STRESSED social workers are being offered a peaceful haven in the middle of High Wycombe, thanks to recruitment boss Susan Cranie.

She has incorporated a "zen chill zone", stylish caf and calming dcor into the interior design of her new offices on the second floor of Paul's Row, High Wycombe.

She personally designed them and said they are the focus of everything she has achieved in the business during the last ten years.

"When the offices became available, I snapped them up. I knew I could create the environment I'd always wanted a haven for stressed workers," she said.

Ms Cranie, set up Careplan Social Work Recruitment in 1995 to provide locum social workers to authorities in crisis. It followed a successful career in social services.

She said: "I felt I wanted to make a real change to the system, so I set up Careplan, in a tiny one-room office and an answer phone. I was determined to identify and recruit only the best social workers."

Originally she combined her roles in recruitment and social work, but gave up social work as the business grew.

She said: "It would have been easy just to bank the money and sit back, but I was determined to improve the stressful life of social workers, by investing in increased levels of support and benefits.

"As the business grew, I had to take on more people to cope, and I think I was too trusting in some of the individuals. That was hard, but I refused to let cynicism undermine my goal of making things better."

She has always had a flare for design and lately it has become a passion. She formed a design group called The Minimal Design Partnership and admits that the shortlist of who would create the interiors for the new offices was very short.

She said: "The sunny aspect of the reception area begged to be a caf zone, bringing the outdoors in, while a north-facing area lent itself to a cool, calm chill zone.

"The main office benefits from being separated visually, so this is treated with minimalism, with all service hardware hidden away. I can truthfully say there isn't another office like it."

As an experienced social worker she knows the stresses and strains her staff go through. She also knows the exhilaration of a job well done. By having a business in the town centre she hopes to encourage student social workers from the college to seek her advice.

The internet and laptop area in the caf is expected to be a magnet. The new office was officially open-ed last Friday by Dr Gareth Osborne, managing director of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.