Field of Enterprise

Training & Consultation to support the vulnerable

About image
Field of Enterprise developed from my life experiences working with Children and Young People from September 1984. The independent training and consultation role was established in March 2012, based on many years of employment working with vulnerable children and young people.

Over the years, especially since I became a foster carer, it became apparent that many people faced significant barriers to achieving and reaching their full potential. Increasingly I was working developing avenues where young peoples voice could be heard and valued and promoting the needs of those vulnerable individuals in our communities.

In the past I was England's only Advanced Skills Teacher for Enterprise Education. I spent a year working within the Bedfordshire School Improvement Partnership promoting Enterprise Education and Student Voice and Leadership before becoming one of 11 Virtual School Heads for Looked After Children on the Department for Children, Schools & Families VSH pilot. I moved to another VSH post before developing an independent training and consultancy role specialising in removing the barriers that affect vulnerable children and young people throughout the UK. Of course young people turn into adults and increasingly our work is starting to focus on their needs too.

I am an expert in the impact that FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) can have on individuals, families and our communities as well as the challenges faced by those who have suffered Adverse Childhood Experiences.

I have worked with various Government Departments in England & Wales including Education, Health & Social Care, Digital Media & Sport, Business and the Treasury. Also various agencies including OfSTED, the Secondary Schools & Academies Trust, NICE, BASW, HMI and Public Health England. Training has been provided for numerous Local Authorities in England, Wales & Scotland.

Training, Collaborative working and Consultation has been provided for an number of charities including the National Organisation for FASD, Adoption UK, BAAF and the Fostering Network.

I also work in collaboration with the National Organisation for FASD, KCA Training and AC Education

Individual work has been commissioned to support individuals and school develop the best environments for Teaching & Learning over many years.

Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Fieldofenterprise

Brian Roberts


Trainer & Consultant

Brian is an independent trainer & consultant specialising in providing support for vulnerable individuals and those that care for and work with them.

Georgia Roberts


Advocate & Trainer

Georgia is a passionate advocate for vulnerable people and is keen to allow people to see life from her lived experience as someone who has successfully coped with barriers that did affect her.

Fostering & FASD 2022 reflections on the Thematic report from the Fostering Network

This is a reflection on the Thematic report issued by the Fostering Network that looks at FASD in the fostered community. The report also looks at Mental Health, Education and Contact arrangements. Not considered in this blog

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Today is the day FASD is officially recognized in England & Wales

Lets celebrate the fact that today the NICE Quality Standard for FASD has been published for England and Wales. A huge and significant leap forward for everyone affected and potentially affected. Still loads to do, but after 19 years today is a day to celebrate

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Today we launch www.FASD.me A hugely significant jump forward

This is a personal reflection on the launch of a truly unique resource for those affected by FASD

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Prevent FASD PSHE information lesson plan

Link to PSHE resources for FASD Awareness

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Foster Care and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders(FASD)

For international FASD Day I was going to write one Blog entitled 'Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.' A title stolen from John Lennon. Half of it is in pencil in my notebook because a lot of life happened. So for International FASD Day (09/09/2020) I submit three articles written in collaboration with the National Organisation for FASD for their brand new website www.nationalFASD.org.uk

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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the education system

In over 35 years in education including within the senior leadership team, of a secondary school, in a local authorities’ school improvement service, as a Virtual School Head for Children in Care and a School Governor in three very different schools I learnt most about teaching and learning by living with and supporting children and young people with FASD. Quotes from this article are included in the Educators section of www.nationalFASD.org.uk

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Living with the extended family – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) & Kinship / Connected Care and Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs) .

For international FASD day (09/09/2020) I was asked to write s short piece about the added challenges faced by Special Guardians and Kinship / Connected / Friends and Family Carers. It is probably this type of family that faces maybe the biggest challenges but possible these aren’t solely caused by FASD This article can be found on www.nationalFASD.org.uk in the all shapes of families section

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What's risk got to do with it?

This is my second concern ....Am I able to assess the risks associated with children and young people returning to school. I don't think that I can. Does this have bigger implications?

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Can we treat everyone in the same way when we return to School, or College after Covid-19?

I am kind of worried. On two accounts really. Both are real and quite different. This blog looks at the first of these ………The impact that returning to school will have on children and young people and how adults can best meet their learning needs.

