On completion of her English Literature Degree, having explored different careers, Naomi realised that social work was her vocation. She worked in frontline roles in London for seven years, including several years working in day services for people with disabilities. In 2001 Naomi embarked on an MA and Diploma in Social Work at the University of Nottingham. On qualifying Naomi worked in a Community Learning Disability Team and went on to manage this team. She worked in local authorities in the East Midlands for the next 21 years as a frontline social worker and then manager, working mainly with adults with disabilities and mental health difficulties, as well as managing the fostering service for Nottinghamshire County Council.
In 2021, Naomi gained funding from the NIHR to complete a Masters in Research Studies. Naomi really enjoyed the opportunity to bring together research and practice experience, and as a result pursued this further as a Senior Strategic Coach at IMPACT (Uni Bham). Naomi did this role part-time alongside her operational management role in the local authority. In May 2024, Naomi became the Deputy Lead for the IMPACT Demonstrator Projects. With the Lead, Robin Miller, Naomi will be overseeing projects across the United Kingdom exploring aspects of Adult Social Care, and looking at how to coproduce different and new ways of supporting people in our communities.