Please see the profiles below for more details about the Keyworker Service Team:
Lauren Kerrigan
I am Lauren, the Keyworker Service Manager.
I am a registered mental health nurse, for the past 10 years I have worked in a commissioning role leading on the implementation of the Transforming Care and the 10-year plan for people with have a learning disability, and/or who are autistic.
My current role is to ensure that our team of Keyworker's and Peer Support Workers have the right skills and knowledge to support people, their families and professionals.
Our team is committed to challenging the system to "do better" for people.
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family.
Bryony Hemming
I am Bryony one of the Senior Keyworkers working with Autistic people and/or those with a Learning Disability.
I aim to help people and their families get the right support when they need it most to understand the system and get their voice heard in their decision making.
I am a registered Social Worker spending the previous 10 years working in the Children With Disabilities and Transition Services. Prior to this I worked in a range of Supported Living and Residential settings.
Outside of work I like the outdoors and am a bit of an adrenaline junky, particularly liking climbing and kayaking and I have been a Scout Leader nearly 20 years.
Daisy Tucker
Hi, my name is Daisy Tucker. I am a Senior Keyworker who works with Autistic people and people diagnosed with a Learning Disability.
I aim to help people and their families to get the right support. I listen to people to find out what is important to them. We work together to create goals and overcome barriers. It is important to me to ensure the persons voice is at the heart of any support and care plans.
I also aim to have a positive impact on the other services and support on offer to people. I work closely with other services to help them to better understand individual needs and make reasonable adjustments. I feedback on issues and gaps in what services offer.
I have a master’s degree in psychology and a qualification in systemic practice. These help me to think about all the different things that can impact on a person's wellbeing and look at a range of support strategies.
Before coming to this role, I worked in specialist schools, residential services, and an Autism psychology team. My roles included supporting people, carrying out formulations and interventions, and training staff.
My favourite part of this role is empowering people to overcome challenges and reach their goals.
Frazer Stansfield
I am a Peer Support Worker and an Expert with Lived Experience of Autism and Dyspraxia for the South Yorkshire Intergrated Care Board and Speakup Self-Advocacy.
My role involves myself visiting and keeping in touch with people who have a diagnosis of Autism and/or a Learning Disability.
A big part of my role is utilising my lived experience to inspire people to better themselves or realise that they can achieve and live just like everyone else. I am extremely empathetic which I and many other professionals consider a strength.
Some other things I've done include public speaking, sensory room assessments, and creating various resources and presentations.
Outside of work I enjoy live music, spending time with my cat and going out with friends.
My special interests include music, anime, manga and video games.
Jessica Froggatt
I am a Senior Keyworker for people with Autism and or Learning disabilities.
My role is to support people with the most complex needs in accessing the right support at the right time, in a way that is right for them. I work to reduce admissions to mental health hospitals for people with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or Learning Disability (LD). I work directly with people, their families, and/or the professionals already supporting them. I aim to unblock systems that may be causing issues for the person, their family, or the professionals involved.
It is important to me that we not only support individuals, professionals, and families, but also make systematic changes that will create a long-term difference to the systems people find themselves in. We must ensure that we can do things differently in the future for everyone.
I have over 20 years’ experience working in the Special educational needs and disability (SEND) sector and have worked across a range of areas, including education, local authority SEND services, specialist settings, and higher education. I have worked with a range of needs, including autism, mental health, deafness, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and visual impairment. Having worked in specialist settings, I have hands-on experience in implementing strategies and interventions to promote success. I know how challenging it can be, so I’m always happy to help when I can. I am a level 3 British Sign Language (BSL) user and enjoy communicating using BSL.
Outside of work, I enjoy socialising with friends and family. I have a dog and two cats, and I enjoy going on walks with my dog and my husband.
Lisa Coe
I am Lisa, one of the Senior Keyworkers. I was fortunate to be one of the first Keyworkers employed as part of the National Pilot, so I have been involved from the beginning and helped shape the service.
I came to this role after a 20-year career in teaching and educational leadership – as a primary teacher, head of a pupil referral unit, qualified Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), and leader within a Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH) specialist setting (ages 5-16). But more importantly, as a single parent of neurodiverse children, I have lived experience of some of the challenges and can sometimes offer practical advice and suggestions to help!
My role involves working with individuals and families who have a diagnosis of a learning disability and/or are autistic, to help understand their circumstances and support them in accessing the right support at the right time by connecting with professional teams.
An important part of my role is being the one who asks the questions no one else does – the 'daft' questions. This means I can ask professionals to explain their role, the services they offer, and how they will make a positive impact on the individual. By doing this, I encourage services to reflect on their role and think creatively about how we can meet needs better as a multi-disciplinary team. I like to ensure we work in a solution-focused way – there aren't barriers, just obstacles!
I am passionate about ensuring we achieve the best outcomes for the people we support.
