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I am Nina Warrington, a new member of the Foundations staff and one of five in the Regional Advisor Team. I will be the Regional Advisor for the South-West region.  I have been asked to write this blog to introduce myself which at the start felt a bit of a daunting task – no-one likes writing about themselves!

My career journey started many years ago training to be a Registered General Nurse and following this completing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Policy. I have been lucky to have worked in the health, social care and housing sector and gained specific experience working with adults with learning disabilities, acquired brain injury and mental health.

In the early part of my career I was recruited to lead a project looking at how authorities should work in a cohesive way to develop and attract greater investment into supported housing. This was commissioned by a two-tier authority and funded through an Innovation and Good Practice Grant provided by the Housing Corporation (now called Homes England) and my work and research was published in a good practice document called “Joined Up Thinking on Supported Housing”.  This helped me recognise at an early stage the importance of working in an integrated way to meet the housing, health and care needs of people and enable independence.

I have spent 25 years’ working for local authorities in strategic housing roles at a middle and senior management level. My last position was as a Head of Service managing staff and leading teams with responsibility for housing advice and homelessness, private sector housing, enabling the delivery of affordable housing and policy and strategy development. I have experience commissioning cross authority and multi-disciplined Home Improvement Agency Services, writing specifications, the streamlining of DFGs, contractor frameworks and procurement and developing a Dementia Dwelling Grant.

I have extensive experience working strategically, writing a range of policy, commissioning housing and health services and managing contracts. Working in partnership has been a vital element of this work and I am passionate about this.  Integration is an essential element in meeting housing need effectively and I worked hard to create an integrated approach across Health, Housing and Social Care in my previous employment. The county was one of the first in the country to sign up to the Housing, Health and Social Care Memorandum of Understanding with an associated delivery plan and it resulted in housing gaining a seat and membership at the Health and Wellbeing Board table.  This also resulted in being recognised in several good practice publications.

I have sort support from Foundations over the years, met a few of the Team and received the advice and help asked for. I am excited and pleased to now be joining the Foundations Regional Advisor Team and am inspired and completely support their mission and values.  I look forward to bringing my knowledge and experience and look forward to working with all of you to achieve positive change in the delivery of home adaptations and improvements.