Sector Specialists profiles

Michael Baxter

Relevant experience in the sector:

Michael has a successful background in primary headship, senior LA management and working at a national level with both the Sure Start Unit and the National Strategies.  He led on the development of one of the first Sure Start Trailblazer local programmes. Having experienced three LA inspection and Joint Area Reviews, he has a clear record in improving service delivery and raising standards.

Prior to joining Cordis Bright, Michael was working across the Early Years and Sure Start and School Improvement Services in the London Borough of Camden, leading on the LA’s preparation for and implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage across all sectors and providers.

Lynn Beckett

Relevant experience in the sector:

Lynn’s current role as the Strategic Manager Early Years & Childcare (Sandwell MBC) entails working at strategic and operational levels delivering the National Childcare Strategy and ensuring the LA fulfills the duties required under the Childcare Act 2006, as well as acting as a connector for integrated working.  Her career spans 39 years and she has worked for the health service, voluntary sector, within education (both schools and FE) and for local authorities for the last 9 years.

Carmel Burton

Relevant experience in the sector:

Carmel is the Sure Start Partnership manager for Swindon Borough Council. The post has a wide remit covering responsibility for children's centres, extended services in and around schools, the development and quality of childcare, childcare training, the delivery of the information duty, parenting and the parent partnership. She has been at the council for five and a half years. Prior to that she was a team manager for Ofsted early years.

Lynnette Chapman

Relevant experience in the sector:

Lynnette is Research and Evaluation Manager for the Early Years and Childcare Service at Devon County Council. With a background in research, she has worked in the field of applied research for over 10 years at both national and local government level. Her academic background includes a specialism in research at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Key areas of interest for Lynnette include evidence-informed policy and practice, and supporting practitioner-led research. Her previous experience includes setting up and leading a team of researchers as part of the Community Evaluation Unit which was established to support the research needs of Sure Start Local Programmes and community regeneration projects.

Marcelle Curtis

Relevant experience in the sector:

Marcelle has been in the post of Head of Early Years and Childcare in Norfolk since November 1999.  In 2006 the additional responsibility of Extended Schools Services was added to the post.  Previously she worked for Suffolk from 1983 – 1999 and has worked in Early Years since the early seventies.

Ros Hatherill

Relevant experience in the sector:

With a teaching background and deputy headship Ros was an Ofsted Inspector (National) with HMI for 2 years. She then spent several years with the voluntary sector delivering various aspects of community development management across West Midlands. She was previously the Manager of Sure Start local programme for Herefordshire (rural remit) and is currently Manager of Early Years and Extended Services for Herefordshire.

Alison Hitchins

Relevant experience in the sector:

Alison’s current role is managing the Early Years and Childcare Service in Worcestershire. Her previous roles included early years teacher, nursery school deputy Headteacher, and lecturer / head of early years (department in FE college).  She then moved to Worcestershire in 1998 to take up her current post.  Her qualifications include an NNEB, Cert Ed, B.ED and M.Sc (Educational Leadership and Management).

Jo McEvoy

Relevant experience in the sector:

Jo McEvoy is the Early Years Quality Team leader for Tameside. Her team supports the development of high quality EYFS practice and leads on the action plan for the Early Years Outcomes Duty. Previously, Jo has worked as an early year’s consultant, a Foundation Stage teacher, a pre-school supervisor, development worker and tutor.

Catherine (Kate) McKenna

Relevant experience in the sector:

Kate has over 25 years of experience working in the Children's Services sector spanning local government, DCSF (as was) and the charitable sector. The majority of that experience has included responsibility for the Early Years sector including roles as a provider in both education and social care, a trainer, regulator of childcare and early education, a local authority Head of Early Years and Childcare Service, Regional SureStart and Children's Fund Manager and as a retained consultant working for OFSTED, SSAFA, NCB, TDA and a number of Local Authorities. Kate has recently left a position as Assistant Director of Children and Young People’s Services in Rutland and is working as Regional Programme Leader for the Training and Development Agency on a part time basis and as an independent consultant in the remainder of her time.

Robin Naylor

Relevant experience in the sector:

Robin has a very broad background in children’s services:  initially qualifying as a social worker in inner London he moved into youth work before returning to the north to train as an early year’s teacher. He then worked in nursery classes and units for children with additional needs in West Yorkshire, taking up the role of Early Years Education Officer with Bradford Council in 1999.  Robin retired from his role as Head of Bradford’s Early Years and Childcare Service last year and is now an independent consultant, and occasional early year’s practitioner.

Jo-Ann Pringle

Relevant experience in the sector:

Jo was, until recently, the Childcare Strategy Implementation Manager at Leeds City Council where she led on the implementation of the Childcare Act (2006).

She specialises in childcare strategies and sufficiency, with a strong background in managing all aspects of the under five offer and childcare provision and activities for children 0 - 17.  Jo is an trainer and experienced group facilitator.

As the Project Manager for GO-NE for the Two Year Old Pilot, Jo has worked with local authorities to extend the free entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds and Early Years Single Funding Formula; working with individual and groups of local authorities to accelerate the implementation of early years policy and strategic duties through a support, advice and challenge role. Jo was member of DCSF formula development group; and now works as a senior consultant with Henshalls.

Tracey Sanders

Relevant experience in the sector:

Tracey Sanders is currently Head of the Early Education and Childcare Unit for Hampshire County Council.

