ENCOMPASS - Key Persons
Alex has worked for Encompass since 2018 as a Welfare Benefit Adviser for the British Gas Energy (BGET) Project covering North, Mid Devon and West Somerset. She has worked in different social care roles for last 15 years, having experience of working within both children and vulnerable adults settings.
Job Titles:
- Specialist Money Adviser, Wis£Rmoney
Anna is a Money and Debt Advice Caseworker for Wis£rmoney for the Transitions Project covering the Torridge area. Anna has worked in tenancy related support and the money and debt advice service for over 20 years. Developing a vast experience of dealing with benefit agencies, utility companies, creditors and landlords to support her clients who are facing financial difficulties.
Anna has a great passion for helping people and enjoys being part of improving peoples lives in a positive way. She supports and guides people to manage their money, debts and tenancies independently. The support she provides can help maximize income, clear debts, sustain tenancies and improve people's mental health leading people to lead happier and less stressful lives allowing them to focus on other important parts of their lives.
"I love what I do and it's so rewarding to stand back after I have helped someone and see them flourish, become more confident, debt free and use the skills they have picked up along the way quite often to help others. "
Ben currently works on two projects, The Junction Project, and The Ripple Project, supporting young people and Care Leavers (respectively) to find improved living conditions. Ben joined Encompass in 2018 as part of The Junction and then took over the Ripple project, he is now also a park of the new @RISK project. Ben has over 10 years of experience supporting young people in various settings. In this time, he has achieved many relevant qualifications and has a BA Hons degree in Film which he is now using in his role in the @RISK media team.
"I am proud of my role with Encompass and happy to find a charitable organisation that deliver a service that respects each client as an individual."
Beryl is the Chairperson for the Board of Trustees, she qualified as a solicitor in 1973 when living in Cardiff. She moved to Barnstaple in 2003 with her last post being legal services manager for North Devon Council. After retiring in 2011 Beryl has been a trustee of Encompass and has seen the charity grow and prosper as an organisation over the years, which is due to the dedication of the staff, vision of its chief officer and support of the Board of Trustees.
Claire joined Encompass in 2011 having spent over 15 years working within the private sector as a contracts manager. Starting as an Advice Services Manager and working her way up to Chief officer in 2018, Claire has been influential in the development and growth of all our services, specifically the introduction of our new supported accommodation and the development of a number of existing and new partnerships.
"I am incredibly proud of the work Encompass delivers across Northern Devon, we have built a strong reputation locally based on trust, strong engagement with clients, confident service delivery and our ability to work in a trauma informed and psychologically informed way with all of our clients.
2020 has been like no other and I am looking forward to guiding the charity through what ever challenges come our way."
Duncan is a new member on the board of trustees, originally from the Bristol area he completed his secondary education and engineering apprenticeship in North Devon. Duncan is the Business Development Manager for a local manufacturing company and brings sales and marketing experience. With extensive UK and overseas travel providing cultural and geographical awareness.
Emily is a lone parent with mental health issues, she was referred by the Early Help team who were assisting her with parenting issues around the eldest child who also has mental health issues.
Job Titles:
- Accommodation Support Worker
Esther currently works in our supported accommodation projects for people who are at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping. Her role is to prepare individuals for independent living through a trauma informed approach, with support and skills to help improve their physical and mental well-being, accessing services, budgeting & tenancy management, and much more. Esther also works on the pattern changing course run by the Women First Project, for women who have been in abusive relationships that helps them to break the cycle of abuse, enables them to develop effective coping mechanisms and empowers them to make healthy relationship choices.
Irene has been involved with Encompass Southwest since before 2001, when it was first registered as Barnstaple Poverty Action Group (BPAG).
Irene's strengths, as a Trustee, lie in her roots, she was born in Barnstaple, and so is aware of the problems that lie within the town and its surrounds - the areas of deprivation, the lack of public transport for the rural areas, and the shortage of employment opportunities.
"I am a Trustee of other local organisations - North Devon Against Domestic Abuse, Pilton House Residential Home and Barnstaple Fair Carnival Committee, I also sit on Youth Offender panels, and am an Independent Advisor for the Police, sitting on the Violence Against Women and Children thematic group."
