Bridging lived practice with critical inquiry to deepen understanding of trauma and systemic inequality.
Helping organisations reimagine responses to multiple exclusion homelessness through trauma-informed, equity-driven approaches.
Creating spaces that centre lived experience and amplify voices often unheard.
Working at the intersection of policy and practice to enable long-term cultural and structural change.
Learning and Development
"Ellie provided some excellent input to a training session I was providing on brain injury, multiple exclusion and accessing services. Ellie possesses that amazing talent of exploring something that is difficult and titrating her expansive knowledge into something tangible to the audience. She is engaging, knowledgeable and her passion is infective. I would highly recommend Ellie to discuss, consult and in development of services around homelessness. She is a generational guru! "
Jackie Dean,
DIP RCOT, Occupational TherapistConsultant
"It starts with you" ......begins with Ellies deep passion for social justice and a commitment to transforming and strengthening the landscape of social work practice working with people experiencing multiple exclusion and disadvantage.
Ellie, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, she prides herself on bringing a unique blend of frontline experience and academic insight to every project.
Ellies, approach is rooted in quality, integrity, and an unwavering dedication to creating equity that levels up the equity gap, providing people with the platform to have better outcomes and better lives.
Ellie believes in the power of storytelling to foster empathy, professional curiosity and compassionate change in attitudes and cultures in redefining how organisations, systems and people respond to working with people experiencing multiple exclusion and disadvantage.
Her work centres on amplifying the voices of those often unheard, transforming complex experiences into narratives that deepen understanding and inspire action.
She seeks to collaborate with people, communities and organisations.
Keeping people at the heart of everything we do.
In this space, I regularly post new articles, so keep an eye on the blog for updates and new insights.
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 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.
"Ellie provides specialist leadership at the point where strategy meets delivery. Her insights have been invaluable. Her approach to integrating academic understanding with frontline experience truly sets her apart."
"Ellies strategic thinking and unique ability to translate complex policy and research in to practical deliverable actions helped us to completely reimagine our interventions, leading to more equitable and effective interventions."
"The storytelling workshops were transformative, creating a safe space for shared experiences and fostering deep connections among participants."
Greater Manchester
United Kingdom