Tracey's previous experience within early year’s education and childcare has primarily focused around the delivery of best practice in promoting the development of young children and includes teaching in a number of infant schools, working as an educational psychologist and latterly specialising as a consultant educational psychologist for early years.

Jenny Spratt

Relevant experience in the sector:

Jenny has been head of early years and childcare services for Peterborough City Council since 1998. She has a background in early childhood education and was head of a nursery school for nine years. She represents the Local Authority Early Years Network on the Early Childhood Forum and is on the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes early years advisory group which is steering the Centre's work of early years. Jenny was co-author with Professor Tina Bruce of Essentials of Literacy from 0-7.

Ann Van Dyke 

Relevant experience in the sector:

Ann is currently on secondment to Government Office South West from Cornwall Council where she managed the Early Years and Childcare Services through the establishment of an integrated area based model. Her current remit as Regional Childcare Strategy Lead involves providing a support and challenge role to Local Authorities across the South West on delivering their Childcare Act Duties.

Ruth Williams

Relevant experience in the sector:

Ruth joined Liverpool City Council in 2002 as the Early Years & Childcare Development Partnership Manager (EYDCP).

The role has morphed over the years as agendas have developed nationally and she is currently Early Years Manager with responsibility for Childcare Sufficiency, Childcare in Extended Schools, and Childcare Workforce Development.

Catherine (Katy) Barton

Relevant experience in the sector:

Katy has over 30 years experience of working in the voluntary and statutory sector. After qualifying as a social worker and working in a local authority she worked for the Children’s Society where she set up and developed a short break service for disabled children and their families. She is currently a trustee for Shared Care Network. She has experience of developing policy at both a national and local level and contributed to the Westminster review of services for disabled children and their families in 2006. She is the former director of Care Co-ordination Network UK (CCNUK) and maintains an interest and enthusiasm for improving the life chances of disabled children and their families.

Lesley Campbell

Relevant experience in the sector:

Until recently Lesley led Mencap’s policy and lobbying work for children, as their National Children’s Officer.  Her background is in service development and delivery for disabled children in the health service and in local councils. 

She has developed and managed a wide range of services for disabled children. She is a member of the Council for Disabled Children and was a member of the National Service Framework for Children's External Working Group for Disabled Children. Lesley led a feasibility study for the DCSF to establish a National Centre for Early Intervention and is now on the Disability Theme Advisory Group for C4EO. She was a founder member of the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign.

Jane Carter

Jane is currently a Service Development Manager with Warwickshire's Integrated Disability Service, which brings together a range of professionals and services from Education, Health and Social Care including Specialist Connexions Advisers, Disability Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Child Development Services, Portage, Key Working and Specialist Teaching and Learning teams.

Prior to this, she was Head Teacher of a Support Service and previously managed Warwickshire's Statementing Service. Jane is an experienced senior secondary manager, having taught in schools in Birmingham, Staffordshire and Wolverhampton.

Jane contributed to the regional delivery of Disability Equality training for West Midland Secondary Schools in 2007 and has been a Senior European Foundation for Quality Management Assessor for Midlands Excellence. She is also a Director of the Virtual Staff College.

Lynn Fletcher

Relevant experience in the sector:

Lynn is employed by Sunderland Local Authority as a Principal Educational Psychologist .

Lynn began her career as a teacher and then took a masters degree in Educational Psychology, qualifying in 1993.  She spent 10 years in this capacity in Sunderland, working in mainstream and special schools with children with a range of special and additional educational needs and vulnerabilities.  Having developed skills in working in partnership with pupils, parents, carers, educators and other practitioners at an operational level, she also began to take a strategic role in local authority policy and planning.  In 2004 she took up a post with the DCSF.  For the next three and a half years she led the NE Regional Partnership (Facilitating Inclusion North East), focusing on the promotion of inclusion and positive outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and looked after children and working across children’s services, health and the private and voluntary sectors. 

Steve Fletcher

Relevant experience in the sector:

Steve works for Sunderland Local Authority as the Strategic Manager of Services for Disabled Children.

He qualified in social work at York University in 1982. Since then he has worked as a social worker in health settings, mainly with chronically ill children and their families. He trained as a family therapist and individual counsellor and this still underpins his approach. In 1994 he took up a position managing children’s disability services for a local authority and has been in my current post since 2000. He is keen to develop innovative practice and led the successful Early Support Programme in Sunderland.

He is currently leading the Sunderland Aiming High for Disabled Children Short Breaks Pathfinder and also taking an active role nationally.

Sue Gower

Relevant experience in the sector:

Sue works for the London Borough of Bexley as the Information Sharing / CAF Coordinator.  She has over 20 years of experience working within Children and Young People's Services, strategically and operationally, across local government, the NHS and the Third Sector (locally and nationally).  Disability is her primary area of expertise.

Sue currently manage the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework in Bexley. She is a Non-Executive Director of Bexley Care Trust and an Independent Consultant specialising in change management.

Sue has a personal understanding of disability which led to her support of disabled children, young people and families as a Named Person, Special Needs Governor and as a Trustee of Crossroads Caring for Carers and Chair of Crossroads Care Bexley in which latter role, she led the organisation through a period of significant change resulting in a CQC rating of 'excellent'.

