Katie, auxiliaire parentale à Inverness

Hello, my name is Katie!
I am 27 and looking to find work with a friendly family who would be happy to have me help bring up their little people.

I have worked with children in several settings throughout my career and thoroughly enjoyed it. Much of this has been as an outdoor instructor on the west coast of Scotland, Malaysia, China and Yorkshire where I lead groups of children from 8-18 years old through several days of activities such as climbing, hill walking, canoeing, trapeze and team building games. The focus of these sessions was learning, safety and fun; I found it really rewarding to work with children and help them learn about the environment, themselves and others. Through working in outdoor centres, I also had the responsibility of kitting the kids up, getting them to the right place for the right time and ready for activities, making sure they were all fed and watered and at the end of the day settling them in their beds. I then did a bit of temporary work in a nursery which was a completely different experience and currently I work in a residential care home supporting two teenagers with challenging behaviour. I was always aware of the importance of boundaries but I’ve never realised it more than in my current role.

Working with kids has taught me a lot about communication and how to interact in a way that works to suit individual needs, preferences and aims. It also tests my patience and initiative daily and this is what I like about it, I enjoy a challenge and thrive off of being able to use my creativity and imagination. I am capable of forming accepting, nurturing relationships with people and get great joy from supporting people to do the best they can, whatever form that takes.

I think I have plenty to offer the right family. I have always loved to play and for me a big part of that is being outside and exploring the world. I go hillwalking, wild swimming and surfing in my spare time but I am happy just to get out and about, often this is with my four-legged friend Mitch. I enjoy cooking (and eating!) and like to try different recipes, I try to keep healthy but I do like to indulge in baked goodies occasionally. Eventually I’d like to plant some vegetables in my garden to fuel my cooking hobby. I can be quite creative and like to make things from bits and bobs that I have found on the beach. I think this comes from the babysitter I had as a kid and I would like to be able to support other children to do the things that they enjoy and try out new stuff too.

I am due to complete the HNC in Social Services at the University of Highlands and Islands at the end of May. I initially took this on as it was a requirement of my registration with the Scottish Social Service Council but it has re-sparked my love of learning and I have found it to be incredibly interesting and beneficial to my practice.

I have a full clean driving license and access to a car. Have had my licence for 11 years and I am a confident and safe driver.

If you would like any more information please get in touch, I can provide references if requested.