Wynand McDonald

Wynand McDonald qualified as a social worker at Pretoria University (South Africa) in 1991. He then excepted officer’s commission in the South African Defence Force where he worked as a senior social worker delivering a wide range of services, including: family therapy, mental health services, research, community work and group therapy. During this time he also undertook further post-graduate studies in Psychology at the University of South Africa.

In 1996 he resigned his commission to be a social worker in private practice that focused mainly on families who experienced difficulties with mental health and addiction. Later, his practice consulted to a private addiction treatment centre where he fulfilled the role of the Assistant Head of Treatment. His duties included programme development, assessment and admission of patients and supervision of social work staff. Other areas of his practice included reporting in family law proceedings for the Office of the Family Advocate as well as being an expert witness, in criminal proceedings, for the South African Supreme Court.

He immigrated to the United Kingdom in 2001 where he worked in a busy West London children and families service as a senior social worker, assistant manager and manager of a frontline child protection team. His duties included the preparation of court reports in family proceeding matters and supervision of managers and senior social workers.  Wynand feels strongly about training and development of social workers and he has been a practice teacher since 2003.

Recently, he accepted the role as policy / developmental officer for a Local Safeguarding Children Board which affords him the opportunity to do training and develop policy. He is also an Independent Reviewing Officer and he chairs complex strategy meetings and child protection case conferences.

Current projects include work on private fostering, missing children and safeguarding procedures.