Staff

Nexus Fostering is managed by staff who are energetic, enthusiastic and maintain an active involvement in all aspects of the agency. All social work staff are registered with the General Social Care Council. The management team have extensive experience of children’s social work and family placements.

Grace Wyatt - Director

Grace Wyatt is a qualified social worker with 30 years experience, mostly in family placements. After working with adolescents in a residential unit, Grace moved to family placements, becoming a team manager of fostering, adoption and permanency teams. Grace was also a Director of another fostering agency where her responsibilities included the provision of education support for placed children and young people, the development of policies and systems to comply with regulations and best practices. In addition to being an Advisor for several Fostering and Adoption Panels, Grace has also been a member of an Adoption panel. Prior to setting up Nexus Fostering, Grace was a social work consultant providing management support and delivering improved outcomes for permanency and adoption. Grace, who has a MSc in social work, founded Nexus Fostering in 2002.

John Collins - Deputy Director

John Collins is a qualified social worker with more than 20 years experience in Children's Services. Working for north London Authorities he began as a social worker and also worked in a residential unit. He joined an independent fostering agency with specific responsibility for strategic development of children's services. He then became the Deputy Manager for a north London Authority Children & Family Centre before setting up Nexus Fostering in 2002. John has a BSc in Sociology & Politics and a Post-graduate Diploma in Social Work.

Pauline Ciereszko - Principal Area Manager

Pauline Ciereszko is a qualified social worker, also with more than 30 years experience. Her career began by working in residential children homes, and then Pauline worked as a social worker in various office based teams including Looked After Children, Children in Need and Child Protection. She set up a project for young men who had been sexually abused and co-worked this project with a Youth and Community worker. Pauline was also an approved foster carer. Prior to joining Nexus Fostering in 2004, she was the Registered Manager for an independent fostering agency.

Steve Blomfield - Area Manager

Steve Blomfield is a qualified social worker with 16 years experience in social care settings. Steve has predominantly worked in the Anglia area with experience in child protection, children in need and planning for looked after children. Steve has been a representative at the Fostering Network for local independent fostering agencies and in his spare time has reviewed books for the British Association of Social Workers. Steve has managed the Anglia area for Nexus Fostering for the past 3 years. Steve has a Post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Professional Practice with Children and Families and Child Care Award.

Sandra Ashley - Area Manager

Sandra Ashley is a qualified social worker with 28 years experience in a variety of posts including residential work with children and adults. Sandra was an independent reviewing officer for 6 years in a local authority in the West Midlands before specialising in family placements for the last 10 years.
Sandra joined Nexus Fostering in 2007 bringing experience of family placements in a Local Authority and with another independent fostering agency.

Paul Corner - Assistant Director

Paul Corner is a qualified social worker with 24 years experience in Children's Services. Working for a London Borough, his career started in a Children's Home and then he moved to the fostering department where he became the manager of the short-term fostering team. Prior to joining Nexus Fostering in 2010, Paul had worked for an independent fostering provider since 2003 and as their registered manager from 2006.