Megan Abbs
Hi my name is Megan a Peer Support Worker from the Keyworker service in the NHS ICB in South Yorkshire.
My role is to support our young people to achieve their goals, this could be supporting them to access local community services, this could be a social group, club or a self-advocacy service. I can also support our young people with transitioning back into community after a hospital admission, so that they have someone they are familiar with to support them throughout their journey.
A bit about myself, I enjoy reading books like the Hunger Games series, the Hobbit and the Harry Potter Series to name a few! I also enjoy watching TV programmes such as, Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and Stranger Things to name some. I also enjoy activities like colouring, doing diamond art and building Lego. I adore animals and love going to zoo’s, farms and country parks to see the animals that are there.
Paula Taylor-McCool
Hi, my name is Paula Taylor-McCool and I am a Senior Key Worker working with Autistic people and and/or those with a Learning Disability.
I have worked with children, young people and families for over 40 years. I began my career as a volunteer before training as a Youth and Community Worker. I worked in residential care and then moved on to working in community-based settings in both the voluntary and public sector, and more recently South Yorkshire ICB.
Having worked with children and young people from lots of different back grounds including those with SEND, those who have been missing from home and those who struggle to engage with formal education, I am passionate about making sure everyone is seen as an individual and supported to have a voice, feel more able to make informed choices and have input into decisions that are made about their care and future opportunities.
Greg Pursehouse
I am Greg, one of the Senior Keyworkers.
I came to this role after a 10-year career in teaching and educational leadership – as a Primary School Teacher and a Deputy Headteacher with a passion for working in socially deprived areas.
My role involves working with individuals and families who have a formal diagnosis of a Learning Disability (Intellectual Disability) and/or are Autistic, to help support them in accessing the right support at the right time by connecting with professional teams.
A big part of my role is being the one who asks the questions no one else does from asking professionals to explain their service and how this will positively impact the person.
It is my mission to ensure we achieve the best outcomes for the people we support.
Outside of work I am a keen sport, exercise and comedy enthusiast and love spending my free time with my wife and disabled child.
Sarah Lofthouse
I am a Senior Keyworker for people with Autism and/or Learning Disability.
I feel privileged to work in this role and do my upmost to ensure that individuals and families get the right support from services at the right time. My work is person centred and I will ensure that services work collaboratively to have positive outcomes.
I have come to this role after 27 years in the Education sector. I have worked across all years of education with the pastoral care of individuals at the heart of my work.
As an ex PE teacher I value the role of activity and the 'great outdoors' to support peoples mental health. I love nothing more than a day out at the seaside with my family and friends. I like to learn new skills and am currently accessing an on-line 'Beginners Crocheting' course. It is work in progress!!!
Suzanne Halfpenny
Hello – I'm Suzanne, one of the Senior Keyworkers.
I have a broad background, having worked within agencies that I now work with and across - so, education, family and mental health related work, always with the aim of creating and promoting better understanding and outcomes for those people that I was supporting and enabling.
I came to this role because its aims made my heart sing. To be able to aim to person-centre, change narratives and advocate for people who are either autistic or experience learning/intellectual disability is a privilege and incredibly necessary.
I have experience of neurodivergence within my extended family and see the benefit of empathic care.
Esmé Baldwin-Webb
I’m Esmé Baldwin Webb, a Keyworker supporting Autistic people and people with a Learning Disability.
In my work, I prioritise listening to fully understand the individual's experiences, goals, and the barriers they’re facing. I try to ensure the individual’s experience is heard by all the services working with them, to try and assist people to access the right support for them in the right way.
I am a trained teacher but have worked primarily in pastoral roles within education, supporting children, particularly those with SEND and/or Autism, through different situations, experiences and challenges. I have worked with young people from the ages of 0 – 16, alongside working closely with their families and advocating for them with other services.
Outside of work, I love being outdoors and I’m often hiking or bouldering. I’m a keen reader and enjoy cooking and baking in my free time.
Koko Khan
I'm Komal Khan aka Koko.
I am a Keyworker, working with people with autism and learning disabilities.
One thing that drew me to this role was the opportunity to advocate for people to help ensure their voices are heard and needs are met.
I've been a carer for my disabled mum since I was a young child, which helped shape my understanding of supporting others.
I have a bachelors in medical science, my favourite themes of the course included sociology, psychology and public health. I wrote my dissertation about autism.
Before university, I worked in kitchens for eighteen years. This included a five years as a catering tutors assistant at Freeman College, a specialist institution for young adults with autism spectrum conditions and learning disabilities.
After graduating I've worked in a variety of education roles including cycling instructor for primary school children, academic support for university students with disabilities and a specialist autism mentor.
Outside of work, I love spending time outdoors, cycling, and climbing with my fiancé.
I also love being inside with my cat and watching films or reading (thrillers or most recently S.E.Asian fiction).
