Case Manager
Nicola qualified as a social worker in 2003, initially working across three NHS Rehabilitation Services alongside allied professionals. Nicola worked with people with complex physical disabilities between the ages of 16 – 25 as well as adults with neurological disabilities accessing inpatient and community rehabilitation.
Nicola transferred this experience to a Specialist Role within Adult Social Care from 2008, working as a specialist social worker for adults with acquired brain injury across a Local Authority. This role involved linking in with an NHS Community Neurology Team, providing support and advice to patients with a wide range of neurological diagnoses and managing a large caseload of complex cases. In addition, the role involved supporting other colleagues in working with people with Neurological diagnoses and in providing training and development opportunities for Local Authority Staff.
In 2019 Nicola moved to a role within Adult Social Care as a Senior Social Worker within an integrated Social Work Team providing social work to a wide variety of client groups including Substance misuse, Learning Disability, Mental Health, Dementia and Transitions. This role involved having responsibility for complex cases as well as taking the lead in safeguarding and risk management work. As a Senior Social Worker, the role also included regular Court work, management of complex and high-cost packages of support, presenting high-cost packages to the council directorate and producing reports for publication. Nicola completed regular work under the Mental Health Act 1983, providing reports to MHRT’s, Managers Hearing and Guardianship panels.
Nicola has been a Qualified Social Work Practice educator since 2016 and ASYE Assessor for Newly Qualified Social Worker.
Nicola has acted as an Independent Social Worker completing private Mental Health Social Circumstances Reports for Tribunals.
From 2010 – 2026 Nicola chaired the West Yorkshire Acquired Brain Injury Network. The group meets quarterly and has representation from all sections of the rehabilitation pathway in the region. Within this role Nicola has taken the lead in organising regional conferences.
Nicola is a qualified Best Interests Assessor and undertakes assessments on behalf of Local Authorities.
In 2020 Nicola joined Second Chance Headway and established and managed the Casework Service. The service is now funded by the NHS and covers West Yorkshire and to date has provided specialist support to over 1500 individuals.
Nicola is registered with Social Work England and is a member of the Brain Injury Social Work Group and INSWABI (International Social Work and Brain Injury Group).
We asked Nicola a few questions to get to know her beterr:
If you could have an endless supply of food what would it be?
Cake or Cheese; without fail they make other foods even better! I will argue that most fruit is definitely improved when a cake is wrapped around it or sat next to it. As for cheese there are not many savoury culinary disasters that are not improved tenfold with a bit of cheese thrown on the top!
If you won £10,000 what would you spend it on?
I would take a month off work and go and live in rural Italy with my kids and eat a lot of good food.
What can you be found doing on a weekend
Walking in the hills where I live or with my kids (can’t do both at the same time, they aren’t fans of walking!)