Elena is a passionate, determined and caring woman, who had a difficult start in life after losing her mother in a car accident when she was just eleven years old.
Elena’s mother was very musical so naturally Elena was taught an instrument from an early age. She played the flute and the drums to Grade 8 and Elena said that music became her community after the loss of her mother. She attended Lancaster University where she gained a First Class Degree in Music with Honours. Her intent had always been to work in Music Therapy, but during her years at university she started to suffer from stage anxiety, which affected her ability to perform and gradually eroded her confidence to play.
Her passion for family, relationship-based connections, advocacy and travel eventually led her to a career in Social Work with significant experience overseas.
In 2012 she did her Masters in Social Work Professional Practice at the University of Salford, with placements at a sexual exploitation service, an adult mental health charity and a looked after children team, all in Sheffield.
Her first social work role was in Harrow in London, after which she went to volunteer in Togo West Africa, then continued to travel and work abroad in Greece, Myanmar and Chile. She topped up her skills by doing a Celta course, teaching English to speakers of other languages and went to Brazil for two years working there on a variety of roles.
Returning to the UK, she has worked for several Local Authorities, mainly in the arena of child protection and safeguarding. Elena has also been a workshop facilitator delivering PFSE workshops.
Clearly her caring nature and in particular working with families, is born out of her own history and the loss of her mother. Elena is a force to be reckoned with, now a mother herself, working full time, still as passionate as ever.
We are truly lucky to have her on board as a mentor.
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