KATIE O'NEILL
Employer: Renfrewshire Council
Age: 54
Time in job: Four years
Salary: £35,000
Katie O'Neill runs a children's unit housing eight young people - both boys and girls - aged 10 to 18, who have been abused, neglected or are not under parental control. Most of them will stay until they are 18, she says.
"They suffer from low self-esteem, have anger-management problems and feelings of rejection. Most of the young people's families don't want to come here because they are in denial - they don't think they've done anything wrong," she explains.
It's a vicious cycle because many of the parents were also in care. O'Neill and her staff are determined to provide a new sense of structure and routine to the young people's lives, with clear boundaries that they can work with.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
