Carlette Groome-Matthew
Lowlands
Summary
Creative individual passionate about merging social work with the arts. Thrives on exploring innovative methods to perfect craft and engage individuals from diverse backgrounds. Love for the arts and commitment to social impact. Seeks to create meaningful connections and make a positive difference in the lives of others. Dedication, adaptability, and strong interpersonal skills drive contribution to the betterment of communities and empower individuals to reach their fullest potential.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Social Worker
Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
Port of Spain, Trinidad
04.2018 - 12.2025
- Conducts counselling sessions with members of staff on problem identification and resolution
- Assist individuals toward self-understanding, self-direction and self-determination
- Determines needs for specialized counselling and provides for troubled employees a referral service to professional organizations and individuals
- Provides professional advice and information on rehabilitation programmes
- Assists individuals through discussions to understand, cope with and overcome personal, social and economic problems
- Makes visits to the homes of house bound employees and/or their families to render assistance and advice
- Assists in planning, developing, evaluating and improving welfare services.
Part Time Lecturer
The University of Southern Caribbean
Tobago
05.2014 - 12.2022
- Provide quality teaching, learning and assessment to learners using the most appropriate and innovative methods
- Undertake formal assessment of learner achievement and offer clear and timely feedback on progress and opportunities for progression to learners
- Provide students with regular reports of progress and offer guidance on how to improve performance
- Maintain a current knowledge of the subject area, developments in further education and training.
HIV and AIDS Advocacy Officer
HIV Workplace Advocacy Unit (HWAU)
Port of Spain, Trinidad
10.2016 - 03.2018
- Design, implement and review plans proposed to achieve the mission and vision of the National Workplace Policy on HIV and AIDS
- Provide ongoing sensitization, technical support and guidance to the public and private sector and workers in the informal economy for the implementation of the National Workplace Policy on HIV and AIDS
- Prepare reports on programmes and activities
- Use advocacy activities to develop a network of key constituents and stakeholders and foster interest among government, employers and workers in addressing HIV at their workplaces
- Participate in the preparation of promotion and related materials
- Participate in the development and implementation of relevant research.
Board Member
Children’s Life Fund Authority
Port of Spain, Tobago
12.2014 - 12.2017
- Operate, manage and administer the Children’s Life Fund
- Facilitate the provision of specialist medical treatment to children suffering from life threatening illnesses for which the required treatment is unavailable at a local medical institution
- Ensure the prudential management of the Children’s Life Fund based on best practices used for investments of a similar nature.
Senior Social Worker
The Division of Health and Social Services
Tobago
11.2012 - 10.2016
- Provided leadership and development training to peers and colleagues
- Developed and coordinated community-based resources to strengthen families and communities
- Served as a community referral source and resource person
- Facilitated development sessions for staff
- Counseled Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV) experiencing stigma and discrimination
- Developed HIV & AIDS community outreach and activism project ‘Siddong on de Corner’
- Developed and produced community based activism production Silent Voices
- Provided assessment, care management and other social work services relevant to the needs of the most vulnerable children, young people and families
- Provided prevention/early intervention services to individuals, families and communities
- Provided counseling support to service users and their families
- Coordinated team meetings and provided specific case consultation to peers
- Provided clients assistance with housing stabilization
- Participated in the interviewing process for hiring new social work staff.
Caribbean Internship Project
Foundation for the Development of Caribbean Children (FDCC) & Child Fund Caribbean (CCF)
Castle Bruce, Dominica
06.2012 - 10.2012
- Provided support and assistance to the local Fundraising committee
- Provided support and guidance to the YouCAN Advocacy Action Plan
- Facilitated capacity development workshops of YouCAN members, in the areas of enhanced presentation skills, confidence building and project proposal writing
- Facilitated the implementation of primary research on parents’ knowledge, attitudes and practice in Early Childhood Education
- Facilitated parenting workshops for Child Fund Caribbean
- Provided Training to the Roving Caregivers
- Provided income generating assistance to unemployed persons in underprivileged communities
- Facilitated Youth Skills Training workshops
- Facilitated motivational workshops for at risk youth.
Graduate Assistant
The University of the West Indies
Mona, Jamaica
09.2009 - 05.2012
- Assisted department chairperson, faculty members and other professional staff members in planning and facilitating conferences and workshops
- Coordinated supplemental academic programmes for students
- Facilitated development sessions for lower level students
- Assisted with instruction of courses for assigned academic areas
- Provided leadership and mentoring to lower level students
- Graded examinations and papers
- Completed other duties/tasks as assigned by the supervisors.
Senior Resident Advisor
Mary Seacole Hall
Mona, Jamaica
08.2008 - 05.2012
- Managed the overall operation and supervision of a residence hall of 252 women
- Assisted in the coordination of the residence hall programming activities
- Provided therapeutic intervention services to adult women using individual and group treatment
- Designed and coordinated leadership and development programs for women
- Designed and coordinated community-based outreach programs including the PROJECT ANGEL program for persons living with HIV/AIDS, Dare to Care, Jerusalem and National Children’s Home
- Advocated at the local levels for an end to violence against women
- Served as a knowledgeable consultant for students concerning university support services
- Developed and facilitated staff development sessions for the RA staff
- Created and maintained records for accurate information of the hall office operations
- Developed residence hall programs (First Year Experience, UBUNTU, Third Year Experience)
- Supported and assisted Resident Advisors in planning the logistics of residence hall programs
- Coordinated supplemental academic programmes for students
- Tutored students who were failing academically
- Counseled students who were failing academically.
