The 47-year-old from Edinburgh is responsible for adoption and foster services throughout the district, working with children, their families and carers.
She studied at Queen Margaret College and Edinburgh University before taking up posts with Lothian, Tayside and Glasgow councils.

What first interested you about foster and adoption work?
I've always been really interested in working with children and their families.
I get a lot of pleasure out of seeing children making progress and, sometimes, when they blossom after going into foster care.
Other than seeing them growing and developing, seeing the situation at home improving so that they can be reunited with their families is fantastic.

Is it sometimes difficult to find a suitable foster or adoptive family?
There is no doubt that we are in need of foster families in East Dunbartonshire, but there are plenty of great carers out there already.
The old view was that once a child was placed for adoption, that was the happy ending. But adoption is a lifelong commitment which requires specialised input as the child progresses.
We have a great team of two men and two women who each have different areas of experience and knowledge.

Can your job be quite harrowing at times?
It can be very sad seeing children disappointed by their parents and having to come to terms with the fact they can't go home.
That can be incredibly difficult for the parents too but I see it more from the children's perspective.
For the foster parents, there is also the experience of seeing a child they were caring for returning to their birth parents.
I think they find that very bittersweet as they are happy the child is getting on with their life, but miss them as they have become so attached.

What would you regard a success story?
I think you can look at success in two ways.
You can have a child reunited with their family and seeing a parent who has made progress by getting better. That is wonderful and it is what we are always striving for.
However, there is also seeing a child come through whatever difficulty they have had with their birth family to become an important part of their new family.

How can you find out more
about becoming a foster parent or adopter?
Every year we have an information evening in Smiths Hotel in Kirkintilloch, and the next one will tie in with Fostering Fortnight, which runs from May 12 to May 25.
We ask for anyone who has ever thought about caring for children in any capacity to come along and have an informal chat with us. We can advise them what kind of care might suit them and their family.
I would be delighted if people came along to find out if it is definitely for them.

What does it take to become a carer?
I think it takes a very special person to be a carer.
Sometimes people think that because they already have two or three children, one more won't make any difference, but that once child will need a lot of attention.
A full fostering assessment can take six months and part of the reason for that is there is a lot to learn and people need to think about the impact it could have on their lives.
You have to have an interest in, and a liking for, children. You need to have common sense, patience and a sense of humour.
Caring for children isn't easy as there is a massive demand on your time. It is complex and challenging, but the rewards are huge.

Do you have much spare time?
Sometimes I work a reasonable number of evenings, but my workers do a lot more evenings to do things like assessments.
I've recently got into gardening but I really love to travel. I've been to China a couple of times, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and throughout Europe.

Getting to know you
First car: Red Ford Fiesta 1.1
First record: Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves by Cher
Favourite TV programme: Sex in the City
Favourite holiday destination: Vietnam
Book currently reading: Caesar by Colleen McCulloch
Famous person most like to meet: George Clooney

• The fostering information evening at Smiths Hotel takes places from 6pm until 8pm on Thursday, May 15. Anyone interested can drop in on the night or call 0141 578 1010 beforehand for more details. More details on fostering are also available by e-mailing familybasedcare@eastdunbarton.gov.uk