Meet The Family
Hazel
Hazel’s career began in Adult Social Services in Kent, the largest local authority in England, where she worked in Enablement Services — supporting people to live independently and reduce their reliance on domiciliary care. From there, she moved onto purchasing, becoming Community Arranging Support Manager for the county. In this role, she led a team of 40 staff, working closely with health partners, integrated care boards, care providers, day centres and care homes. It was demanding work, but deeply fulfilling — Hazel felt proud to be serving her community.
After moving to Lincolnshire to raise her family, Hazel shifted into corporate services, managing portfolios of programmes and projects across Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and Health, and Asset Management. While the role sharpened her strategic skills, she missed the sense of direct impact. The politics weighed heavier than the people — and Hazel knew she wanted more.
That “more” became The Extra Daughter, launched in Spring 2025. Born out of a passion to bring empathy, trust, and a family-first approach into care, the vision was simple: to create the kind of service she would want for her own parents.
At home, Hazel and her husband are happily outnumbered by their two energetic children, whose schedules include tennis, horse riding, swimming, football — and just about any other activity they can squeeze in. When they’re not ferrying kids around, you’ll find the family exploring the Midlands or knee-deep in their latest project: renovating their home in Grantham. The house is shaping up beautifully, though Hazel jokes the garden may never truly win its war against weeds.
Hazel brings not just professional expertise, but lived experience, warmth, and drive to The Extra Daughter — blending the heart of a family member with the know-how of someone who understands the care system inside out.
Michael
Michael brings over two decades of leadership experience across transport, operations, and complex public service delivery, now stepping into his role as Director with a focus on strategic growth, service quality, and people-led leadership.
Born and raised in Croydon, Michael built his career from the ground up — starting on the shop floor and progressing into senior leadership roles across retail, e-commerce, and public services. His early career included leading large-scale home delivery and passenger transport operations, before moving into more specialised roles supporting vulnerable communities.
Since relocating to Lincolnshire, Michael has played a key role in the delivery and oversight of home-to-school transport services for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This work has involved managing complex, highly sensitive services where safety, reliability, and care are critical — ensuring that some of the most vulnerable children are supported to access education consistently and securely.
What sets Michael apart is his ability to combine structure, accountability, and calm leadership with genuine care for people. He has led large teams and coordinated complex service delivery at scale, always with a focus on safety, consistency, and doing the right thing. His experience in safeguarding-focused environments brings an added layer of reassurance and integrity to the organisation.
As Director, Michael plays a key role in shaping the organisation’s direction — ensuring that growth is built on strong foundations, and that every service delivered reflects the highest standards of care, professionalism, and trust.
Outside of work, Michael is a devoted family man. Raising two daughters is both his greatest joy and proudest role. He’s also rarely far from an engine — with a passion for cars, motorbikes, and anything with a bit of speed. Fortunately, he keeps that side firmly reserved for his downtime.
In short, Michael is the steady hand and trusted presence behind the scenes — ensuring everything runs smoothly, safely, and with care.
Nichola
To some people, care comes naturally, to Nichola, it’s not even a second thought. With years of hands-on experience supporting disabled children on home-to-school transport, alongside work in care homes and hospitality, she brings patience, empathy, and calm reassurance into every situation she steps into.
She’s especially skilled at working with people who need a little extra understanding — whether that’s supporting complex needs, navigating unfamiliar routines, or simply helping someone feel safe, respected, and heard. Nichola has a gentle, steady way about her that builds trust quickly, particularly with those who may feel anxious or vulnerable.
Her background in hospitality means she’s warm, attentive, and instinctively thoughtful — the sort of person who notices the small things that make a big difference. Combined with her care experience, this makes her incredibly well-suited to offering companionship, practical support, and dependable help in day-to-day life.
Nichola brings heart, reliability, and genuine kindness to The Extra Daughter — and we’re so glad she’s part of our family.
Amba
Amba brings a warm, friendly approach to The Extra Daughter team, with previous experience working in care and a natural ability to make people feel comfortable and at ease.
Her background means she understands that good support isn’t just about getting things done — it’s about how you make someone feel while you’re doing them. Patience, kindness, dignity and taking the time to listen can make all the difference, particularly when someone needs a little extra help to keep life running smoothly.
Whether she’s helping around the home, offering companionship, popping out on errands or simply spending time over a cuppa and a chat, Amba brings a relaxed and personable approach to her visits.
Like all of our Extra Daughters, she’s there to offer the sort of practical, everyday support we’d want for our own family — helpful, human and never clinical.
We’re delighted to have Amba as part of the team.
Jessica
Jessica is a warm, thoughtful and quietly reassuring presence, with a natural ability to make people feel heard, understood, and supported.
Originally from France, mum of two Jessica brings both life experience and genuine empathy into everything she does. With experience working with the Citizens Advice Bureaux Mid Lincolnshire, where she supports a wide range of people through often complex and overwhelming situations — from completing forms and writing letters, to helping individuals understand processes such as benefit entitlements or navigating major life changes.
At the heart of Jessica’s approach is active listening. She takes the time to truly understand each person, adapting her support to suit their needs while always respecting their independence, dignity, and right to make their own choices.
Jessica also has a background in care, having worked in a care home where she achieved her NVQ Level 2. This experience shaped her strong belief in person-centred support — ensuring that every individual feels respected, valued, and in control of their own life.
She was drawn to The Extra Daughter because of its values-led approach and focus on meaningful, relationship-based support. For Jessica, it’s not just about helping — it’s about making a real difference in someone’s day, whether that’s through practical support, a listening ear, or simply good company.