Jessica Haslam

Relevant experience in the sector:

In her current role as Head of Integrated Services for Disabled Children for York Local Authority, Jess leads on developing integrated working to improve outcomes for disabled children and young people, 0-19 years.

She has ensured that consultation with children, young people and their families is the foundation for implementing strategies and commissioning services. In York’s recent Joint Area Review, she coordinated and presented evidence for children with learning difficulties and disabilities, where York was judged as “outstanding”.

She has worked for 25 years in the field of disability. She originally trained as a teacher of the deaf and worked in specialist teaching teams.

Julie Hathaway

Relevant experience in the sector:

Julie has more than 20 years working in the voluntary sector (including Scope and National Childminding Association), extensive senior management experience and qualifications at Level 5 in both Operational and Strategic Management. 

Her experience includes management and delivery of complex projects with budget holder responsibility and effective delegation of up to £1.6m with individual project budgets ranging from c£5,000 - £400,000

She has led direct services for disabled children and young people both in the SW and nationally, implementing innovative approaches, particularly transforming short breaks experiences for young disabled people.  She has also led the structuring and re-structuring of a Department and Region during evolutionary organisational change.

Janet Leach

Relevant experience in the sector:

Janet is employed by Enfield council as the Head of Joint Services for Disabled Children.

She originally qualified as a teacher and subsequently retrained as a social worker.  She has over 30 years experience working with disabled children and their families.  Her work has focused on developing and delivering innovative services both specialist and inclusive to support families at a local level within their own communities.

Janet was part of a 'change management' team that successfully created a flexible model of community based provision from a former residential unit. Her current role requires her to lead integrated arrangements comprising social care, education and the PCT. She is the Local Authority Aiming High and short breaks Pathfinder lead. She is also a Trustee for Shared Care Network and on the CCNUK England Advisory Group.

Dorothy Mitchell

Relevant experience in the sector:

Dorothy has been involved in special education since 1980 both as a teacher and as a senior manager.  In 1994 she was appointed deputy headteacher of an all age special school for children with SLD.

In January 1997 she became headteacher of a nursery assessment special school in Blackburn with  a focus on early intervention, assessment and inclusion.  

She led the development of a strong multi agency team approach which enabled effective partnership working at all levels and significantly impacted on positive outcomes for children and families.   She has had a leading role in managing  significant changes including the development of a virtual school from September 2005.  

Dorothy played a key role in developing a multi agency panel approach in Blackburn with Darwen for children with disabilities from birth to 5, and their families and has chaired and coordinated panel meetings.  

Miranda Parrott

Relevant experience in the sector:

Miranda has worked in the voluntary sector for the past thirty years with families of disabled children, young people and adults. The main part of her working life has been with Contact a Family as a member of the senior management team. Since 2001 I have worked independently on different projects with many of the major voluntary organisations and undertaken pieces of work in several different Local Authorities.

She is currently the Parent Participation Adviser for Together for Disabled Children in Yorkshire and the Humber.  Her interests include parent involvement and innovation and she has skills in team management, strategic development, project development, group development and training for parents and carers, staff and volunteers.

Other work has included a feasibility study on a Centre for Early Intervention, on behalf of Mencap, commissioned by the DfES (2003-2004) and a study for the Handsel Trust on sleep and children with disabilities, published in 2007.

Miranda currently work with Sibs and as a trainer for Scope Strengthening Families and Face2face.

Toby Price

Relevant experience in the sector:

Toby is Head of Sutton Disability Partnership for Children and Young People.

He has a background in social work with children and families. After working for a number of years in statutory and voluntary organisations in the UK and Australia, he joined London Borough of Sutton in 1995.

In 2002 he led Sutton’s successful bid to become a pathfinder Children’s Trust, the primary focus of which was improving services for disabled children and their families. Under his management, Council and NHS agencies, voluntary organisations, disabled children and young people and their parents came together to form the Sutton Disability Partnership.

Sutton became one of the Government’s 21 Short Breaks Pathfinders in 2008. As first Children’s Trust Manager, and now Head of the Disability Partnership, Toby has actively contributed to national learning on integration, service user participation and commissioning in disabled children’s services.

Brian Robinson

Relevant experience in the sector:

Brian works for Lancashire Local Authority as the Service Manager (Integrated Provision).

His background is in social care, he qualified as a social worker over 25 years ago, since which he has worked in a variety of settings, mainly within a multi agency context. For the last 10 years he has been responsible for delivering services to children with disabilities and their families. At present he is responsible for an integrated service of SEN Assessment, Educational Psychology and social work.

Brian has an interest and lead responsibility for Parent Carer involvement and is heavily involved in delivering the Aiming High for Disabled Children agenda.

Jill Shaw

Relevant experience in the sector:

Jill has worked with a number of Local Authorities to develop and improve services for children, young people and their families who may have, or experience the challenges of, disability or special educational needs. 

Her experience as an Education Officer, Early Years Advisor and Parent Partnership Coordinator was recognised by the DCSF who invited her to contribute to the revised Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs.

Jill is currently working with The Family and Parenting Institute.

Sharon Synmoie

Relevant experience in the sector:

Sharon currently works as a senior manager within the Early Years sector in Lambeth where her remit is around disability, SEN and inclusion.  

She jointly led on developing more integrated services for under fives between Health and Children and Young people’s services.  Sharon also manages an early intervention service.  

