Biographies
Martin spent 37 years in the Civil Service working in employment, education and training before retiring in 2005 from the post of National Governance Manager for Further Education. He has worked voluntarily for Civil Service charities throughout his career. He continues to do so and was awarded the MBE for this work in 1998. Martin joined the Committee in 2007 and was elected Chair in May 2008.
Anna has 27 years of experience of working in health and social care, including 10 years NHS experience in mental health nursing and project management. She has been the Chief Executive of Creative Support for 18 years, since the formation of the agency in 1990. Anna has significant experience of business development, financial management, training and operational management.
Kashif joined the Board in December 2007. He lives in Oldham and works as a Barrister in Manchester with a practice including mental health law and employment law. He has extensive interests in current affairs and politics, mental health care, social and economic policy, discrimination and disadvantaged groups, human rights issues, and international relations.
Pauline joined the Committee in mid 2006. She is a qualified Mental Health Social Worker with a strong background in commissioning, developing and managing mental health services. Pauline retired from local authority service in 2006 and now works as a freelance consultant.
Jane joined the Committee in March 2009. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development with experience at senior level in HR and General Management in both the public and private sectors. She currently works as an HR Consultant.
Stephen joined the Committee in March 2009. He is an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Housing with experience of housing management within local authorities. He is currently Area Business Manager for a Housing Association.
Alan joined the Committee at the end of 2007. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has held a variety of financial management positions in private industry. He is currently the Financial Controller of an engineering company.
Roger joined the Committee in March 2009. He is a member of the Institute of Environmental Management with experience of auditing in this field and he also lectures in Public Health and Environmental Health. He is Co-Chair of the Sefton Learning Disabilities Partnership and has experience of Self-Directed Support/In Control.
Mohamed joined the Committee in March 2009. He is a Chartered member of the Institute of Personnel Development with considerable senior management experience in Human Resource Management within the private and public sector and currently works for NHS Employers.
Darrell is a qualified Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) and provides operational support to Manchester City Council’s Emergency Duty Services. He is a Practice Teacher with considerable experience of training and development, and is currently Policy & Performance Officer at MCC, where he leads on equality and diversity in Adult Social Care Services. He also works with Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, advising on user/carer involvement and engagement.
David is a retired NHS Manager who has many years experience of NHS general management, including operational management, service development and corporate governance. David has been a Committee Member since 2003.
Seona is a qualified Mental Health Social Worker who has extensive experience as a Senior Practitioner and Manager of mental health services. She is currently employed by a local authority in North West England. Seona joined the Committee in 2003.
Durani works as a consultant and is currently undertaking further postgraduate studies, a Masters in Social Work. He already holds a Masters in Human Resource Management and is accredited by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development). He has a wealth of experience working in and developing services for people living with and affected by HIV, as well as extensive experience in housing, immigration support, international development and community development. Durani is also a leading figure in the Zimbabwe community in the United Kingdom. He joined the Management Committee in 2007.
After RAF military service John took up scholarships at the University of Hull (BA Hons) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (MSc Econ) and since then has had considerable professional experience of employment policies, industrial relations and human resources, local government, as Head of the Employment Section of the TUC and trade union work at national and international levels. More recently he has had further high level representative and academic experience as the UK member of the European Training Board (CEDEFOP) and as visiting Professor for European Social Agenda studies at Toulouse Business School. He has also undertaken education and training consultancy roles on management and evaluation projects in East and Southern Africa. This period has included a sabbatical semester at Queens University in Belfast for advanced studies in international relations and global politics. John has direct experience of the social care sector through a family member with learning disabilities and mental health problems. Retired now from regular employment, but not from life, he remains a committed volunteer and active citizen. He joined the Committee in March 2009.
Paula was previously a Creative Support Service User; however, she gained the confidence and skills to move on and no longer uses our services. She has been a Committee Member since 1998 and is able to offer a highly valued service user perspective to the work of the Committee.
Julie has 14 years of experience in the health and social care field, in mental health and older people’s services. She has experience of NVQ assessing and practice teaching and has also completed the Practice Teacher’s Award. Julie has a strong professional interest in Human Resources management, legal aspects, data protection and protection of vulnerable adults. Julie is responsible for our various quality initiatives including the internal audit programme, Supporting People QAF and Investors in People.
Debbie has 20 years of experience working in social care including the statutory and voluntary sectors. She has considerable experience of managing both mental health and learning disability services. As Creative Support’s lead manager for learning disability services she has championed the introduction of the Learning Disability Awards Framework and person centred planning. During her career with Creative Support Debbie has developed a wide range of new services including highly respected services for people with challenging behaviours.
Charlie is a qualified social worker (BA Hons) and also a qualified NVQ Assessor. He has worked in health and social care since 1990 and has extensive experience of managing services for people with learning disabilities, older people and people with mental health needs. Charlie joined Creative Support in February 2010, taking the national lead on Personalisation, as well as overseeing our services in the North East and Leeds and some services in Greater Manchester.
Sarah has worked in health and social care for twenty years and has considerable experience of managing community mental health and multi-disciplinary teams. Before coming to Creative Support, Sarah worked closely with colleagues and the statutory police force to deliver improved outcomes for young people who go missing from care placements. In a business development role she also developed new services within Children’s Centres and Short Breaks provision for disabled children with complex needs. Sarah joined Creative Support in August 2009 and is lead manager for our services in London and the South East, as well as some services in Greater Manchester.
Chris has 14 years of experience working in the social care field with people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders and is a lead CITRUS trainer. He has worked for Creative Support since 2002 and has significant experience of developing new services including services for people with autistic spectrum disorders. He also has experience of managing large scale transfers of staff under TUPE regulations. Chris is the lead manager for our services in the West Midlands, Stoke Domiciliary and Learning Disability Services and South Manchester.
Emma qualified as a Social Worker in 2000 and has since worked in a range of services, including substance misuse, bereavement, mental health and learning disabilities. She has worked for Creative Support for over 8 years in a variety of roles. Before taking on the role of Service Director, Emma was the Area Manager for our Salford, Stockport and Manchester Services and a lead manager in the promotion and implementation of the Recovery Model. Emma is a qualified Practice Teacher and holds the Registered Managers Award; she has a keen interest in social work practice and development and is currently undertaking her MSc in Applied Mental Health Practice. Emma looks forward to using this experience to develop staff practice in areas such as Capacity and Service User Involvement. She is lead manager for our services in the East Midlands, Stoke Mental Health and Stockport.
Colette is a qualified mental health nurse with more than 12 years experience of health and social care. She has significant experience of service development including large capital projects. She has been responsible for developing high quality new services for people with mental health needs and a dual diagnosis and is the lead manager for our services in Lancashire and the North East, where she has developed a wide range of mental health and learning disability services.
Debbie has over 25 years experience working in the Health Service and Private Sector, throughout the UK, in services for individuals with learning disabilities, mental health needs, autistic spectrum disorders, acquired brain injuries and complex needs. She is a Registered Learning Disability Nurse with an RNMH qualification (now known as RNLD) and has significant experience in all aspects of service design, operation, development and improvement, as well as marketing and business planning. Debbie has been involved in Supported Living Projects since 1987. She joined Creative Support in 2008 and is committed to the development of services for everyone who has a support need.
