Michael Isles: Education Consultant and Independent Social Worker
Testimonials
On this page are comments from organisations and individuals Michael has worked with recently as trainer, lecturer or tutor. They encompass universities, students, colleagues and social service providers.
I’ve had the considerable pleasure of working alongside Michael at Bond Solon, in writing and delivering training courses to health and social care professionals in the fields of mental health and mental capacity law. As a social worker, Michael brings real frontline credibility and a deep understanding of the pressures of social work practice. His sessions are thoughtful, engaging and firmly grounded in the realities practitioners face every day. He has a natural ability to make complex legal and policy frameworks feel clear and manageable, without losing their nuance. Our course feedback shows that delegates value his calm authority, balanced perspective and genuine commitment to supporting confident, defensible decision-making. I would wholeheartedly recommend him both as a trainer and practitioner.
Max Duddles
Lead Trainer for Health and Social Care, Bond Solon Training
Michael developed and delivered a one-day ‘Law in healthcare context’ workshop incorporating interactive lectures, group discussions and case scenarios for adult, mental health and child student nurses. His materials and style of teaching inspired, motivated and guided the students to understand the key principles around healthcare law and to apply this learning to real-world health care scenarios. His genuine passion for the subject not only develops a rapport with the students to create a positive learning experience but also enhances their critical thinking to prepare them for the complexities of law within their future practice nursing practice.
Sara Stevenson-Baker, Lecturer in Nursing Education, King's College, London
Michael has been a pleasure and very professional to work with from the offset. We contacted Michael as we required his expertise to facilitate some Social Work Law training sessions from our staff. Michael was efficient in his responses and flexible with his availability. Michael involved us in the process of developing the learning materials, so they were bespoke to our needs. On the days of delivering the sessions, Michael was engaging to our learners and their feedback reflected Michael's knowledge and positivity.
Jo Heath, Head of Training, Novalis Trust
As a Mental Health and Law lecturer, Michael has a deep passion and knowledge of the subjects, which was evident in his engaging teaching style. Michael was able to cover a variety of complicated subjects in an accessible manner. His lectures were always supplemented with additional materials, and signposting to a range of further resources for independent study. He encouraged a deeper understanding of the law and our duties as social workers beyond rigidly applying the law, sensitively facilitating group discussions on difficult subjects, and bringing in other experts where appropriate to further enhance our learning.
Michael was also my personal tutor and my dissertation supervisor during my undergraduate degree. The additional support and guidance he provided to me over the course of my degree was invaluable, he went above and beyond what would be expected, and regularly provided time for me. He is very personable and easy to get along with, and I am greatly appreciative of everything he has done to support me.
Mike Moss, Adult Services Social Worker, Gloucestershire County Council