My name is Jimmy Peters, I am the new manager of Paddock House in Hythe and would just like to take this opportunity in introducing myself.

I commenced my employment at Paddock House in April 2010 and am looking forward to a long and fruitful career.

I started my career working at Parkfield School in Folkestone in 1983 as a Residential Child Care Officer in a residential attached to a school for 23 children with physical and intellectual disabilities. I moved to Australia in 1986 where I worked as the Assistant Manager for the Autistic Children’s Association of Queensland, in their Adult Independent Living Residence. While there I commenced my Diploma in Social Work (completing it in 1991). I was successful and gained the Programme Managers position at a Aishling Respite Services where I worked for five and half years. I was able to creatively establish a family support service that not only cared for the individual with the disability and/or illness but a network of services that supported the whole family.

I returned to the United Kingdom in 1995 where I had a brief stint with a marketing company before taking up employment at Foxwood School as Deputy Head of Care in a School for people with Autism and Challenging behaviour.