Kym is at the Frontline of supporting young children thanks to UON

Over half a million children in England do not have a safe or stable home. University of Northampton graduate, Kym Chalmers, is set to join the challenging mission of transforming the lives of the most vulnerable members of society as she joins the Frontline programme.

Kym graduated from the Early Childhood Studies programme in 2018 and has spent the last two years working in a residential care home for children in Northampton. Kym credits her time at the university in helping her land one of only a handful of places on a highly competitive programme.

In a matter of weeks, Kym will begin a two-year intensive programme to become a qualified social worker, with Frontline.  Frontline is a charity with a mission to transform the lives of vulnerable children by recruiting and developing outstanding graduates who may not previously have considered a career in social work, through their two-year postgraduate study programme.

Speaking about being accepted onto the programme, Kym said: “As a young person, I wasn’t particularly confident in my academic skills, but whilst studying at the University of Northampton my tutors helped to build my confidence and nurtured my passion to advocate for young people. While studying for my social care module, I was inspired by Dr Eunice Lumsden. She inspired me focus on social care as a career path, without her influence I wouldn’t be where I am today – about to take a very exciting step to become a social worker.

“I’ve seen that the relationship young people have with their social worker is not always an easy one. My passion is to work hard to break the stereotypical view that children often have of their social worker.  I’m excited to be part of the Frontline programme because I feel like this will give me the opportunity to change this perception.

“I plan to do this by placing a strong focus on being dependable, consistent and reliable, I aim to build strong relationships with the children I’m responsible for.  As well as working with them to create small, manageable changes to their personal circumstances, and giving them ownership of these changes where possible, to help keep them safe.

“I believe that the key to working with children is listening to what they’re saying, but also to what they’re not saying. Children do not always have the confidence or skills to express their inner emotions and it is important for a social worker to help them to feel safe and secure.”

For the next two years, Kym will undergo a rigorous study, training, and placement programme to develop the skills needed to be an excellent advocate for the most vulnerable children in society on her journey to becoming a qualified social worker.