I am a social worker by profession and have been for 17 years. I had to give myself the rather grand title of "consultant" because of the range of work that I do.
On a typical day I am woken by the telephone at 6.30am. It is the BBC asking if I can do an interview on a breaking story. (I have worked in media since I became independent four years ago).
The interview goes well; I manage to get across what I want to say. I am one of those rare social workers who actually enjoys being cross-examined in court. People always ask how I can do the media work – isn't it frightening? But even Newsnight pales compares to being cross-examined.
On from the studio to deliver a three-hour workshop to frontline social workers on the impact of neglect. Part of my job is as a child-protection trainer and I work closely with my local safeguarding children board, developing and delivering training.
The workshop brings up stimulating discussions and I hope that delegates leave understanding that research and evidence is clear that the impact of neglect is just as damagingas other forms of maltreatment.
From there I return to my office. A quick check of my emails tells me I have a query through my website asking whether I can speak at a conference in London.
Another query from a mother, asking me for help, who says she has seen me on the telly and has had her children taken away by social services. I also have a query about a vulnerable adult who is pregnant, from an organisation I act as safeguarding advisor for.
I respond to all of those and then force myself to turn my emails off. I have a deadline on a book I am writing and I have to write 1,000 words today.
The book is called "Communicating with children" and will be published in 2013. It is part of a series of pocket books for social workers and others working in child protection and follows on from my first book "Conducting the home visit in child protection".
One of the challenges of working for yourself is having the discipline to sit down and do the work, particularly when you work from home and there are so many temptations – in my case, cooking, cleaning, washing and walking the dog.
I manage 850 words before the telephone rings and the call has to take priority. I have just become one of the first accredited lead reviewers for the new model of serious case reviews and I am involved in one at the moment. I need to contact the family about meeting with them to hear their views. The book is set aside for now.
At 10pm I am back in my office. Children sorted, home not too chaotic. I draw the curtains, my lovely husband brings me tea and the lure of the book is too strong.
The telephone won't ring now, I will have peace but I tell myself I must go to bed by 11.30pm. I don't quite keep to that but only because I love what I do and consider myself so lucky that I have such variety in my work. I go to bed wondering what tomorrow will bring.
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