Jennifer Dow

I first started working at The Action Group in 2006 (nearly 20 years ago!) as a play worker. I was a full time student at Heriot-Watt University studying Applied Psychology and working part time at the local cinema. I wanted to work in a role that was relevant to Psychology, and that is how I discovered social care.

I worked the Easter and Summer that year as a play worker and couldn't believe that I was being paid to do that job. After that I got a part time role as a support worker across West Lothian and Edinburgh Services. I finished my studies in 2008 gaining an honours degree. I used my experience as a support worker to inform my dissertation. Once I finished my studies, I jumped straight into a full time role as a support worker. Following that I spent some time working as a senior support worker before leaving The Action Group for a short time to work as a residential childcare worker in a residential school for teenagers in care.

I returned to The Action Group in 2011 as a Team Manager for the West Lothian team. I gained my SVQ3 in Health and Social Care and PDA in Supervision Award. Following this I spent 4 years as working in the Quality Team as a Quality Investigation Officer before moving back into Support Services in 2020 as a Development Manager.

Not done studying I went back to University on a part time basis in 2021. I gained a Masters in Psychological Research Methods - Autism Research. Once again, I used my valuable experience in the social care sector to inform my research thesis and graduated with Merit. I also gained my SVQ 4 in Health and Social Care.

I am currently in the role of Head of Services working very closely alongside Danny as Depute CEO and Robin and the Development Manager team. There is never a dull moment, or a quiet one.

Outside of work I have 2 kids who are performing arts enthusiasts. I spend nearly all of my spare time taking them to and from dance or theatre school classes. When I am not taking my children to and from classes, I love working out - whether at the gym, running on the streets, taking part in a class, or doing a workout at home. I am up for all forms of fitness. I am a staunch advocate for the positive connection between physical activity and positive mental health outcomes and resilience. I am also a fully qualified group fitness instructor and have over 10 years of experience teaching Les Mills group fitness classes, although this is much less frequently now.