Research Officer/ Social Worker
SISTREN Theatre Collective
Kingston, Jamaica
09.2010 - 01.2012
- Coordinated and facilitated leadership and development programs for teenagers from inner city communities
- Facilitated summer school programs for children living in violent communities
- Provided crisis intervention to children and adolescents living in violent circumstances
- Facilitated school and community workshops about parenting and adolescent issues
- Worked with the Street Theatre Drama group
- Collected various forms of data pertaining to the research projects
- Conducted analyses of data.
Intern
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
Kingston, Jamaica
01.2007 - 07.2009
- Provided short-term intervention to newly diagnosed clients focusing on HIV disease management, prevention/risk reduction education
- Co-facilitated adherence counselling sessions with Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV)
- Co-facilitated peer education sessions with key populations
- Referred clients to social service organizations which assisted PLHIVs
- Provided short-term therapy for clients with concerns such as being recently diagnosed, disclosing their HIV status to loved ones, intimate partner violence
- Advocated for effective condom use with commercial sex workers, night club dancers.
Teacher Secondary
Mason Hall Government Secondary School
Mason Hall, Tobago
08.2000 - 08.2005
- Planned, prepared and delivered instructional activities that facilitate active learning experiences
- Developed schemes of work and lesson plans for students’ instruction
- Observed and evaluated student's performance and development
- Assigned and graded class work, homework, tests and assignments
- Provided appropriate feedback on work
- Encouraged and monitored the progress of individual students
- Managed pupil behaviour in the classroom and on school premises, and applied appropriate and effective measures in cases of misbehaviour
- Participated in and organized extracurricular activities, such as outings, social activities and sporting events.
Education
Master of Social Work -
The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus
10.2012
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work -
The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus
09.2008
Skills
- Compassionate
- Case Management
- Client Advocacy
- Conflict Resolution
- Efficient under pressure
- Attention to Detail
- Multidisciplinary team collaboration
- Analytical Thinking
- Self-awareness
- Crisis Intervention
- Risk Assessment
- Intervention Planning
- Case Documentation
- Motivational Interviewing
- Client Confidentiality
- Empathy building
- Assessment skills
Community Service Activities
- Outreach Coordinator Mary Seacole Hall
- SISTREN Theatre Collective member
- Guild of Students councillor
- Presenter on Child Abuse and Parenting
- Centre for HIV/ AIDS Research Education and Services (CHARES) volunteer
- Youth for Abstinence Project Coordinator
- Youth Upliftment Through Employment (Y.U.T.E) mentor
- Inter School Christian Fellowship camp counsellor
- Inter School /Varsity Christian Fellowship sponsor
Activities
- Vice President- Trinidad and Tobago Social Workers’ Association- Tobago Chapter- 2015- 2016
- Vice President- Trinidad and Tobago Students Association, Mona Campus, Jamaica 2006 – 2007
- Presenter- Association of Caribbean Social Work Educators (ACSWE), Curacao, July 2013- Breaking the Silence and Re-Writing the Script.
- Presenter- International Social Work Conference, Uganda, March 2014 – Drama and Women’s stories
- Trainee- The Caribbean Training and Technical Assistance (CARTTA)/ DrPH Capacity Building Workshop in Jamaica, July 2014
Publications
Re-Writing the Script: The drama of herstory and the women of Sistren, Caribbean Journal of Social Work, Vol.10, 97-124, Pear Tree Press, 2013
References
- Mr. Dwain Austelle Lockhart, Director, Public Assistance Grants, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, (767) 245-0350 (M), dwain27@hotmail.com
- The Honourable Farley Augustine, Chief Secretary, Tobago House of Assembly, Tobago 1(868) 492-6157, farleyaugustine@gmail.com
- Ms Danielle Toppin, Program Coordinator, Red Cross Barbados, Christ Church, Barbados, 1(246) 264-5986, danielletoppin@yahoo.com
Timeline
Social Worker
Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
04.2018 - 12.2025
HIV and AIDS Advocacy Officer
HIV Workplace Advocacy Unit (HWAU)
10.2016 - 03.2018
Board Member
Children’s Life Fund Authority
12.2014 - 12.2017
Part Time Lecturer
The University of Southern Caribbean
05.2014 - 12.2022
Senior Social Worker
The Division of Health and Social Services
11.2012 - 10.2016
Caribbean Internship Project
Foundation for the Development of Caribbean Children (FDCC) & Child Fund Caribbean (CCF)
06.2012 - 10.2012
Research Officer/ Social Worker
SISTREN Theatre Collective
09.2010 - 01.2012
Graduate Assistant
The University of the West Indies
09.2009 - 05.2012
Senior Resident Advisor
Mary Seacole Hall
08.2008 - 05.2012
Intern
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
01.2007 - 07.2009
Teacher Secondary
Mason Hall Government Secondary School
08.2000 - 08.2005
Master of Social Work -
The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work -
The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus