Maria qualified as a social worker in 1996 at Kingston University and has worked as a senior social worker in learning disability, neuro rehab and older peoples services across various London boroughs. These roles included managing social workers and supervising social work students as a practice teacher.

She undertook her Masters degree in Professional Education & Training in Human Services (PETHS) at Kingston University in 2007 which enabled her to develop as a social work educator as well as a practitioner.

Her career has now expanded to include both a part time teaching post within the Department of Social Work at Royal Holloway University where she leads on social work with adults and also a part time post in a local authority in Adults Workforce Development. Her role in the local authority is to work closely with the social work teams and to support them with their learning and development, specifically in relation to safeguarding adults and mental capacity.

Maria is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Health & Social Care where she is intending to use her doctoral thesis to explore the relationship between social workers and service users who are viewed as self neglecting.