunity would give me a valuable insight into myself and how I cope when I am outside of my comfort zone. I would look forward to making new friends and professional contacts as part of the experience and in the spirit of a true ‘exchange’ would be looking for ways that I can make a long lasting positive contribution whilst making the most of the opportunity available.
In summary, aside from the draw of Sri Lanka itself with its tropical climate and stunning scenery I am genuinely enthusiastic about my area of work and I hope I have demonstrated to you how the Group Study Exchange would have a lifelong impact on my career.
Essay Of Intent
Before I launch into an explanation of why I would relish this opportunity I would like to give you a flavour who I am and what makes me tick, on both a personal and professional level. At the age of 31 I am thoroughly enjoying my life. My job is both challenging and rewarding, I love newly married life and have a close group of friends. I am a positive person with a good sense of humour and am cheerful the vast majority of the time.
As I have a genuine interest in the effects of crime and drugs on individuals, families and communities I feel fortunate to be working in this field. Although my role is not front line my work does make a difference to real people, which helps me get through the more bureaucratic aspects of the job. Over the last year I have found myself in particularly challenging situations and have lead on projects which have verged on being unachievable. This has made me stronger and more confident and I certainly thrive on being challenged. I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as ambitious but I take pride in doing a piece of work well and I value my reputation. My commitment at work has earned me positive feedback from senior managers and colleagues within the Council and partner organisations. I have strong interpersonal skills and am friendly and approachable. I take care to treat people as I would like to be treated and find empathy is crucial in all aspects of life.
Personally I feel I am doing well with my career in relation to my age. I work directly with people much higher up the food chain than myself and at meetings I sometimes think I’ll be tapped on the shoulder and asked to leave! I have been quite aware of my lack of vocational qualifications and as such I sometimes feel intimidated by professionals who are experts in their field. This spurred me on to undertake my diploma in management studies which has given me another string to my bow. Self-confidence is an area I am keen to develop and as I push myself I demonstrate that I can make valuable contributions and bring a refreshing perspective to the status quo.
On a personal level I like to make the most of my spare time and can be accused of trying to cram too much into a day. My husband and I have an allotment which is great fun and proving to be quite a commitment, I also love eating out and am becoming more and more passionate about cooking. We have recently experienced a flurry of marriages and now several of our friends are having babies. Whilst having a family is important to me I am currently looking for a slightly different type of adventure, which I feel the Group Study Exchange presents.
Following university I was fortunate enough to spend a year visiting South East Asia, Australia and South America. It was such a wonderful experience and although it was nine years ago the memories are vivid and we regularly reminisce with friends we met along the way. One of the key things I took away from the experience was the overwhelming friendliness of local people we met. It was uplifting to meet people who were so proud of their country and were keen to show us what made it special. Whilst the whole trip wasn’t trouble free I found that to make the most of the experience you had to let your guard down. We had such an amazing time it will be with us forever, holidays have never the same since and we now tend to do things slightly differently.
Studying my profession in another country:
Professionally and personally I would gain a great deal from the Group Study Exchange. Below I have addressed some of the key elements of my profession with the aim of demonstrating what I can contribute, what I hope to learn and how this would have a lifelong impact on my career.
Performance Management
As demonstrated by my employment history I have always worked in roles that directly account for public spending, particularly within areas of disadvantage. Within the current political climate Bristol City Council is increasingly focussed on delivering more for less. Working within the Drug Strategy Team we commission drug treatment services across Bristol. Bristol currently has an estimated 8,000 class A drug users of which 4,500 are receiving structured treatment, and another 1,000 are accessing advice, information and needle exchange services. To respond to this need as a team we are responsible for an annual budget of approximately £12 million which comes from Government funders such as the National Treatment Agency and The Home Office, the Primary Care Trust and other Council departments. This funding comes with a plethora of performance indicators and monitoring requirements which is my area of expertise.
Obviously it is crucial that public spending is monitored and we are exploring the possibility of performance related payment to focus on the outcomes that services achieve. This is an area I am really interested in developing and it would be interesting to discuss different approaches and viewpoints as part of the exchange. I would find it a valuable experience to learn how other governments assess the impact of services, policies and programmes and would work with colleagues on my return to apply this learning as effectively as possible.
It is a very challenging time for public services and the coalition Governments spending review will no doubt deliver some tough messages. I envisage that the exchange experience would be incredibly grounding and give me a fresh outlook on rationalising the need for performance information whilst still supporting services to get the job done.
Information Technology Solutions
Over the last year we have faced a number of issues with the quality of our drug treatment performance data and have received intense scrutiny from national funders. This was particularly significant as at a national level funding is allocated based on the number of clients we can demonstrate are accessing treatment and issues with data collection meant that Bristols figures were significantly inflated. I have spent much of the last year responding to data quality issues from reviewing the validity of the IT system we had in place, decommissioning our previous software provider and have worked with my team to commission and implement a new case management system across all our drug treatment providers. Throughout this time I have learnt a great deal about IT systems, databases, reporting and the European tendering process. I would like the opportunity to review alternative solutions in an area where there is perhaps less funding available to spend on bespoke software solutions and pass on some of my experiences. Again, with looming budget cuts it would be beneficial to explore the cost effectiveness of some of the simpler solutions available for monitoring outputs and outcomes.
Service User Involvement
As a team we work closely with service users to evaluate and design the services they receive. Service user involvement in Bristol is nationally recognised as good practice and through the Group Study Exchange I would be eager to see how developed service user involvement is in Sri Lanka and gain an insight into the services that are available directly from service users. I really enjoy working with people and having the opportunity to contribute to strengthening service user involvement would be a very enriching experience.
In my role I deal with a great deal of anonymous/faceless data and welcome the chance to meet the real people behind the statistics. This would have a lasting impact on me and having worker as a Research Officer within communities I would be particularly interested in learning about different and perhaps more creative ways to meaningfully consult with communities. This would be directly applicable to my area of work.
Crime Reduction
Visiting Sri Lanka would provide a great opportunity to learn more about what is being done internationally to reduce the supply of drugs, the criminal activity associated with drug dealing and gang cultures. Increasing my knowledge in this area would give me a more developed perspective of the harm caused by drugs and the chain of supply and demand. Politically it is recognised that drug treatment is becoming more frequently associated with benefits in terms of crime reduction as opposed to health gains and exploring this further would help me a great deal in my future career.
This would be a fantastic opportunity to learn about how criminal behaviour is viewed within different cultures and the public perception of drug users. Stigma can seriously hamper peoples ability to recover from their drug use and I am sure I would benefit from looking into the role that families and communities play in recovery within Sri Lankan culture. Equally it would be interesting to compare the messages that are given to children and young people about crime and drugs within the UK to Sri Lankas approach.
The opportunity to make comparisons and recognise differences in approaches would be a valuable part of this experience and would have a lasting impact on my outlook.
Transferable Skills
Like many people I don’t relish public speaking. My confidence has grown considerably with practice but I would like to push myself further. I envisage that participating in the exchange and acting as an ambassador for the Rotary would have a tremendous effect on my own self confidence and ultimately my professional development.
I have a great support network in the way of family and friends but throwing myself into this six week unique opportunity would give me a valuable insight into myself and how I cope when I am outside of my comfort zone. I would look forward to making new friends and professional contacts as part of the experience and in the spirit of a true ‘exchange’ would be looking for ways that I can make a long lasting positive contribution whilst making the most of the opportunity available.
In summary, aside from the draw of Sri Lanka itself with its tropical climate and stunning scenery I am genuinely enthusiastic about my area of work and I hope I have demonstrated to you how the Group Study Exchange would have a lifelong impact on my career.
