Kellie

Kellie is a highly experienced social work professional with over 24 years of frontline practice across criminal justice, child protection, fostering, and therapeutic support services. She holds a BSc (Hons) Degree and Diploma in Social Work from the University of Huddersfield and, although professionally qualified in England, has spent the majority of her career practising in Scotland.

She began her career working within The National Sex Offender Prison, for Scotland. Here she facilitated and delivered  SOTP (Sex offender Treatment Program) and structured groupwork interventions aimed at reducing reoffending and promoting safer outcomes.

Thereafter moving into frontline child protection, managing high-level, complex cases involving significant risk and vulnerability, which involved moving children away from their home and with more complex cases, into secure accommodation. More recently, Kellie was employed by a large national charity, where she managed foster carers throughout the North East of Scotland. This position introduced her to delivering and writing training, which ignited a new passion, one that she has followed ever since.

Throughout her career, Kellie has developed a deep insight into the experiences of children entering the care system and the long-term impact of unresolved trauma. She has witnessed first-hand how early adversity can shape life trajectories, often extending into adulthood and, in some cases, into the criminal justice system. As a practising social worker, she has stringently worked within the frameworks of Safeuarding and Child Protection which has given her a deep understanding of this area and the complexities that can arise when not embedded into practice.

Kellie is particularly passionate about understanding how trauma affects early brain development, behaviours, relationships, and emotional regulation. Her experience working with both children in care and adults serving custodial sentences has strengthened her belief that effective engagement requires professionals to move beyond surface behaviours and develop a deeper understanding of an individual’s lived experience.

She has consistently demonstrated compassion and professional curiosity in her work, recognising patterns of intergenerational trauma, abuse, and entrenched behaviours. This has further deepened her commitment to early intervention and trauma-informed practice.

As a trainer, Kellie delivers high-quality, research-informed training to social workers, teachers, foster carers, and multi-agency professionals across the UK. Her sessions are engaging, reflective, and grounded in real-world experience, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Out with her work Kellie enjoys a very busy family life with her husband, two teenage boys and the family labrador, Paddy.