Missing and Social Workers
Description
In this episode we talk with Carolyn Fair and Kathy Marriott. The aim of the episode is to explore the complex issue of children who go missing, share insights from frontline social workers, highlight effective practices, and discuss how social services can better safeguard vulnerable young people.
Guests
Kathy have been the Assistant Director, for Early Help and Children’s Social Care at ESCC since March 2022. She previously worked as Area Director for Children’s Services on the Isle of Wight and in Hampshire County Council. She started her career in youth, community work 20 years ago, with grassroots experience across the voluntary and statutory sectors spanning India, Edinburgh, and the Midlands. Kathy a lifelong advocate for collaborative practice, and deeply proud of the transformative work carried out by early help and social care practitioners and partner agencies—supporting families, safeguarding children, and driving meaningful change across communities.
Carolyn is a qualified social worker with just over 25 years’ experience, in Children’s Services, almost all in the UK. She has worked most of her career in West London, with a recent stint as Interim Director Childrens Services in North Somerset in 2023 before becoming the permanent Director Childrens Services East Sussex County Council in April 2024. She co-chairs the SE ADCS Group and actively involved in the SE Regional Care Cooperative.