In addition to this she has the Strategic Lead for Lambeth’s Aiming High for Disabled Children agenda.  Prior to this Sharon worked as a Senior Specialist Educational Psychologist (early years) for over seven years.

Lesley Wright

Relevant experience in the sector:

Lesley is the Principal Officer (SEN and Disability ) for Liverpool City Council.

She has a teaching background with twenty nine years service in special educational needs and disability related posts. Her experience encompasses nine years teaching in special schools (ILEA, Birmingham and Liverpool); five years as an advisory teacher in mainstream schools (and pre-school) across Liverpool; seven years as headteacher of a special school and eight years heading up services for SEN and Disability (education & social care) as a third tier officer in Liverpool.

She is also a registered School Improvement Partner (SIP) for three special schools and she represents Liverpool as co-manager (with Tameside) of the Co-ordinator of the NW Regional SEN Hub.

Barry Young

Relevant experience in the sector:

Barry has been involved in special education and the development of inclusive provision for children and young people, both as a teacher and a senior manager, since he began teaching in 1973. Initially he taught in mainstream schools in Hull before taking up an advisory teacher post in Wakefield. He was appointed as the Head of Wakefield’s Special Educational Needs Support Service before becoming the Service Manager for Inclusion. He retired from Wakefield in April 2009.

Barry led, managed and developed the generic Special Educational Needs Service for Learners with disabilities which involved devising, delivering, monitoring and reviewing service plans. Most recently he was involved in writing, producing and delivering the Inclusion Service five year development plan for 2008-2013. In his work he has been influenced by solution focused practice which proved effective as he built strong partnerships with a wide range of professionals and worked collaboratively with different stakeholders.

Simon Ashley-Binge

Relevant experience in the sector:

Simon has worked in the field of social care for 23 years and is presently a Service Manager in Hammersmith and Fulham Social Care Division and manages a multidisciplinary team to prevent children and young people coming into care. He manages a range of staff including Social Work, Teachers, Youth Work and Health staff. He also manages the borough's respite Foster Care Service and External Placements Team.

Simon has worked in 3 London and 2 shire LA's and his posts before management 
(12 years) have included Youth Justice Senior, Youth Worker, Equal Opportunities, Development worker, residential worker etc.   Simon has also worked in adult services.
He holds a Diploma  in Community and Youth Work and an MBA from the OU.

Maxine Caine 

Relevant experience in the sector:

Maxine has been working as an Educational Psychologist in Gateshead for over eight years. 

Prior to this she was a teacher and taught in the secondary sector.   Her current post involves  working across primary and secondary schools.  She has special responsibilities for Looked After Children, including Multi-Dimensional Treatment Foster Care.  She works within a multi-disciplinary team to improve the educational outcomes for Looked after Children.  In addition, Maxine is a Vice Chair of Gateshead’s Adoption panel. 

She has a particular interest in supporting young people experiencing bereavement and loss and promoting resilience in young people.  She uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques in her practice and completed intermediate training in this area last year.

Maura Cardy  

Relevant experience in the sector:

Maura qualified as a social worker in 1984 and has worked in and managed a range of children’s social care services, including children in need and safeguarding, fostering and adoption, services for disabled children and children in care.  She has been a Senior Manager in children’s social care for 16 years and is currently the Group Manager of a London Local Authority referral and assessment service. 

She has a special interest in safeguarding through early intervention with substantial experience of partnership working to join up and develop multi-agency services for vulnerable children. 

Douglas Davidson

Relevant experience in the sector:

Douglas has been involved in social care since 1981, originally as a special needs carer and then managing a special needs residential unit for children in London before qualifying as a social worker in 1990.  His social care management commenced in 1997 and includes managing social work in two hospitals.  He has held team management positions within the children’s department responsible for children in care, children in need and child protection. 

He holds a permanent job as Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviews Officer with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and is the appointed lead with the in-house file audit incorporating the comprehensive area assessment process.

Lorraine Hansom

Relevant experience in the sector:

Lorraine qualified as a social worker in 1984 and has worked with children & families social care services for the past 25 years.  As a social work practitioner, she worked in intake, then long term child care before becoming a specialist in child protection work.  She then moved into the training section, designing and delivering training for both social workers and multi-agency staff groups. 

In 1994 Lorraine became a Reviewing Officer, and then was promoted to manage the unit. She then took on a management role in the strategic development, planning & performance area of children’s social care.  In 2005 she returned to operational management and took on responsibility for family support, looked after children & care leaver services, including responsibility for fostering, adoption and residential placements.  She has led on the development of a looked after children service, the integration of family support services, and the reconfiguration of residential care provision and championed a project to increase children’s participation in their care plans.

She is currently employed as the Divisional Manager Family Support & Looked After Children and is seconded to undertake a project to strengthen safeguarding arrangements across services.

Amanda Harris – Team Manager: LAC

Relevant experience in the sector:

Amanda has worked with children for the past 20 years, and has been a qualified social worker for 13years.    For the past 10 years she has managed a variety of social work teams, in social work statutory settings.  She has led on, and managed changes in, organisations and developed services for children on referral (duty) teams, long term teams and for children looked after in public care.  She has experience and interest in safeguarding issues and in the child protection procedures and processes, having worked as an IRO, chaired case conferences and have managed these posts.  She has a working knowledge of the challenges faced in inner city London boroughs, and diverse local demographics.

