Legendary Olympic medallist Fatima Whitbread MBE visited our headquarters earlier this month to find out more about our children’s social care services.
During the visit, Fatima met with staff and was given an overview of social care practice in Essex. She was able to observe staff at work and we were pleased to be able to share with her the fantastic news about our latest ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report.
Fatima was then accompanied to the It’s My Life Festival at Danbury Outdoors. This is an annual event which brings together children and young people from across Essex. She met with attendees and supported the afternoon’s activities.
Fatima is care experienced and her visit was about raising the profile of social work. Following her visit, she praised staff working in children’s social care in Essex.
She said:
“What’s nice is that from all cross sections they’re [social care staff] all passionate about what they do. They live in their world; they’re not segregated in the way that we felt with our social workers - the annual visit that came every so often and then they disappeared and that was that.
“This is somebody who ends up being their friend, their surrogate family makes a big difference to their lives. They’re someone they can trust; someone they can share what’s going on in their lives, what’s in their hearts and also emotionally as well. They don’t have to be hiding away, they can be themselves.”
Councillor Beverley Egan, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Early Years, said:
“It was fantastic to be able to welcome Fatima to County Hall as well as the It’s My Life Festival and it was a real pleasure for staff and young people to be able to meet such an inspirational icon of British sport.
“Fatima wants to raise the profile of social work and we were pleased to be able to share an overview of the work we do in Essex to achieve the best possible outcomes for vulnerable young people across the county.”
Fatima won the World Championships in 1987 and bronze and silver medals at the Olympics in 1984 and 1988. In 1986 she became the first British athlete to set a world record in a throwing event. She also won the nation’s hearts again by coming third on ITV’s I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2011 and 2023.
