2 October 2023 Approach Social Work

Tommy: making a real impact

Former policy professional, Tommy, wanted to get closer to those impacted by the policies he helped shape. So he joined the Frontline programme.

Tommy, a former public policy professional, found himself at a crossroads in his career. He wanted a deeper connection with the people affected by the policies he helped shape. The desire to understand the daily challenges faced by disadvantaged communities led him to embark on a remarkable journey into the world of social work.

I’ve previously worked in public policy, but found that I felt very detached from the people the policies were being designed to help, and wanted to have more of an understanding about the challenges they faced on a day-to-day basis.

Social work was a way for me to be able to get closer to this and make a real impact.

I work with teenagers that are so bright, but because of their circumstances they’re using their intelligence to run successful drugs businesses in their local area. Given the chance, they 100% have the potential to go to top universities and be really successful. It’s not because of a lack of intelligence, but a lack of access and support. Through my training on the Frontline programme, I get to do something even more to try and tackle this.

Tommy completed the programme in 2020. He continues to work part time as a social worker, while also running a social enterprise and sitting as a councillor in Camden.