- Latest NewsUp-to-date articles giving you information on best practice and policy changes.
- Skills AuditsEvaluate your skills and knowledge, identify gaps and determine training needs.
Rachel Welch, Waller Trainer , Charlie Waller Memorial Trust
Rachel has been working in mental health for over 13 years, most recently as the Director of SelfharmUK. She now works in a freelance capacity as a writer and speaker, drawing on both her personal and professional experiences of mental health, is a Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor and also studying for a Masters in Mental Health Science.
Abi Clay, Independent Safeguarding Consultant
Abigail Clay is a nationally respected expert in the complex and increasingly challenging world of Safeguarding, the Government’s Prevent strategy and Equality & Diversity.
From her 30 years’ teaching and leadership experience in the education sector, Abigail, through her company, Cosain Consulting Ltd, now specialises in assisting schools and colleges with their Safeguarding, Prevent and Equality & Diversity training, strategies and procedures.
Andy Calvert, Assistant Headteacher, IIkley Grammar School
Andy Calvert has been a teacher for 21 years, and an Assistant Headteacher at his current school for the last 10 years. As the Designated Safeguarding Lead of a large secondary school and having taught in 3 Bradford schools where he has always been involved in pastoral care, Andy has a wealth of understanding of how young people operate in their modern lives. A deep interest in child protection, ICT and the impact of new technology in the classroom, Andy leads in a school that has 1:1 iPad access for all students, and has worked tirelessly to allow student’s the access to information they need via the internet but in a way that allows controlled risk and exposure.
Caroline Housell, Director of Business and Partnerships, MHFA England
Caroline Hounsell was one of the first MHFA England Instructors to be trained and joined the national MHFA England training team in 2007, taking on the role as national Quality Assurance Lead in 2012. In 2015 she was appointed into a new role as MHFA England’s Director of Partnerships and Business.
During her time at MHFA England, Caroline has been involved with the design, content development and writing across a range of MHFA courses, including Youth MHFA, Armed Forces MHFA and Higher Education MHFA. Currently, Caroline is working with Student Minds to develop and pilot a training course for the Higher Education sector which is due to launch in late 2016. She is also developing an updated adult MHFA product, working with experts in the mental health field to ensure it reflects current thinking and practice.
With a previous background as a careers consultant and psychometric testing expert for schools across Europe and UK, Caroline has a clear understanding of how MHFA fits into the Youth market and is very informed around this subject area. She also has lived experience of being a young carer for a family member who had mental health issues.
As a British Association Counselling Psychotherapist (BACP) accredited psychotherapist, Caroline draws on the experience gained through her private practice to further develop her knowledge and skills as a mental health professional. Added to this, Caroline runs MHFA Instructor refresher workshops, is a regular speaker at conferences and is an all-round advocate of MHFA.
Ella Savell-Boss, Safeguarding Manager, Shireland Collegiate Academy
For the past decade, I have worked in the ever changing and complex field of safeguarding and am currently the Safeguarding Manager at Shireland Collegiate Academy in the West Midlands. This year, I have been accredited as an NSPCC trainer.
Additionally, I am a founding Director of Aspirational, Bespoke, Creative Training Ltd where as of 2014 we have offered bespoke training courses relating to all aspects of safeguarding work, and staff development.
For the past 11 years, my work at Shireland Collegiate Academy has involved direct work with children and families, particularly in relation to safeguarding issues. Increasingly, I have been delivering direct and essential training for staff at a number of different schools, including governors and other organisations. I offer a consultancy package of safeguarding support, best practice and quality assurance, and am also commissioned to deliver in-house training.
My work and training within the safeguarding field has enabled me to coordinate and manage multi-agency meetings, and build up a knowledge and understanding of the numerous issues faced by young people; including: Race Relation Education, development of Esteem Groups, FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and Forced Marriage Training.
I currently work closely with Local Safeguarding Children Boards.
In 2007 I was invited to speak at the annual Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Conference and lead a round table discussion on engaging families in the local area.
I have been personally acknowledged in the National Refugee Council's Toolkit for Secondary Schools in 2008 as an example of best practice for community cohesion work with newly arrived families.
