About Big Umbrella

We are a registered company Limited by Guarantee, registration number: 07155376. We were set up in 2010 by our 2 Service Managers, Carrie and Dan Brown.

We currently operate throughout Northumberland , however we are open to providing services further afield

(Please note travel expenses will be applied. These may be negotiable on an individual basis).

We have a board of directors who meet up regularly to discuss the company; Our board consists of a variety of different people with a variety of different backgrounds, for example we have a former Educational Psychologist/teacher, an autism consultant, a parent of a child with complex needs etc... We believe that the diversity of this team is of paramount importance to ensure our services accurately meet the needs of the service users. We welcome applications from suitable people who would like to be on the team of directors (please note this is a voluntary position). For information please contact us.

Service Managers

Carrie Brown

BSc (Hons) – Health Development Studies, MA –Education Studies and Autism

Carrie has worked in many care and education roles, for example support worker, nursery nurse, trainer, SENCO, outreach worker and an advocate. All of her work has revolved around working with people directly and ensuring they gain a quality of life to which they are entitled. As a SENCO she worked within a mainstream setting ensuring the setting and educational material was suitably adapted for children with additional needs (regardless of statements and diagnosis). In all her roles as well as working with the individual, working closely with staff, families and link working with other professionals was paramount. Carrie has undergone a significant amount of training, such as child protection, behaviour management, person centred planning and is now considering a PhD.

Dan Brown

PG Dip – Autism and Research Methodology

Dan has an extensive background in management in both the public and private sector. In his management roles he has worked with a diverse mix of people and ensured their working rights and human rights were respected. Dan has also had a large amount of experience working with children and young people, for example as a support worker, play worker and an outreach worker. More recently Dan has worked as an outreach co-ordinator whereby he set up a service from scratch and developed a small team of outreach workers in the local community. Integral to this was working closely with children and young people as well as their families, ensuring their voices were heard. Dan has had a significant amount of training such as equal opportunities, risk assessment, working with parents as partners and is hoping to complete his Masters degree soon