 She has been involved in strategic development of duty work in a London borough; setting up Family Group Conferences, and auditing strategies regarding thresholds and implementing and evaluating quality assurance systems, in relation to safeguarding issues.  She is currently employed as a team manager for looked after children and has run training sessions for social workers and run groups on reflective practice.   

Liz Hill

Relevant experience in the sector:

Liz qualified as a social worker in 1974, became a team leader in 1978 working with generic children’s services.  She took a masters degree in social work in 1982, spent 6 months working in USA on a social work exchange programme and then became an intake manager for children’s services in Westminster.  After 10 years, she took a policy job responsible for producing the first of the multi-agency children’s plans.  She set up a new review unit for looked after children and then spent a year on secondment at DOH as a development worker for ICS.  

For the last 6 years she have been Head of Service in Enfield, responsible for, adoption, fostering, looked after children, leaving care and the health and educational support services for looked after children

John Platt

Relevant experience in the sector:

Since becoming a qualified social worker in 1991, John has worked in both the public and private sector with looked after children and young people. This has included children and families social work, managing looked after teams, managing fostering teams and assistant director in a private fostering agency. John has also managed 2 public / private partnerships, the latter of which provided a social work service to looked after children for Nottingham City Council.

His experience both within and outside local authorities has enabled him to focus on “what works” for improving outcomes for looked after children and young people. He has recently been promoted to Operational Manager and registered manager for the 3 rd sector organisation Fostering People with responsibility for an agency with carers in the East and West Midlands, the North East, North West and Yorkshire.

Elizabeth Totman

Relevant experience in the sector:

Liz has considerable experience in social care, including eight years experience as a senior manager as Head of Specialist Children’s Services and two years in performance management. During her career she has also been involved in social work training, child protection, looked after children and residential care.  In her current role as Head of Specialist Children’s Services at Kent County Council, which consists of the Disabled Children’s Service, Adoption, Fostering and the Integrated Looked After Children Support Service, Liz has successfully managed the provision of high quality services.

She has also been instrumental in developing new and innovative services within a multi agency context which has included therapeutic fostering programmes, multi-agency resource centres for disabled children and their families and ‘16plus’ the leaving care service for KCC, which is now being piloted as a social work practice.

Following KCC’s successful bid to become a Pathfinder authority for the Aiming High short breaks programme, Liz has lead on the transformation programme across the Directorate in partnership
with the Health economy.

Suzanne Triggs 

Relevant experience in the sector:

Suzanne has over 16 years of experience of working with vulnerable children both as a residential worker, a social worker and a development worker in Calderdale, Leeds and Kirklees. She holds a Diploma in Social Work and a Masters degree in social work. She has worked directly with vulnerable children and young people from children in need of protection, disabled children, to placing children in care, to inspecting the units for looked after young people.

Currently working in Kirklees, she is responsible for championing and delivering system level changes and training staff across all strands of the child care workforce with a lead for Safeguarding. She led the Blueprint Project in Kirklees (a cross sector innovation based project partnered with Voice, to identify the barriers that prevent services from being child centred and support them in overcoming these). The project won the 2009 Skills for Care Accolade award for 'most effective practice in workforce development across partner agencies' and won the Winner of Winners award across all categories.

Brenda Vincent

Relevant experience in the sector:

Brenda has been involved in special education since 1980 both as a teacher and as a senior manager. In 1994 she was appointed deputy head teacher of an all age special school for children with SLD. She then became head teacher of a nursery assessment special school in Blackburn with  a focus on early intervention, assessment and inclusion.   Brenda led the development of a strong multi agency team approach which enabled effective partnership working at all levels and significantly impacted on positive outcomes for children and families.   She has had a leading role in managing  significant changes, including the development of a virtual school from September 2005.  

She played a key role in developing a multi agency panel approach in for children with disabilities from birth to 5, and their families and have chaired and coordinated panel meetings.   Brenda is currently employed by Warwickshire LA as the Assistant Head of Children’s Services.

Lindsay Voss

Relevant experience in the sector:

Lindsay qualified as Registered Nurse in 1981 and following a career in hospital nursing then became a community based school nurse in 1992.  Having completed the Diploma in Community Nursing and a Degree in Nursing Studies at the University of Southampton in the 1990s, Lindsay became a School Nurse Team Leader in Southampton in 1996 and in 2000 undertook a one year secondment as the Named Nurse for Child Protection at Southampton University Hospitals Trust.  In 2001 she undertook a further secondment as Adviser to the Area Child Protection Committee. 

In 2002 she returned to the community as Named Nurse for Child Protection, working closely with health visitors, GPs and other community based health services.  In 2007 she was appointed the Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Children Team Manager and has continued to work closely with health professionals and colleagues from other agencies through membership of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. 

She currently works for Southampton PCT and manages a team of specialist nurses including the Designated Nurse for Children in Care.  She has continued academic study and is currently undertaking a clinical doctorate focusing on the multiagency response to childhood sexual abuse.

Gareth Williams James

Relevant experience in the sector:

Gareth is currently a head of service within Corporate Parenting for Suffolk County Council. 

