1990-1993
Dept of Health National Development Team Real Jobs Initiative created by Tony Phillips and Anne O’Brien

1990-2001
Realife Partnership working as specialist social care sector consultants and trainers providing a range of services and courses locally, nationally and in Europe. Original partners : Tony Phillips, Karen Plunkett and Philip Edwards

1990-2009
Founder members and History Teacher (GCSE) at the Christian School (Takeley), a parent led, independent community school and social enterprise

1991-92
DfEE TEED National Development Programme co-ordinator for a consortium development agency project inc. a pilot supported employment agency in Cambridge

1992
Association for Supported Employment created by Tony Phillips, Steve Beyer and Tom Jackson

1992-today
Realife Trust created by Tony Phillips and Ken Mulholland as a 25 year action research project experimenting with person centred planning, co-working with disabled people, advocacy and social enterprise

1992-94
National Changeover Forum on Day Services: project co-ordination

1993-1996
Project Management (Re-provision) in the London Borough of Havering. Major day service re-provision exercise, setting up 9 new community based projects including four community businesses including Jacksons Cafe and Havering Pottery

1994-95
Consultants to Cheshire County Council: County wide supported employment service design and implementation project.

1995-98
Kings Fund/NDT ‘Changing Days’ three year development programme design group member and advisers

1996
Moved into the new offices at Old Monastory,  Bishops Stortford

1996-98
Diploma in Supported Employment (Oxford University Delegacy of Local Examinations) module author and tutor

1996 on
Designers and lead facilitators for the ‘WAVE’ consultation and strategic planning programme: large scale contracts with East Riding Social Services, Oxford Social Services, Wokingham Social Services and Luton Social Services and over 200 other agencies and groups.

1996-2006
Realife Advocacy Service providing formal and citizen advocacy as well as support for a self-advocacy group based at our offices. Training provider for the Advocacy root and branch training programme.

1997-2000
Project Managers: ‘Working Out’ National ESF Horizons project with NDT, Scottish Human Services, Values into Action and the Mental Health Foundation on service user leadership for people with a learning disability with a £1.3m budget.

1998-2000
Consultants to Essex County Council: County-wide supported employment service design and implementation project resulting in the ‘Into Employment’ agency – winner of a Community Care award for innovation (1999)

1998 -2000
Delivery Centre for the ‘Diploma in Supported Employment and ‘Certificate in Supported Employment’.

1999-2001
Chair of the Local Action Group (Learning Disabilities) for Uttlesford, West Essex and member of County Chair’s Group for Essex County Council

2000
Consultants: Luton Borough Council – Project management of the Social Services Department’s ‘Best Value; review of services for people with a disability.

2001 – on
Designers and makers of ‘Greenstage’ for the National Trust.  Greenstages have been used for over 300 festivals and community events, often provided free for community events with paying customers providing the income to allow us to be generous when local people can’t afford alternatives.

2001-2010
Stortford Music Festival: founding committee members with responsibility for events and Bar management for an annual three day festival and new social enterprise

2001-2003
Project Managers: Essex County Council and Partners Project management of the ‘Welfare to Work county-wide Joint Investment Plan’

2001-2003
Project manager and lead researcher : QUIP (Quality in Practice) International project on stakeholder quality in supported employment with partners in Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary.

2004
Purchase of the Old Monastery with support from social enterprise investment loans and grants

2002-2004
Project Managers: Essex Learning and Skills Council ‘People Skills’

2002-2005
Workskills Essex: new County wide social enterprise as a consortium with 12 voluntary agencies and Essex County Council to deliver a £5 million pounds employment programme over three years

2002-2005
Lecturers (Havering College): module design and delivery for a new Bsc course in Learning Disabilities and guest tutoring on the DiPSW programme

2003-2005
Pilot site for Essex County Council for the In Control/Valuing People person centred planning national programme

2003 on
Cluzion Music – new social enterprise for live music promotion through the monthly Cluzion Club and a range of related live music events . Set up with Keith Winter, a professional musician who had to give up performing due to a serious medical condition.

2003-2006
Founder-Coordinators for the Essex People’s Parliament, an elected assembly of people who have a learning disability across Essex under contract with Essex County Council

2003-2010
Co-ordinators: Inclusion Partnership Ltd. Umbrella social enterprise in the social care and community development sector

2004-2006
Project Managers – Essex Brokerage Pilot. One of six national development sites for self-directed services chosen by the ‘Valuing People’ Support. Special focus on work in secure services for people with a learning disability and/or autism

2004-2008
Frontline Partnership Ltd – new social enterprise in Brentwood

2004 -2010
Essex Inclusive Sports Enterprise CIC – new social enterprise in Chelmsford

2004–on
Eastern Region Co-ordinator NBN. Regional co-ordinator for the National Brokerage Network based at the Realife offices

2005
My Broker and Me – new social enterprise

2006-2008
Liberation Partnership CIC : new County wide social enterprise for a personal budgets advisory service

2006-2013
National Brokerage Network CIC social enterprise start-up. Co-ordinators of the national support brokerage agency

2006-2012
Realife Social Work student unit in partnership with Anglia Ruskin Uniiversity for up to 7 students per year

2007 Major decision to hive off all contract based social enterprises and return to Realife’s charitable roots as a user-led development agency specialising in sustainable, small scale project developments

2007-2009
Digs – new social enterprise for social housing for students with a learning disability

2008-2010 Gorsefield – new social enterprise with the Gorsefield study centre in Essex

2009-2012
Mencap (Cambridgeshire): new partnership sharing offices in Fulbourn, Cambridge following the sale of the Old Monastory

2009-2016
You Can Hub: new social enterprise including You Can Bike too

2010-on
Funky Flamingo Club – new social enterprise relaunching club nights run by and for disabled people

2010-2019
Caritas – social work student annual placement host and guest lecturers with the specialist Czech social work college

2012-2016
Ubuntu Club – new community project on world music with Menelik Education

2012-2015
Plough and Fleece Community Pub: new social enterprise, lead role in rescuing a village pub from closure. now a fully independent community owned resource.

2012-on
Reception Direct: new community project for office based training with Cambridge City Council, operating in real time as the reception service for the Orwell House Enterprise Centre.

2013-2018
Best Buddies UK – new national social enterprise including Best Buddies Cambridge (now renamed as Funky Friends)

2013-2017
UK Pie Party – new community social enterprise raising money for cancer charities

2013-2018
Libra Theatre: project management for the independent theatre company for people with a learning disability

2013 on Green Gathering Festival – new partnership with Realife’s Greenstage project

2014
Winterbourne: review for Herts County Council 2014-2016 Lose the Label – new national social enterprise

2015-2018
Strummers Club: new social enterprise for music with a social conscience

2015-on
NHS England Care and Treatment Reviews for people in secure hospitals

2015-17
Acting Now: joint project with Libra Theatre and Acting Now

2015 on Disability Cambridgeshire: new partnership and shared offices

2017-18
A Bit of Everything – new user led community pilot project in Harlow for young adults with ASD

2016-18 Cambridge Acorn: partnership with the specialist agency working on behalf of children and young people dealing with emotional trauma

2015-2017
The Virtual Academy – new partnership with Visit Ltd focusing on e-learning

2017-2019
We are in this Together – Erasmus/ESF funded self-advocacy project with partners in the Czech Republic, Austria, Spain and Croatia