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  • Chatteris, England, United Kingdom
  • 18 Doddington Road, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire PE16 6UA

Profile and experience image
Biography

Brian was a Local Authority foster carer for over 30 years. Along with his wife they have provided long term foster care for large sibling groups. They have been the Special Guardians of three girls that they previously looked after and are still Special Guardians for one young man aged 16.

Brian has been Virtual School Head in two English Local Authorities and was one of the Virtual Heads who was on the Department for Children, Schools and Families national pilot. He was also closely involved in national pilots on One to One Tuition, Multi-Therapeutic Treatment Foster Care and the Assisted Boarding School Pathfinder.

Brian has given oral evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Working Group on Adoption and Fostering on Looked After Children’s Educational Achievement (2007), Looked After Children’s Achievement (2010) and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders on the impact that FASD has on family life and education (2016 & 2018). He was chosen as one of four foster carers to give oral evidence in Parliament to the Education Select Committee inquiry on the future of fostering (2017) and contributed to the development of Social Worker CPD on securing permanence for Children in Care for the Department for Education (2017). Brian also represented people impacted by FASD at the launch of a national inquiry into the implementation of health advice regarding FASD in Parliament and was a contributor to the FASD UK Alliance discussions with the Deputy Chief Medical Advisor about supporting those affected by FASD and also Adoption UK’s Ministerial Round Table discussion focusing on Post Adoption Support, the Education of adopted children and FASD (2018).
In 2020 Brian has been a developer on the national Prevent FASD PSHE programme, the Department of Health and Social Care FASD Awareness and training project and the co-authored the Me & My FASD website for affected young people. He has also worked on the new National Organisation for FASD website.

During spring 2021 he was leading the development and distribution of materials to families in England affected by FASD as part of a COVID response initiative from the Department of Culture Media and Sport to support Vulnerable families

He has been a key participant in the National Round Tables aimed at collecting best practice in assessing for and supporting those with FASD that culminated in the ‘The Time is Now’ report in response to the publication of the NICE FASD Quality Standards.

He has written academically for the FASD Trust and the Corum BAAF journal on the Impact that FASD has on education and learning in the UK. He has also appeared on FASD documentaries for the BBC & FASD Trust.

He trained and practiced as a teacher for over 25 years His experience covers Humanities Education, Careers Education and Guidance, Young People’s Voice and Leadership and he was England’s only Advanced Skills Teacher for Enterprise Education. He has been a trainer and consultant since 2013, contributing to a number of national initiatives in England and Wales.

Experience 
Current -
Director for Education & Wellbeing National Organisation for FASD & Independent Trainer and Consultant;
Expert member of steering panel NHS / Seashell Trust project on best practice FASD Training and shared UK glossary
Member of the National FASD UK Alliance steering group
Assessor & Verifier for Industry (Vocational) Qualifications
Foster Care Associates Fostering Panel Member East Midlands Region
Associate Trainer, Kate Cairns Associates / KCA – FASD, Trauma, Resilience, Emotional Coaching, Un met Attachment needs, Attachment Aware Schools, Behaviour, Secure Base & Sexualised Behaviour Training. Assessment of collaborative online learning Levels 2 to 4.

2021 -2023 Chair of Governors Riverside Meadows Academy Special School
1994 -2023 Foster Carer; Bedfordshire County Council / Central Bedfordshire Council / Bedford Borough Council & Chair Bedfordshire Foster Care Association
2018 - 2020 Foster Care Associates Fostering Panel Member East Midlands Region
2016-2017 SCOPE Fostering Panel Member Eastern Region. (This fostering service has now ceased to operate)
2015 - 2020 Member of the Associate Reference group for KCA Training & Consultancy. Training Author for KCA. National lead for KCA on various Attachment Aware Schools Projects
2013-2019 Foster Care Associates Fostering Panel Member Eastern Region (Movement of the area office to an inaccessible location)
2013-2017 Governor Glebelands Primary School Chatteris Cambridgeshire (Now a Primary Academy)
2011- 2013 Director of Education, Trainer and Consultant; The FASD Trust (End of collaboration, the charity has now ceased to operate)
2010-2011 Visiting tutor CPD Course on Looked After Children for Designated Teachers at Homerton College, Cambridge University & Cambridgeshire Virtual School (End of collaboration)
2009- 2013 Head of the Virtual School for Looked After Children; Peterborough City Council & consultant to DCSF pilot (Voluntary redundancy)
2008 – 2009 Head of the Virtual School for Looked After Children; Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council & DCSF Pilot Head, Assisted Boarding School Pathfinder Project, Multi-therapeutic Foster Care DCSF Project, (Moved on to Peterborough role)
2007 – 2008 School Improvement Consultant; Bedfordshire School Improvement Partnership / Bedfordshire County Council – Enterprise education, Student Voice and Leadership (End of secondment)
2005 -2017 Chair of England Advisory Committee; the Fostering Network (End of collaboration)
2004 – 2008 Advanced Skills Teacher - Enterprise Education: Bedfordshire County Council based at Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College (Moved on to Dudley role)
1990 – 1994 Parent Governor John Gibbard Lower School Sharnbrook Bedfordshire (Daughter moved to Middle School)
1988 – 2004 Teacher, Assistant Head of Year, Head of Carers Education & Guidance, Assistant Head Teacher: Hastingsbury Upper School & Community College / Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College, Bedford - Geography, all Humanities subjects, Travel & Tourism, IT, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, Student Exchange Programme USA. Staff Governor. (promoted to AST)
1984 – 1988 Teacher, Head of Consortium Learning; Orwell High School, Felixstowe – Geography & work related learning, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme (moved on to Hastingsbury)

