Teresa is a full member of the Health and Social Care Council and holds the advanced diploma in social work. She worked on the front line in child protection for 11 years before becoming a manager. The need for confidentiality inadvertently raises many misconceptions around social workers and the families they work with and these novels provide a glimpse into the mysterious world of social work and the families whose lives are blighted by disadvantage and hardship. Broken Lives was written primarily as an entertaining read but has also been of interest to colleges and universities. Teresa is frequently asked to give presentations to social work students relating the cases discussed in her novels.
Teresa is an active campaigner for social justice and equality of opportunities. She uses every opportunity to advocate for fairness in society and speaks out against discrimination of any kind. She has seen for herself the hardship, deprivation and lifelong battles caused by disadvantage and poverty and this is starkly evident in her writing.