Saira Malik

With over 25 years in public and private health and social care, I've worked in a range of settings including dementia care, supporting people with learning and physical disabilities and with mental health challenges. I’ve worked hands-on with service users, families, multidisciplinary teams and external agencies - as a Personal Care Assistant and in senior management.

I teach on our CACHE Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care (Levels 2 and 3) courses and our Access to Higher Education Diploma (Social Science and Health). My specialist areas cover mental health, dementia awareness, equality and diversity, sociology, psychology and safeguarding.

My vast experiences ensure that my lessons focus on current policy, real-world challenges, ethical dilemmas and best practices.

I take my examples directly from my own experiences working in the industry. 

As a former UCB student, I really enjoy watching my students gain confidence, link theory to practice and reflect on their values. I’m particularly passionate about tackling educational disadvantage and widening participation and I’m proud of my work to support students from diverse backgrounds. I enjoy creating spaces where everyone is able to thrive. I was delighted to win UCB’s ‘Spotlight on Staff Award’ in 2025 in the Best Inspirational Teaching (FE) category, as well as three other ‘Spotlight on’ teaching awards. 

My advice for new students is to work hard and believe in themselves. A quote I live by is borrowed from Jack Sparrow (of Pirates of the Caribbean fame): "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem."

When I’m not working, I love crafting and reading - I’m a big fan of true crime thrillers.