Karen has over 30 years’ experience working in the housing, care and support sectors for a variety of national housing providers and local authorities. She has approximately 20 years of experience in a senior management capacity.

For the past 13 years in her consultancy capacity, Karen has primarily focused on two key aspects: driving up quality standards and change management. In supporting various organisations to drive up quality standards, she has developed a range of quality monitoring frameworks, undertaken quality audits, service reviews and care home inspections.

Karen also has extensive experience of leading on organisational change resulting in improved standards and efficiency savings, following extensive customer, staff and stakeholder consultation.
Karen is a Board member of BECHA, South London.

Example projects:

• Overseeing the management of mental health care provision for a Housing Association and undertaking the role of safeguarding lead for the association;
• Reviewing homeless hostels with recommendations for change;
• Review of care and support services for one of Northern Ireland’s largest housing providers;
• Review of Stoll’s Veteran Nomination Service including calculating the Social Return of Investment of the service;
• Independent service and governance review of a homeless hostel for the Northern Ireland Supporting People commissioner;
• Project Manager leading on the restructure of Gateway Housing care homes in East London;
• Service review and proposed restructure of two homeless hostels for YMCA London South West;
• Head of Operational Change for Metropolitan Housing Trust, providing a lead role on a range of change management projects;
• Director of Care and Support for the Barnet Group. Led on the restructure of the Group’s learning Disability services saving over £1.5million.

Key areas of work:

Change Management/Organisational Restructure/Quality Assurance/Care and Support/ Care Quality Commission/Local government/ Housing providers/ Commercial