Laura Haddow,Training and Marketing Manager, SelfharmUK
Laura Haddow is the National Training and Marketing manager for SelfharmUK, she is also a qualified youth worker and has been working with young people for the last 15 years. She headed up a large youth project in East London, working alongside young people involved in a wide range of issues including self-harm.
As a partner of a self-harmer for many years, Laura is passionate to not only support young people affected by self-harm but also those around them.
She lives just outside of Brighton with her husband and 2-year-old daughter.
Lesley Falconer, Headteacher, Hackney New School
Lesley Falconer has deep and broad experience in running schools in the independent and maintained sectors. She has been a Headteacher for the last 17 years, a senior school leader for over 25 years, and also a science teacher and university lecturer. Lesley was an independent schools’ inspector.
She gained a first class degree at King’s College London in Microbiology and carried out 3 years research at Queen Mary College. Lesley was part of the team which opened Hackney New School, a new secondary academy in Hackney, in 2013. Hackney New Primary was opened in 2015; both schools are oversubscribed.
Lesley has always put Wellbeing at the heart of her schools by ensuring robust PSHE programmes alongside a range of therapeutic support are available and is incredibly proud that all the efforts of her school community were recognised by Hackney New School being awarded the prestigious Place2Be National Wellbeing in Schools Award 2016.
Ruth Ayres, Project Manager, SelfharmUK
Ruth is a qualified Social Worker and became Project Manager in June 2016, she is responsible for managing the team, overseeing the many various strands of SelfharmUK and dreaming up new exciting ideas. Ruth brings a huge amount of passion and knowledge to the project and is keen to drive the project into a new direction, to ensure as many young people as possible are reached. Ruth has 16 years’ experience working with children, young people and their families. She is keen to ensure that SelfharmUK becomes a leader in supporting not only young people through self-harm, but parents, carers, teachers and all who work alongside them.
Noel Thompson, Headteacher, Winchmore School
Noel Thompson has taught English, Drama and Humanities in secondary schools in Bristol, Reading and London. He is now Deputy Headteacher at Winchmore School in Enfield, with specific responsibility for the care, guidance and support of students.
He has carried out research and presented courses on a range of subjects including bullying and tackling homophobia in schools, collaborative learning, Shakespeare at Key Stage 3, promoting parental engagement and more recently developing international dimensions including partnership links with China. He has been instrumental with the Leading Parent Partnership Award Programme in Enfield.
Outside of school his pastimes include interior design, theatre, film, music, travelling and writing.
Dai Durbridge, Partner, Browne Jacobson LLP
Dai is a Partner in the Education team at Browne Jacobson. Dai specialises in advising schools and academies on all pastoral education issues, including admissions, exclusions, parental complaints, use of force and searching pupils. A recognised safeguarding expert, he regularly supports schools on complex safeguarding issues including handling disclosures of abuse, managing allegations against staff and parental consent.
Russell Symons, Impressionable Minds
Russell has been publicly recognised for his ground-breaking work as founder of Impressionable Minds, an extension on his passion for educating young people about crime and working with them to identify and explore associated risk. Key to his success is the drive to divert pupils from school exclusion and further risky behaviours through collaborative interventions developed for pupils to examine, reflect on and challenge their own ideas about crime and anti-social behaviour. Russell is available for briefing sessions and is eager to engage with Head teachers and commissioners.
Impressionable Minds were awarded the Community Education Award 2015.
Mark Donkersley, Managing Director of eSafe Global
eSafe, an international behaviour monitoring service working within the education sector, currently monitors around 700,000 students and staff in the UK - to provide schools and college leaders with the early warning of safeguarding risk.
The unique insight into the behaviour and ‘health’ of young people means that Mark is a regular speaker on the subject of safeguarding:
- He has provided evidence to HM Government Select Committees in the Commons and Lords on the identification of mental health in young people and the benefits of the digital environment as a source of safeguarding markers.
- He has delivered briefing sessions on monitoring behaviour in schools to Federal and State politicians, senior Police and the e-safety Commissioners Office in Australia.