Qualifications 
Advanced Skills Teacher; Department for Education and Skills 2004
Cert of Professional Development Best Practice Research Scholarship ~ Student Voice and Leadership; Department for Education and Skills 2001
Cert of Professional Study ~ Careers Education and Guidance; University of Cambridge 1995
MA in Management (Education); Open University 1994
Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Secondary) with Distinction in Educational Theory; University of Leeds 1984
BSc in Applied Geography CNAA; Coventry (Lanchester) Polytechnic 1983

Publications 
Lead Author Living FASD Magazine
RISK PSHE Programme for schools and community groups to prevent FASD in young people June 2020
Contributor to NoFAS UK CCGs are failing Government Policy on FASD Discussion document based on freedom of information requests presented to the APPG of FASD in Parliament NoFAS UK 09/05/2019
‘I know that I am in my own world; it’s ok, they know me here’: the challenge of coping with FASD in educational settings. Adoption & Fostering Vol 39 (3) Oct 2015 Sage Publications / Coram BAAF – Coram / BAAF FASD journal
Attachment & A Secure Base Training programme KCA Oct 2015
FASD ‘Long morning after’ training programme on FASD KCA from 2011 with annual updates
FASD e-learning Level 3 & 4 KCA May 2015
‘All About Me’ – FASD workbook for 8 to 14 year olds FASD Trust 2013
Contributor to final Report on Virtual School Heads Project Bristol University / Department for Education 2008
Best Practice Research Scholarship – Promoting Student Voice and Leadership Department for Education 2001
Various articles on Geography for Times Educational Supplement
FASD
Prevent FASD www.preventfasd.info 
National Organization for FASD www.nationalfasd.org.uk 
FASD Network UK www.fasdnetwork.org 
NHS Scotland – www.gov.scot/publications/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-awareness-toolkit  & www.sdf.org.uk/scotland-publishes-first-uk-guidelines-for-diagnosing-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-fasd/ 
National FASD Clinic –  www.fasdclinic.com/ 
Centre for FASD www.centreforfasd.co.uk 

FASD & Challenging Behaviours
Oregon Behavior Consultation www.oregonbehavior.com 

Adverse childhood Experiences
What are ACE’s and how do they relate to toxic stress
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/aces-and-toxic-stress-frequently-asked-questions/?fbclid=IwAR1yh3jA8zK3jk4qITGMwJ8VNJ0x-sL8rCevG8JRDGkWDnf876b3gHAB9vk 
Welsh Assembly Government report into ACE’s www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/88504 
Public Health Wales ACE’s www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiMjTzCnbNQ 

Emotional Coaching 
Introduction to emotion coaching  www.gottman.com/blog/an-introduction-to-emotion-coaching/ 
Emotion Coaching UK Achievement for All https://afaeducation.org/free-dt-resources/explore-our-resources/emotion-coaching/ 

Attachment Aware Schools
Attachment Research Community https://the-arc.org.uk/ 
Bath Spa University Research www.bathspa.ac.uk/education/research/attachment-aware-schools/ 

Training partners
Kate Cains Associates www.kca.training
National Organisation for FASD www.nationalFASD.org.uk 
Adoption UK www.adoptionuk.org 
Fostering Network www.fosteringnetwork.co.uk 
A C Education www.ac-education.co.uk

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