Job Titles:
- Accommodation Facilities and Maintenance Support
Job Titles:
- Member of the Flow
- High Flow Caseworker
Katie has worked for Encompass since January 2020 after having worked in the Police since 2004. In 2016 Katie was lucky enough to have been asked to help set up a team that focused on understanding why people were committing crime & then seeked to place support in the right place to further prevent offences & to help improve their quality of life.
Katie still work collaboratively with Police, Mental Health Services , GP's Surgeries , North Devon Council, Torridge District Council , Ambulance Service , North Devon Health Care Trust , Adult Social Care. Katie works 121 with referrals from all agencies on an intensive level & promote TAP Meetings ( Team Around the Person ) - a consent led proactive process Drawing on her own ACE's (Adverse Childhood Experiences ) subsequent trauma & illness in adult life, Katie has lived experience of having to access services herself.
"I love my job & hold hope & aspirations for all my clients until they are ready to hold it for themselves & ‘ Fly Solo' moving forward in their own journey of life."
Liz has been an Encompass Southwest board member since 2016.
Her interest in Encompass's work stems from her career in public sector housing, and, in particular, in the field of homelessness and homelessness prevention. Liz's last job in housing was for Torridge District Council, based in Bideford, so she is aware of the local issues of poverty, rurality and a lack of social and affordable housing that can all combine to create significant problems for some people. During her time at the Council Liz worked in partnership with Encompass and is pleased to continue this collaboration as a Board member now that she is retired.
"Encompass is an innovative and very effective organisation and I am proud to be involved in its work."
Louise joined Encompass in February 2010, shortly after viewing the BBC's "Secret Millionaire" she took on the role of part time Administration Assistant. Bringing with her a wide stretching commercial and retail knowledge of sales, administration and accounts. Louise now sits on the senior management team as Finance and Office Manager.
A recent addition to the board of Trustees, Moses career has been varied, starting out in the wine trade, specialising in Port and Champagne. At one point he found himself managing an Off-Licence in Brixton in the 1981 riots. Then moving onto running wine-bars and a small restaurant/hotel, which was exciting but in a different way. The majority of Moses working life, 28 years so far, has been in the NHS in a very wide variety of roles but more latterly as a Commissioner covering urgent and emergency care, ambulances and non-emergency ambulances, particularly in Northern Devon. Moses arrived in Barnstaple just before the Foot and Mouth outbreak, and 20 years later he is immersed in the Covid 19 outbreak. Moses has always set aside time to volunteer and for nine years was the independent Chair of the North Devon Social Care Fostering Panel. Having seen the excellent work that Encompass has delivered for the citizens of Devon in my NHS role I am looking forward to supporting the Trustees in delivering the organisation's future.
During Nicola's time at Encompass, She has been involved in various projects, including; setting up, managing and delivering a ‘Rural Outreach' project which aimed to address social and financial exclusion by delivering housing, money and debt advice across North Devon, this ran from 2009 to 2017.
Nicola is passionate about addressing social and financial exclusion and the inequalities that people across North Devon encounter and is very proud of how far Encompass Southwest have developed over recent years to help address these issues.
Job Titles:
- Gender Informed Service Lead
Rhiannon has been working on the Women First project since is started in 2020. After a long time working within Drug and Alcohol and recovery Rhiannon started to take a real interest in women's services and has spent time working in Exeter on the Resilient Women's program. Rhiannon has a fine arts degree and loves working with the women she supports on creative projects.
Simon joined Encompass in 2011 and has been working on the Streetwise Project with Torridge District Council for nearly 10 years. Simon has a long history of supporting people throughout is career in various roles. As well as working with young people Simon is an avid Kite surfer and can often be found on Westward Ho! beach evenings and weekends.
Job Titles:
- Accommodation Support Worker
Sophie joined Encompass in 2017 after discovering her passion for support work through volunteer work in the local community. Sophie began her time at Encompass working with young people at risk of homelessness, with the Junction Project. She joined the team at Encompass's supported living in September last year. She now works across four different properties supporting clients, based on their individual needs using a trauma informed approach in order to prepare them for independent living.
Job Titles:
- Housing First Support Worker
Stuart joined Encompass in 2019 and has worked across both our supported housing and more recently our housing first project, supporting complex rough sleepers from the streets into their own homes. Stuart takes great pride in seeing the transformation in his clients when they finally get their own front door.