Yvette has considerable knowledge in the fields of private and public law regarding children, young people and families. She is currently involved in working with a number of local authorities around safeguarding children, including work with Local Safeguarding Children Boards, performance management, coaching and mentoring leadership teams and working with Youth Offending Teams.

Recent projects include:

• Working with a local authority in the North West to bring about substantial and sustained change in improving outcomes for children, young people and families, with a particular focus on safeguarding and child protection. Yvette’s role included: completing case file audits, one-to-one coaching and mentoring of managers and social workers, provision of intensive leadership and management support, and quality assuring internal reviews of services (e.g. Safeguarding Unit and Early Intervention Team).
• Contributing to the evaluation of a pilot programme designed to improve outcomes-based planning within social work teams.
• Designing and facilitating Advanced Social Work training, focused on improved assessment, more robust care planning and improved engagement of children and families in decision-making.
• Project director for the evaluation of the Wales Child Death Review Pilot Project. This project involved liaison with a wide range of stakeholders including local authorities, police, health, coroners and courts
• Providing intensive leadership and management support to a local authority on safeguarding and child protection following a notice to improve following an inspection. It involved placing Yvette as interim Assistant Director for Safeguarding. The project included close liaison with the senior leadership team within Children’s Services and corporately, support for the LSCB and examining policy, procedure and practice.

Other relevant work experience includes advice and support on social work-related practice for:

• Children and young people who were victims of paedophile ring.
• Unaccompanied minors where English was not their first language. Which required working with interpreters.
• Young women who were sexually exploited.
• Children and young people groomed by a major crime family to take part in criminal activities.

These vulnerable children and young people required Yvette to be sensitive to their cultural needs, mistrust of adults and respect their individual needs including differing interview techniques. Yvette is able to quickly build relationships with children and young people by being flexible and understanding of their experiences.

Before working for Cordis Bright, Yvette worked as an inspector for the Commission for Social Care Inspection. She has had experience of youth offending, children's services, residential care (including the secure estate) and voluntary sector inspections. During her time with the Inspectorate she was seconded to MCSI (Magistrate Court Service Inspectorate) inspecting CAFCASS, and latterly to HMIP inspecting YOTs.