About - the short version
I've worked in the theatre (as a stage manager); for the voluntary sector in the valleys of south Wales (Rhymney Valley Care & Repair); for a national charity (Age Concern England, now Age UK); and for a think tank (The King's Fund).
Since 2000 I've worked as a freelancer for a very wide range of organisations, doing all sorts of different kinds of work. The Archive and Clients pages will give you a little taste of that.
I've trained in Life History and have an MA in Creative Writing and Personal Development (both at the University of Sussex), as well as an MSc in Social Policy and Planning (Distinction*) from the LSE. I've also completed courses in the storytelling evaluation technique Most Significant Change, in making photofilms, and in oral storytelling - especially autobiographical (or, real-life) storytelling.
There's more about my long involvement with stories on the page Me & Stories.
*that's about as showy-offy as I get :-)
Formal work things:
About - the longer version
I first worked with older people as a theatre stage manager, in community theatre and theatre-in-education (TIE) companies. I did that for a few years. A lot of that experience has stayed with me, such as meeting deadlines by planning 'backwards' from the date by which something must be ready (I used to say, because you can't email a theatre show through in the middle of the night. But I'm not sure that's totally true any more!).
Working in the theatre taught me about teamwork, taking charge when needed, the different approaches suited to working with different people - and a host of practical skills, creative ways of sharing a story, and more; and, as one of the many types of venue into which we took community theatre shows, introduced me to care homes.
Then I changed direction, and went to work for Rhymney Valley Care & Repair - a Home Improvement Agency in south Wales. We were a 3-person team working with older homeowners to secure improvements and adaptations to their homes (most people lived in pre-WWI terraced houses) - such as installing central heating in place of open coal fires; rewiring; and adapting bathrooms. I learned about gaining people's trust, working with lots of different people at once (architects, housing grant officers, occupational therapists, older person, their family, builders etc), and to listen really closely to what people say is important to them.
After that, I moved to London and worked for Age Concern England (now Age UK) as their community care policy expert, and subsequently held a similar role at the King's Fund. Over a period of 7 years, those posts taught me how to quickly make sense of a huge range of ever-changing and highly detailed social policy information so I could highlight the issues to raise nationally as well as explain what it meant in practice to anyone trying to access health, housing and social care services in England. I did a lot of writing, explaining, analysing, researching, campaigning, public speaking, and media work (especially radio and TV, but also in print).
Since 2000, I've been a freelance consultant. In that time, I've worked with a wide range of clients - from central government departments to local authorities, from national NHS organisations to individual hospitals, national to local charities, private care service providers of all sizes, housing associations and other housing providers, universities and training bodies - and more! (see Clients for a full list.)
Although my work has mostly been with people at later stages of their lives, I've also worked alongside working-age adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and mental ill health.
I have an MA in Creative Writing and Personal Development (University of Sussex) and an MSc (Distinction) in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics. I've undertaken other training, too - notably in Life History at the University of Sussex, in the Most Significant Change evaluation technique (with Fiona Kotjovs), in autobiographical storytelling (with storyteller Roi Gal-Or, at The School of Storytelling), and in audiovisual storytelling (with Ben Chesterton and his team at duckrabbit).
Over the years, I've been a project manager; policy analyst; field and desk researcher; carried out community development work (and used community development approaches); developed, reviewed and evaluated services; written and spoken about most aspects of health, housing and care for older people (including oral and written evidence to Select Committee Inquiries and a Royal Commission); and, by explaining what's possible and how to go about getting it, supported hundreds of thousands of (primarily) older people and their families and friends.
In 2008 and 2009, I was a carer for my mum - so a lot of paid work went by-the-bye*: some of you may also have had similar experiences. Over the years I have also been a family-and-friend carer for several others experiencing mental ill health and/or cancer. This website will tell you what I focus on now.
I don't always work alone - I am an Associate of Community Catalysts and of Imogen Blood and Associates. From 2006-2018 I was a Trustee of the national not-for-profit organisation Care and Repair England; since 2018, I've been one its' Ambassadors. (I also had a 3 year stint as a Trustee with the charity Beth Johnson Foundation, ending in 2014).
I have lots of other qualifications - and interests - including a BA (Hons) Archaeology and Prehistory (University of Sheffield); and a fiction website (a website featuring my fiction writing, that is, rather than a website that doesn't really exist. Although for a long time it didn't) - www.lornaeasterbrook.com. And then there's the two post graduate certificates - one in Theatre Stage Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (or, Mucus and Trauma - if you prefer), and the other in Book Repair and Restoration (London College of Printing). What can I say? Lots of things interest me .... lots and lots and lots and .....