He has led on the development of the virtual school model to raise achievement for looked after children since 2005 and created partnerships across the authority to make the model effective.    He is also vice chair of a Fostering Panel, representative on the Local Family Justice Council and has been a lead officer for the policy development panel responding to the Care Matters Agenda.  During 2008 and whilst retaining his substantive post, Gareth was an associate to the DCSF for the Boarding Pathfinder,

In 2002, having been a Director of Studies in a large comprehensive school and with twenty-four years’ teaching experience in mainstream and special education, Gareth turned his attention to supporting the education of children in care by transferring to local government.  His experience extends across five local authorities.

Jill Baker

Relevant experience in the sector:

Jill Baker has a wide range of experience working with children, families and communities within the public, private and voluntary sectors. She is an experienced senior manager with expertise in a range of issues related to children and young people who experience disadvantage, most notably in relation to education, health, youth work and support services. Jill is currently working with both North and South Tyneside Councils, implementing the Tyne Gateway Child Poverty project.

Before that, Jill led the team which developed and implemented the YJB Workforce Development Strategy and the PLUS literacy and numeracy strategy and has also worked with the Connexions Service, as a Senior Manager in a national voluntary organisation, as a Non-Executive Director of an NHS Trust, and was one of the first local LSC Board members. Jills career started with Save the Children Fund where for many years she was a community development worker. Jill is also an Associate Director for the Audit Commission.

Merle Davies MA, MSc

Relevant experience in the sector:

Merle is currently Senior Officer Policy and Strategy within Blackpool Children & Young People’s Department. She is also the GONW regional Child Poverty Advisor.

Formerly DfES National Attendance Advisor, leading on the joint DfES/Home Office “Tackling it Together” initiative, Merle now has lead responsibility in Blackpool for the development of Child Poverty, Extended Services, the interface with the Third Sector, Family Pathfinder and Youth Crime Action Plan. She is also responsible for the integrated children’s agenda through cross-cutting processes such as Common Assessment Framework, Lead Professional, BHLP and Team around the Family. She is also a member of the DCSF Integrated working Group. Merle is passionate about the need to “Think Family” and worked closely with the Cabinet Office in the development of the ‘Think Family’ reports as well as the development of Springboard, Blackpool’s Family Intervention Project, which works with some of the families with the most complex needs across the town.

Merle’s background is in community education and she has worked in Scotland, England, Borneo and Germany in a variety of roles both with the voluntary sector and the statutory sector.

Maureen Hamer

Relevant experience in the sector:

Maureen's knowledge and experience spans both the NHS, as a Health Visitor and public health coordinator, and Local Authorities working within Children and Family Services as Commissioning and Performance Manager and more recently as the Service Manager for Integrated Working and the Lead for the Think Family agenda. 

Narrowing the gap, partnership working and engaging with the public, adults, children and young people, has consistently been part of her work since the mid 1980's. She had the opportunity to work for a Local Authority as the lead for developing a Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder in the early 1990's  she then went on to work for the LA as the Commissioning and Performance Manager before taking the opportunity to develop the prevention agenda through integrated working including developing the Think Family agenda.

Alison Jackson

Relevant experience in the sector:

Alison Jackson is Service Manager for the Children’s Trust and strategic commissioning in Bristol City Council, her main role in the last three years, has been introducing the integrated processes of the Every Child Matters agenda – Common Assessment Framework, multi agency working information sharing and contact point.   Alison was a member of the benefits Take Up Taskforce. 

Alison also has the responsibility for the Children and Young Peoples plan and to monitor outcomes across the children’s trust.   Before Every Child Matters she was Head of Special Educational Needs.  

Michelle Kennedy

Relevant experience in the sector:

Michelle has worked in the public sector for many years, predominantly in health and local authorities. She has held a number of senior executive and management roles, working closely with local authority staff and strategic partners on agendas as diverse as Performance, Transformation, Customer Services and Policy.
Michelle has worked more recently at Islington Council, leading on the development of the Sustainable Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement and management of the Strategic Partnership, which has child poverty as one of its three main priorities.

Michelle now works for the Government Office for London as Head of Child Poverty Policy, working with the Child Poverty Unit and London Councils to help deliver the London Child Poverty targets and pledges. Michelle has recently set up the London ‘Child Poverty Network ‘with London Councils , is  a member of the Ministerial Child Poverty Delivery Group, the Theme Advisory Group on Child Poverty for the Centre for Excellent Outcomes (C4EO)  and  chairs the London Benefits Take up working group.

Julian Kenshole

Relevant experience in the sector:

Julian is the Head of Policy and Performance for Darlington Children’s services.  He has worked in local government for over 19 years gaining extensive knowledge and experience in many aspects of local authority work at a senior level.

He has expanded his range of expertise to include community and economic development, urban and rural regeneration, corporate policy and performance, education and currently Children’s Services.

Julian has been responsible for the successful development and management of SRB programmes and regeneration projects including NRF, and management of the Redcar & Cleveland Strategic Partnership. 

In his current role, he has led the development of the Darlington Children’s Trust and supported its’ overall agenda as Lead Officer; been actively involved engaging and involving young people in developing the Children and Young People’s Plans and ensuring the Town’s Member of the UK Youth Parliament has had manifesto pledges included within the CYPP to support agreed priorities.

Most recently, the development of a shortlisted Beacon Award ‘Tackling and Preventing Child Poverty’ and the development and co-ordination of Darlington’s Child Poverty Pledge adopted by the LSP in 2008 has expanded his skills significantly to address the Child Poverty agenda.

