Sarah Walker

Experience

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  Y Care International

  Nov 1999 - Sept 2006

  I mobilised funding, managed grants and provided technical assistance and capacity building to YMCA partners in Latin America, to deliver youth empowerment & community development projects. Core programme areas included:- Civic Participation and Advocacy- Youth Justice and serious youth violence reduction- Life skills and livelihoodsResource mobilisation and management included institutional and major trust fundraising and grant management.Technical support included: strategic and operational planning, participatory monitoring and evaluation, supporting needs assessments and capacity building and commissioning research. Show less

  • Programme Coordinator Latin America

    Jul 2001 - Sept 2006

  • Assistant Programme Coordinator Latin America

    Nov 1999 - Jun 2001
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  Hi8us South participatory media company

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2010

  I secured funding, managed and facilitated innovative youth media activity with young people from excluded and disadvantaged backgrounds. I am really proud of the high-quality media content that young people produced, tackling hard-hitting social and cultural issues, increasing their skills and public voice:MyView youth media advocacy project exploring identity, faith, extremism & freedom of expression St Paul’s Way Trust School Community Cohesion Project: building community relations through youth and cultural leadership, life & media skills Show less

  • Education and Communities Project Manager

    Jan 2008 - Jan 2010

  • New Londoners Project Manager

    Jan 2006 - Jan 2008
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  Barnardo's

  Feb 2012 - May 2019

  I successfully grew and managed independent advocacy service provision for children looked after and leaving care in partnership with local authorities across London. This included effective contract management and review to ensure services were delivered against key benchmarks and within budget. I ensured that high levels of quality assurance were maintained, keeping care-experienced children, care leavers and practitioners safe and children's statutory rights and entitlement upheld and advanced. I led on review and redesign of monitoring and evaluation systems to align across contracts and strengthen the voice of children and young people in this process. I managed a team of seven advocates and created new professional development and learning opportunities to strengthen and quality assure practice and retain staff in highly demanding, fast-paced roles. Show less

  • Team Manager, Children's Rights Advocacy

    Feb 2014 - May 2019

  • Lead Advocate Children Looked After

    Feb 2012 - Feb 2014
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  The National Independent Visitor Network

  Jun 2019 - Dec 2024

  National Independent Visitor Network Programme Manager

  I lead a national campaigning and service development movement for Independent Visitor (IV) professionals, care-experienced children and young people, IV volunteer befrienders, policy-makers and researchers: the National Independent Visitor Network (NIVN).I lead on strategic planning, development and delivery of co-designed activity to open up access to high quality befriending so that more children growing up in care can experience a consistent, positive relationship with a trusted adult. Co-design, learning and systems change drive NIVN's programme of ever-evolving practice development and influencing work. I am particularly proud of the support I provide to strengthen and grow communities of learning with IV professionals across England and Wales; my work to establish a national lived-experience advisory group and design and roll out of the first national research project on IV impact, to build a vital evidence base to inform policy and practice.Follow NIVN's work on LinkedIn and visit our dedicated website and social media: https://ivnetwork.org.uk/https://twitter.com/IV_Networkhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/nivn/ Show less