* as in, 'fell by the wayside'
Since 2000 I've worked as a freelancer for a very wide range of organisations, doing all sorts of different kinds of work. The Archive and Clients pages will give you a little taste of that.
I've trained in Life History and have an MA in Creative Writing and Personal Development (both at the University of Sussex), as well as an MSc in Social Policy and Planning (Distinction*) from the LSE. I've also completed courses in the storytelling evaluation technique Most Significant Change, in making photofilms, and in oral storytelling - especially autobiographical (or, real-life) storytelling.
There's more about my long involvement with stories on the page Me & Stories.
*that's about as showy-offy as I get :-)
Formal work things:
- I hold an enhanced DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service. This was previously known as the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check)
- I'm registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). More about that here
- I hold current (2021-2022) Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance policies through Glemham.
About - the longer version
I first worked with older people as a theatre stage manager, in community theatre and theatre-in-education (TIE) companies. I did that for a few years. A lot of that experience has stayed with me, such as meeting deadlines by planning 'backwards' from the date by which something must be ready (I used to say, because you can't email a theatre show through in the middle of the night. But I'm not sure that's totally true any more!).
Working in the theatre taught me about teamwork, taking charge when needed, the different approaches suited to working with different people - and a host of practical skills, creative ways of sharing a story, and more; and, as one of the many types of venue into which we took community theatre shows, introduced me to care homes.
Then I changed direction, and went to work for Rhymney Valley Care & Repair - a Home Improvement Agency in south Wales. We were a 3-person team working with older homeowners to secure improvements and adaptations to their homes (most people lived in pre-WWI terraced houses) - such as installing central heating in place of open coal fires; rewiring; and adapting bathrooms. I learned about gaining people's trust, working with lots of different people at once (architects, housing grant officers, occupational therapists, older person, their family, builders etc), and to listen really closely to what people say is important to them.
After that, I moved to London and worked for Age Concern England (now Age UK) as their community care policy expert, and subsequently held a similar role at the King's Fund. Over a period of 7 years, those posts taught me how to quickly make sense of a huge range of ever-changing and highly detailed social policy information so I could highlight the issues to raise nationally as well as explain what it meant in practice to anyone trying to access health, housing and social care services in England. I did a lot of writing, explaining, analysing, researching, campaigning, public speaking, and media work (especially radio and TV, but also in print).
Since 2000, I've been a freelance consultant. In that time, I've worked with a wide range of clients - from central government departments to local authorities, from national NHS organisations to individual hospitals, national to local charities, private care service providers of all sizes, housing associations and other housing providers, universities and training bodies - and more! (see Clients for a full list.)
Although my work has mostly been with people at later stages of their lives, I've also worked alongside working-age adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and mental ill health.
I have an MA in Creative Writing and Personal Development (University of Sussex) and an MSc (Distinction) in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics. I've undertaken other training, too - notably in Life History at the University of Sussex, in the Most Significant Change evaluation technique (with Fiona Kotjovs), in autobiographical storytelling (with storyteller Roi Gal-Or, at The School of Storytelling), and in audiovisual storytelling (with Ben Chesterton and his team at duckrabbit).
Over the years, I've been a project manager; policy analyst; field and desk researcher; carried out community development work (and used community development approaches); developed, reviewed and evaluated services; written and spoken about most aspects of health, housing and care for older people (including oral and written evidence to Select Committee Inquiries and a Royal Commission); and, by explaining what's possible and how to go about getting it, supported hundreds of thousands of (primarily) older people and their families and friends.
In 2008 and 2009, I was a carer for my mum - so a lot of paid work went by-the-bye*: some of you may also have had similar experiences. Over the years I have also been a family-and-friend carer for several others experiencing mental ill health and/or cancer. This website will tell you what I focus on now.
I don't always work alone - I am an Associate of Community Catalysts and of Imogen Blood and Associates. From 2006-2018 I was a Trustee of the national not-for-profit organisation Care and Repair England; since 2018, I've been one its' Ambassadors. (I also had a 3 year stint as a Trustee with the charity Beth Johnson Foundation, ending in 2014).
I have lots of other qualifications - and interests - including a BA (Hons) Archaeology and Prehistory (University of Sheffield); and a fiction website (a website featuring my fiction writing, that is, rather than a website that doesn't really exist. Although for a long time it didn't) - www.lornaeasterbrook.com. And then there's the two post graduate certificates - one in Theatre Stage Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (or, Mucus and Trauma - if you prefer), and the other in Book Repair and Restoration (London College of Printing). What can I say? Lots of things interest me .... lots and lots and lots and .....
* as in, 'fell by the wayside'
