Leading Safeguarding - Speakers

Ann Marie Christian, International Safeguarding Consultant and Trainer

Ann Marie Christian worked in child protection for 30 years, including as a qualified social worker for 25 years. She was a school based social worker in 1999 and managed social workers in schools for a local authority afterwards.  Ann Marie delivered multi agency training for the LSCB. She has worked as a LADO, safeguarding advisor and social work manager, along with leading school improvement work. An independent safeguarding consultant since 2010, Ann Marie does associate work with the NSPCC, Premier League, Local Authorities, International & Boarding Schools, Education, Faith, Arts, Early Years and Charity settings.

Watch Ann Marie's short video introduction to her upcoming workshop on effective information sharing and collaborative safeguarding.

Dai Durbridge, Partner, Browne Jacobson LLP

Dai is an expert education lawyer at Browne Jacobson and heads up the North West team.  Dai advises schools, academies and MATs on frontline education matters, including school admissions and exclusions, parental complaints, GDPR and all safeguarding issues. As well as supporting schools with everyday safeguarding issues – positive DBS disclosures, overseas checks, parental consent, school-wide compliance and safeguarding culture – Dai also manages complex safeguarding issues for schools, such as serious allegations against staff and pupil fatalities, and also supports schools with the press interest that flows from those issues and implementing post incident action plans to learn from those experiences. Dai also carries Optimus’ MAT safeguarding audits to support Trusts with improving safeguarding practices at each academy and developing consistent approaches and structures that support best practice trust-wide safeguarding.

Hear from Dai about the upcoming digital conference which he is chairing with Ella Savell-Boss.

David Irish, Principal, Secondary Lead and Deputy CEO, Shireland Collegiate Academy

Dave been Principal at Shireland Collegiate Academy since April 2017. He has worked for Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust for the last 10 years. Prior to working at Shireland Dave taught in Worcestershire in a range of settings but has always worked in areas of significant deprivation. Dave has been DSL at Shireland for 10 years and has developed a strong safeguarding ethos in the academy, including the development of a Safeguarding Team.

Ella Savell-Boss, Safeguarding Consultant and Trainer

Ella is an NSPCC accredited Safeguarding and Child Protection Trainer, providing training and consultancy for over 15 years to schools and organisations. Ella works locally, nationally and internationally, including Singapore, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. Ella prides herself on her approach to bespoke training content, working across the vast spectrum of safeguarding topics. As the former Director of Safeguarding for the Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, Ella has managed safeguarding cases and teams in one of the most deprived areas in the UK. Ella’s specialist safeguarding subjects include: being a Home Office approved anti-radicalisation and extremism trainer; forced marriage; child sexual exploitation; designated safeguarding lead trainer; and emotional health and wellbeing. Ella can also help organisations look at the support they provide to their staff for emotional health and wellbeing and work on team building, how to manage difficult conversations, and responding to disclosures. As a trained person-centred and Gestalt therapist, Ella is also able to provide supervision sessions for those holding a responsibility in safeguarding and needing advice and guidance as well as emotional support for themselves.

Watch Ella's short Chair's welcome to the event.

Kelly Hannaghan, Mental Health and Wellbeing Consultant

Kelly is the Mental Health and Wellbeing Consultant for The Education People, she is also the Director of Mind Work Matters Ltd. Kelly puts wellbeing and safeguarding at the heart of education. She is an award-winning motivational speaker and school improvement advisor, published author and founder of ‘Family Matters’ empowerment programme. Kelly has worked systemically throughout her experiences in working as a Senior Mental Health Lead and Designated Safeguarding Lead with some of the most challenging communities, by supporting families and pastoral staff, with preventative and early help measures in education. Kelly develops the strategies to help people thrive from adversities. She is currently leading on the DFE Wellbeing for Education Return project and leads on school development processes creating outstanding outcomes and awards for many organisations. Recognised by the DfE, NCB, The Anna Freud Centre and The Education Support Partnership as a lead influencer of mental health and wellbeing in education.

Watch Kelly's short video introduction to her upcoming session on "Spot the signs to identify and support at-risk families".

Joanna Nicolas, Safeguarding consultant and trainer

Joanna has worked in child protection and safeguarding for 27 years, 13 of those as a child protection social worker. For the last 12 Joanna has worked as an independent safeguarding consultant and trainer. As a safeguarding consultant Joanna advises a range of organisations. The work includes reviewing their safeguarding arrangements and helping them to develop a safeguarding framework, implementing policies and procedures and delivering training. Joanna does a lot of work in the arts, including overseeing the welfare of children in productions. Joanna is a board member of Cafcass, the body that represents the voice of the child in the family Court and she also leads on statutory reviews in cases of child abuse. Joanna has been a core trainer for her Local Safeguarding Children Partnership for 13 years. She also undertakes suitability assessments of those working in a position of trust with children. Joanna is a published author, writing on the subjects of safeguarding and child protection. She is also a national commentator on safeguarding, regularly appearing in the media. Joanna also does work around organisational culture, helping organisations develop a healthy culture.

Find out more about Joanna's sessions in this short video welcome.

Luke Ramsden, Senior Deputy Headmaster and Senior Safeguarding Lead, St Benedict's Ealing

Luke Ramsden is Senior Deputy Headmaster at St Benedict’s School in Ealing.  Having studied History at University College, Oxford as an undergraduate and then postgraduate, he started his teaching career at Tonbridge School where he was Head of History and Assistant Housemaster.  He went on from there to be a Housemaster at Ampleforth College before moving to Ealing where he lives with his wife and their three daughters, all of whom attend St Benedict’s School themselves.  Luke is senior safeguarding lead at St Benedict’s and has wide experience of pastoral leadership in both day and boarding schools.