Jo Kift

Compassionate, highly motivated and solution-focused safeguarding professional with extensive experience supporting children, young people and families with complex SEND, SEMH, communication and safeguarding needs. I build positive, trusting relationships and remain calm, empathetic and professional when supporting individuals through sensitive and challenging situations. I have significant experience of targeted pastoral support for pupils aged 9–18 with complex SEMH needs, in both Pastoral Support Officer and key worker roles.

I drive strategies to strengthen emotional regulation, wellbeing, and engagement with education; build effective partnerships with parents and carers; and coordinate closely with CAMHS, Social Care, Police and other professionals. I play an active role in multi-agency meetings, safeguarding processes, risk assessments, behaviour support plans and care planning, ensuring support remains responsive, consistent and centred on each pupil. Promoted internally to Speech and Language Therapy Assistant (SaLTA) in September 2026, delivering targeted interventions, documenting clinical observations and tracking progress.

I implement therapist-led strategies that advance pupils’ language, social communication and emotional understanding. My wider experience includes delivering safeguarding-focused casework for vulnerable families through the Homes for Ukraine scheme and coordinating transition and pastoral support in secondary education. I have also completed foster-carer assessment and training, led children’s charity fundraising initiatives and contributed actively to school communities.

Resilient, adaptable and self-motivated, I bring emotional intelligence, sound judgement and a practical, solution-focused approach. Drawing on experience across Speech and Language Therapy, SEND, SEMH, safeguarding, pastoral care, family support and multi-agency working, I empower children, young people and vulnerable adults to feel safe, understood and able to fulfil their potential.

Speech and Language Therapy Assistant (SaLTa) - St Edward’s School

(2026-09 - 2026-10)

Progressed internally from Pastoral Support Officer to Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, working alongside the Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT) to support children and young people with speech, language, communication, social interaction, and SEMH needs.

• Work closely with the SaLT to deliver individual and small-group interventions aligned with pupils’ communication needs and therapy targets.
• Support receptive and expressive language, social communication, interaction, emotional understanding, and functional communication.
• Observe pupils across classroom, therapeutic and unstructured environments, identifying patterns in communication, engagement, emotional regulation, and social interaction.
• Produce clear, accurate clinical observation records and provide feedback to the SaLT on presentation, progress and areas requiring further support.
• Implement SaLT-recommended strategies and programmes, adapting support to pupils’ individual communication, sensory and emotional needs.
• Use pupils’ interests and motivating activities to encourage engagement, shared attention, turn-taking, conversation, and positive peer interaction.
• Support pupils to recognise, understand, and communicate emotions, needs and difficulties, particularly where communication needs affect behaviour, relationships, or participation in learning.
• Work collaboratively with education, pastoral, care and therapy teams to promote consistent communication approaches across environments.
• Draw on pastoral experience and knowledge of SEMH, safeguarding, emotional regulation, and behaviour support to provide a holistic approach.
• Maintain accurate and confidential records of interventions, observations, and pupil progress.

Pastoral Support Officer and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead - St Edward’s School

(2024-04 - 2026-08)

Deputy Designated Lead overseeing operational safeguarding matters, assessing risk, and prioritising actions whilst raising awareness to driving improvements for referral standards and consistency. Provided individualised pastoral support to pupils aged 9–18, including children and young people with SEMH needs and complex presentations, promoting safety, emotional wellbeing, resilience, positive relationships and engagement with education.

• Built trusted relationships with pupils, creating safe, predictable support during anxiety, distress and emotional dysregulation.
• Assessed key pupils’ social, emotional, behavioural, safeguarding and pastoral needs, tailoring support to individual circumstances.
• Identified, documented and escalated safeguarding and child-protection concerns promptly and appropriately.
• Delivered preventative, relationship-based support that strengthened emotional regulation, resilience, social interaction and engagement with learning.
• Partnered with parents and carers to provide reassurance, practical guidance and consistent support across home and school.
• Coordinated communication between pupils, families, school teams and external agencies, including CAMHS, Social Care and Police.
• Represented pupils’ needs in multi-agency forums, including Annual Reviews, PEP meetings, CLA reviews and care-planning meetings.
• Developed, implemented and reviewed IBSPs, IPRAs and Care Plans, ensuring support remained responsive to changing needs.
• Maintained accurate, timely and confidential written and electronic case records.
• Aligned education, care and therapy teams around coordinated, consistent support for each pupil.
• Safeguarded pupils across structured and unstructured settings while promoting positive behaviour, social interaction and independence.
• Designed and delivered activities that built confidence, independence, social skills and positive relationships.
• Applied preventative, relational and de-escalation strategies, using Team Teach-trained physical intervention only when required to maintain safety.

Resettlement Caseworker - The Pickwell Foundation – Homes for Ukraine - North Devon

(2022-05 - 2023-09)

Supported host families and Ukrainian guests through the Homes for Ukraine resettlement scheme, providing practical, sensitive and compassionate casework support.

• Coordinated health, safety and safeguarding arrangements for host families and Ukrainian guests.
• Delivered responsive face-to-face support, building trusted relationships with guests, hosts and partner organisations.
• Coordinated with local authorities, schools and safeguarding teams to share information securely and drive timely action.
• Maintained accurate, confidential case files, financial records and supporting documentation.
• Guided individuals and families through complex, sensitive circumstances with empathy, professionalism and discretion.
• Managed an independent, flexible caseload across face-to-face and remote settings while contributing to team priorities.
• Resolved casework challenges through decisive communication, organisation and practical problem-solving.

Supermarket Personal Shopper & Cashier – Part Time - Tesco

(2020-04 - 2024-05)

Provided customer-focused service in a busy retail environment, balancing accuracy, efficiency and positive communication while managing competing priorities.

Foster Carer - Capstone Foster Carers - Newton Abbot, South Devon

(2018-09 - 2020-05)

Compassionately cared for children with complex needs, neglect and abuse, working closely with schools, medical professionals, social workers, birth parents and other agencies. Maintained records and administration and attended training and support groups. Built a stable and healthy family environment strengthening maintain healthy happy children.

Pastoral Care Officer - St Christopher’s Trust at The Ilfracombe Academy - Ilfracombe, Devon

(2017-10 - 2018-09)

• Delivered targeted, multi-agency support for pupils facing barriers to learning, including those with SEND.
• Addressed safeguarding, welfare, attendance, motivation, emotional and behavioural needs through responsive pastoral support.
• Coordinated with school teams and external agencies to implement agreed support and secure timely interventions.
• Built trusted relationships with pupils and families, strengthening wellbeing, engagement and progress.
• Ensured accurate, secure and timely transfer of pupil information within and between schools.

Transition & Pastoral Coordinator - St Christopher’s Trust at The Ilfracombe Academy - Ilfracombe, Devon

(2010-01 - 2016-08)

• Coordinated primary-to-secondary transition with local schools, prioritising vulnerable pupils and those with SEND.
• Assessed and identified pupils requiring targeted support for safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and exclusion risks.
• Developed and implemented individual action plans to address identified needs and improve pupil engagement.
• Built trusted relationships with pupils and families while coordinating support with colleagues and external professionals.
• Maintained proactive contact with families and carers, strengthening engagement and consistent support between home and school.

Jk Beauty - South East London