Vanessa graduated from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne with a politics degree. Her involvement with the voluntary sector has included being a Governor of two voluntary aided schools and a Director of a charitable trust. An active member of The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) at HMP Birmingham, it is through her association with the prison that Vanessa was introduced to YSS. Married with three daughters and living near Worcester, Vanessa became aware of the work of YSS’ Worcestershire Young Carers service, and quickly decided to become a Friend of YSS to support young carers as well as those responsible for resettling ex-offenders into the community.