Fiona Law

Relevant experience in the sector:

Fiona has been the Principal Educational Psychologist in Wakefield MDC for 4 years.  Prior to this she was a Senior EP with responsibility for early years, a maingrade EP and a teacher in what was then called a Social Priority Area.  She has over 30 years experience in the public sector, mainly related to education.

Throughout her career she has worked in multi disciplinary groups (CAMHS, PCT, Social Services), the Voluntary and Community Sector and a range of government sponsored projects including SureStart.  Recently she has focused on planning and delivery of strategy in the LA, with key planning groups including developing strategy with the LA and PCT commissioners, sometimes jointly.  She is a member of a subgroup of the C&YP Strategy Group which has a focus on Narrowing the Gap. 

She has delivered training to LA staff as well as the Private, Voluntary and Independent sector, supported and worked with the Children’s Centres and had great success in developing posts through the SureStart programmes.

Currently, Fiona chairs the Narrowing the Gap Group in Wakefield MDC. She also leads a group (in conjunction with the PCT) to develop a new pathway for the assessment of children with Attention and Behavioural Difficulties.

Avril McIntyre

Relevant experience in the sector:

Avril is a dynamic community leader with a proven track record of significant achievement. As Chief Executive of LifeLine Community Projects since its inception in 2000, she has taken creative ideas from the drawing board to inception with a focus on performance, growth and sustainability. LifeLine has developed a suite of services which engage some of the hardest to reach communities across London.

Working across 8 local authorities, in her role as Chief Executive oversees the management of six Children’s Centres, an extensive range of government funded employment & training programmes and 2 alternative schools. She has been involved in developing parenting and child poverty strategies and is a member of the Economic Development Partnership Board in 2 local authorities.

Avril has a strong understanding of local, regional and central government commissioning practice and has had opportunity to work with officers in the shaping of commissioning processes for the voluntary sector. Her commitment to the most disadvantaged communities motivates her to work with partners to find solutions to the issues around child poverty.

Layla Richards

Relevant experience in the sector:

As Service Manager Partnerships and Equality, Layla is currently responsible for policy, strategy, research and performance in the Children, Schools and Families Directorate at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.  She led the development of the Tower Hamlets Partnership's Child Poverty strategy and is currently leading on the work related to the Council's Beacon for preventing and tackling child poverty.  Layla has also had experience in corporate policy and strategy roles.

Allen Baynes

Relevant experience in the sector:

Allen has many years experience in schools and learning including working as a Teacher, Advisory Teacher, Ofsted Inspector, Senior Manager for Inclusion in Telford and Wrekin and was Assistant Headteacher at Madeley Court School, Telford, now the highly successful Madeley Academy.

Allen is now a member of the core team for Narrowing the Gap. He also works as a consultant to the SSAT and to New Start a not for profit social care organisation in Liverpool that provides supported accommodation for vulnerable adults and is about to open a not for profit children's home. He is co owner of an Independent ESBD school for statemented students in KS3&4 in Halton. 

Matt Dowse

Relevant experience in the sector:

Matt has a broad range of expertise relating to schools and communities.  Until recently Matt worked for Bristol City Council Children and Young Peoples Service in a number of inclusion roles, latterly as a School Improvement Adviser responsible for school attendance and participation. 

Matt has also worked as a Team Manager for the Connexions service in Bristol, as a Project Manager for Positive Activities for Young People and previously worked in secondary schools in Bristol and London as a Pastoral and Department Leader.

Alison Findlay

Relevant experience in the sector:

At Bristol City Council, Alison is employed as the Area Preventions Commissioning Manager (Extended Services).  She coordinates the development of extended services with schools and partners in South Bristol and has recently taken on the lead for the development of the Common Assessment Framework across Bristol. 

Previously Alison worked as a learning mentor and with the Excellence in Cities team, implemented the Behaviour Improvement Project and developed multi-agency work in the city.  Alison has been an Education Welfare Officer and secondary Modern Foreign Languages teacher.  She has experience of working as a youth and playworker in both statutory and voluntary sector organisations.

Richard Hall

Relevant experience in the sector:

Richard has a background in teaching and community education and for several years was Deputy Headteacher (Community) at a large urban secondary in Hampshire. He has also worked as a Youth Manager, head of an adult education centre and manager of a third sector organisation.

Richard is currently working as an Educational Consultant and Trainer, providing both strategic and operational support to local authorities and partners across the Children and Young People’s services agenda. Prior to this he was part of the Extended Schools Support Service Team (TESSS), working to encourage the roll out of extended services across the country.

Gary Pulman

Relevant experience in the sector:

Gary is currently working for Bournemouth Borough Council as the Extended services Manager. Most recently he has been involved with the successful implementation of the Extended Services Strategy, supporting schools to work in partnership with other agencies and the community.

He was the local Playing for Success Centre Manager, which he now oversees and is also responsible for the economic disadvantaged subsidy, holiday activities, Parent Support Workers and the Parent Partnership.

Prior to this he was the Centre Manager for a local learning centre for young people aged 14-19 at risk of being NEET. Gary brings senior management level experience from the private sector to public sector development and is a qualified PRINCE 2 Practitioner.

