I joined the NICS in 2014 as an Administrative Assistant and after a year was promoted to an Administrative Officer within the Child Support Agency (CSA). I really enjoyed my role as a caseworker and when I became a Team Leader within the CSA, I knew then this was the career for me.

I love knowing my work helps families and can really make a difference. I moved over to the new Child Maintenance Service in 2015 and was promoted to a Staff Officer in July 2018. I now manage a command of around 80 staff who handle Child Maintenance cases across GB.

My main role is managing staff and their caseloads. I’m here to support my teams and ensure everyone is doing their best. Part of that is ensuring my staff have the skills to do their job, while helping them develop their experience and knowledge. Enthusiasm and positivity are important skills, as at Staff Officer level you’re setting an example to staff. So, it is important I display the qualities that I want to see in my own staff.

The best aspect of the work is the people. We have over 1,000 staff with Belfast Child Maintenance Service and I get to meet so many great people at different stages of their career. It’s great watching them develop and take on new roles and challenges. It can be a very proud moment when you see your staff progress in their career.

And of course, finding out how to motivate different types of people and encourage them to work to their strengths helps you learn about yourself and your own leadership style. It’s very much a two-way process.

One of the things that makes life in the NICS so special is the professional support that’s available to you at every stage of your career. There’s always an opportunity to learn something new. We also have the Centre for Applied Learning, which offers training across the NICS and this is a great area for support whether you’re a new recruit or more established.

We have Departments here doing so much important work for the people of Northern Ireland. Within CMS we understand we really can impact the lives of families – and we want to ensure it’s always for the better.