I work where systems struggle most — and where it is easiest for responsibility to fall between the gaps.
I turn moral intent into delivery, and delivery into sustained change.
My work focuses on severe multiple exclusion, disadvantage, health inequality, adult social care and safeguarding — particularly where systems repeatedly struggle to respond effectively to the same people and the same challenges.
The offer is simple:
Grip the problem.
Follow it through.
Be accountable for what happens next.
Complex challenges rarely fit neatly within one service, profession or system.
I help organisations turn complexity into practical, lasting change — bringing together frontline experience, research, strategy and lived experience.
I understand people. I understand systems. I understand what it takes to change them.
Turning complexity into practical change.
Strategy · Systems · Practice · Safeguarding
Building confidence to work differently.
Complex practice · Executive functioning · Trauma · Homelessness
Connecting evidence to practice.
Research · Evaluation · Policy · Knowledge translation
Challenging thinking and changing what happens next.
Keynotes · Workshops · Leadership · Facilitation
It's a reason to think differently.
That's where my work begins.
20+ years of frontline and strategic experience.
Across social work, homelessness, safeguarding and multiple disadvantage — combining practice, research, national leadership and lived experience.
Turning evidence and policy into practical change.
Seeing beyond the presenting problem to what is really happening.
Making research useful, relevant and real.
Ensuring voices too often unheard shape change.
Challenging what isn't working and building what can work better.
My work sits where people, practice and systems meet.
Homelessness. Safeguarding. Trauma. Executive functioning. Social care. Multiple services.
The challenge is understanding what happens where they meet.
That's where I work.
Connecting people, practice and systems to create better responses.
“Ellie’s strategic thinking and unique ability to translate complex policy and research into practical, deliverable actions helped us to completely reimagine our interventions, leading to more equitable and effective outcomes.”
“Ellie has an amazing talent for exploring complex issues and translating her expansive knowledge into something tangible for the audience. She is engaging, knowledgeable and her passion is infectious.”
“Ellie provides specialist leadership at the point where strategy meets delivery. Her insights have been invaluable. Her ability to integrate academic understanding with frontline experience truly sets her apart.”
Sometimes you need a strategy.
Sometimes you need a different perspective.
Sometimes you need to challenge the way things have always been done.
Let's talk.
Connecting lived practice and critical inquiry to understand trauma and inequality.
Improving responses to multiple exclusion homelessness through trauma-informed and equitable practice.
Creating spaces that centre lived experience and amplify unheard voices.
Connecting policy and practice to enable lasting cultural and structural change.
Learning and Development
In this space, I regularly post new articles, so keep an eye on for updates and new insights.
Across England, responses to rough sleeping have largely been shaped through housing systems. Over the past decade, investment in outreach, emergency accommodation and housing-led initiatives has made a visible difference. Yet frontline practice continues to show that, for many people experiencing long-term rough sleeping, housing alone is not enough.
Chaired by the Office for the Chief Social Worker for Adults, this Roundtable at King’s (14 July) brought together civil servants from DHSC and MHCLG with homelessness social work practice experts from across England, expertise from Social Work education, and national bodies: Social Work England, Skills for Care, SCIE, NICE, ADASS, LGA and BASW.
As Europe continues to navigate rising inequality, social fragmentation and increasing pressure on public services, there is a growing recognition that social care and support systems cannot work in isolation. Across countries, there are shared challenges around poverty, exclusion, ageing populations, mental health and access to dignified support — but there is also an opportunity to learn differently from one another.
Community Care News-4 mins read
Over 100 people participated in an event on the specialist homelessness social worker role today in Manchester. Jess Harris, Research Fellow at the Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit at King's, convened the gathering with Ellie Atkins, Manager of the entrenched rough sleeper social work team in Manchester.
Dr Cristina Temenos, Principal Investigator on the Urban Crisis Fellowship at the University of Manchester
In May 2024, a joint ministerial letter was issued to Safeguarding Adults Boards across England, calling for stronger action to protect people experiencing rough sleeping. The letter encouraged Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) to be considered following the deaths of people sleeping rough, with the intention of strengthening multi-agency responses and helping to prevent future deaths.
The spirit of this Network is a ‘place of belonging’ for us, as social workers across England specialising in the field of homelessness and rough sleeping. We have an exciting opportunity to pool our knowledge and resources and support a national movement for change. We advocate for the right care and support for many misunderstood people in our society, based on our intrinsic motivation to promote human rights, social justice and the self determination of the people we serve.
Beryl challenges unconscious bias, she peels back the layers to illuminate the context in which peoples struggles appear.
In this article, I will explore the context in which people’s struggles appear and suggest what we can do as social workers to improve the lives of some of the most misunderstood people in our society.
In the latest webinar in the HSCWRU Homelessness series, 225 participants joined Ellie Atkins, a senior social worker and Safeguarding lead, for a presentation which asked, What does research and expert practice tell us about the importance of executive functioning assessments? The topic builds on themes from last month’s webinar, exploring mechanisms of agency and choice, and how self-neglect among homeless populations can be addressed by strengthening safeguarding responses.
Greater Manchester
United Kingdom