Sue Sanford

Relevant experience in the sector:

Until very recently, Sue was employed by Derby City Council where she led the programme of development and delivery of children's centres in Derby from 2004 to its successful completion in March 2010 and was instrumental in the development of an inhouse performance management system. 

Prior to this she had a strategic role in the East Midlands regional Sure Start team.  Sue has recently started work in an independent capacity, providing support and training across the children's centre and extended services agendas.

Hugh Disley

Relevant experience in the sector:

High is currently employed as the Head of Integrated Youth Support Services by Warwickshire LA. He initially trained as a Drama and RE Teacher and switched careers to youth work in 1982. He was a Diocesan Youth Adviser for 9 years then ran the Birmingham Federation of Boys Clubs. In 1992 he set up the Warwickshire Council for Voluntary Youth Services where he remained until 2001. In 2001 he became the Youth Work Manager for Staffordshire Youth and Community Service , becoming Principal Youth Officer in 2003.  In 2006 he returned to Warwickshire as the Head of the Division for Young People, now renamed Head of IYSS.

He has been a trainer for local qualification in youth work and has been commended for his work in two Ofsteds and led on Positive Contribution in two Joint Area Reviews, both being recognised as good.
He set up the Regional Youth Work Unit for the West Midlands negotiating with thirteen authorities.

He is a keen supporter of the 'investors in excellence' principles and has reformed two services building on these principles. He is also Chair of Warwickshire’s Virtual School Corporate Parents Association where colleagues across the Local Authority aim to increase positive destinations for local looked after children and young people.

Hugh is a keen supporter of the 'investors in excellence' principles and has reformed two services building on these principles. He is also Chair of their Virtual School Corporate Parents Association where colleagues across the Local Authority are trying hard to increase positive destinations for their looked after children and young people.

Liz Hassock

Relevant experience in the sector:

Liz’s current role is Head of Integrated Youth Support Service for the London Borough of Hounslow, this covers Youth Service/Connexions/Young Carers Project (Footprints), ‘Children’s Voice’s’ and Aiming High Participation Officer, leading strategically on Children and Young People’s Participation and engagement and Positive Activities.

Liz has 27 years experience, working initially as a Teacher in Kent, moving into Youth Work in 1987 in Buckinghamshire, where she spent 12 years. On leaving Bucks, she moved to Slough Council to become Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Officer and Training Officer and then Head of Youth Community and Play before her move to Hounslow in 2002 to become Principal Youth Officer. In 2008 she took the role she currently holds.

Liz currently Chair’s the London Regional Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services (CHYPS) and is a member of CHYPS National Executive Body and recently became a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Richard Jenkins

Relevant experience in the sector:

Richard’s current role is located within the Enhanced and Preventative Service of Cambridgeshire County Council. For the previous 5 years he has worked with the Councils fourteen integrated locality teams (0 – 19yrs), ensuring the development and assurance of high quality youth services across Cambridgeshire

Richard has 20 years of experience within the youth sector, working across a variety of local authorities ranging from inner cities to large rural authorities.
He has 10 years of senior management experience within the field of Youth Work, Connexions and Youth Justice.

In addition, Richard is also operationally employed within Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Chris Johnson

Kim Jones

Relevant experience in the sector:

Kim has worked in youth, community and adult education settings in both the voluntary and public sectors for the past 25 years.
He was an integral part of the management team that transformed and modernised Staffordshire Youth Service into a quality, high performing service (NYA audits, OFSTED).  Until April 2010 Kim was Head of Youth Service at Staffordshire County Council, responsible for a financial budget of 13m plus including 6m externally sourced and a staffing establishment in excess of 150 full time equivalents. 

Recent projects have included partnership work with the police, district councils around community re assurance, Myplace, presenting the IYSS model for Staffordshire and working up a volunteering strategy with the voluntary sector.  Kim has a good knowledge and understanding of current agendas and legislation relating to children and young people, particularly on commissioning, positive activities, TYS, safeguarding and participation.
Kim was a member of the regional youth work unit executive, chaired events and was a keynote speaker at the 2009 national participation conference. He has also raised thousands of pounds for children and young people's charities.

Ruth Rickman-Williams

Relevant experience in the sector:

Ruth is the Regional Youth Officer for the West Midlands Regional Youth Work Unit based at GOWM. The post has a wide remit for working with the 14 local authority youth services (in the region) and their partners in the development and delivery of quality youth work experiences within the Integrated Youth Support context. This work includes contributions to Youth PSA 14 and Workforce Development.

Ruth is also Quality & Development manager with Shaw Trust (following a merger with Employment Opportunities) supporting the organisation in the development and delivery of their quality and development frameworks across the entire (national) organisation. She is also an Associate Trainer for FPM training delivering on the Management Development programme across the country.

Norman Smith

Relevant experience in the sector:

Norman qualified as a youth worker in 1978 and has worked in the Youth Service in a variety of roles including managing a city centre project, specialist worker with unemployed young people, Area Team Leader, Workforce Development and for the last eight years as Deputy Head of Youth Service at Derby City Council.

He has substantial experience in managing personnel, budget monitoring, partnership working and performance management. In his current post he is responsible for the management of specialist services for young people aged 13 to 19 as part of the Integrated Youth Support Services.

He has also worked for eight years as an Additional Inspector for Ofsted, inspecting local authority Youth Services throughout England.