Anne O'Connell

Age: 38

Job title

Senior Practitioner/Young Persons Worker for Merthyr Tydfil.

Main tasks and special interests

My role is to supervise a Family Team of Seven based at the Merthyr/RCT Offices, I always work with all young people from the age of 11 to 25 who have a substance misuse issue, or are involved in a some way with substances, I also offer Family Support to Young People whose parents, peers, family and friends who may be using substances.

A large part of my role includes Training, and also carrying out the Education and Prevention work in the four Comprehensive Schools in Merthyr Tydfil, also Crucial Crew, Hype and Megadrive amongst Young People.

My interests are walking, eating, cooking, reading and being a mum.

Why I got into this work

I became involved in Drug work after working in a Pupil Referral Unit working with children with challenging behaviour, and lots of these young people were using substances, I had very little knowledge of Substance Misuse and attended Drugaid's Lat Level 1 and 2 Course, from there I became a Volunteer, then I became a full time Young Persons Worker.

A brief history of how I got into this work

Before Drugaid I worked in the Education Authority as a Speech and Language Therapist, also an LSA in Schools then began my Teacher's Training. I worked in Pupil Referral Unit's, then moved on to Year 6 teaching English, then went to work in a nursery with 33,3 year olds and it was at that time I decided to come and work for Drugaid.

I have a great passion for my role, and love working with the young people both on a one to one basis, and in the education setting.

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