Speaker Biographies

Speaker Biographies

Professor Caroline Victoria GippsVice-Chancellor, University of Wolverhampton PhD, MSc, BSc,AcSS

Caroline Gipps trained as a primary school teacher and psychometrician before entering a career in research. She worked at the National Children’s Bureau, the National Foundation for Educational Research and at the University of British Columbia, Canada before joining the Institute of Education, University of London (IoE). As a researcher, Professor of Education and then Dean of Research, Caroline spent 19 years at the IoE. She moved to Kingston University in 1999. As Deputy Vice-Chancellor she had responsibility for the strategic management of the academic profile of the University, links with St George’s Hospital Medical School and the developing three-way strategic alliance including Royal Holloway University of London. She moved to be Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton in 2005.

Professor Carl Chinn MBE FRSA PhD

Professor of Community History and Director of the Birmingham Lives project at the University of Birmingham. A social historian with a national profile, he is also a broadcaster, newspaper columnist, public speaker, writer and campaigner for the rights of working-class people. Professor Chinn is the author of 28 books that include studies of working-class housing, urban working class life, working-class women’s lives, manufacturing, Birmingham, the Black Country, and ethnic minorities. He has appeared as an expert on various television programmes, including Channel 4’s ‘History Hunters’ with Tony Robinson, and most recently on BBC 4’s ‘Edwardian Larder’. In the Midlands he is a long-running columnist on local history for the Express and Star and the Birmingham Mail; he has a weekly local history show on BBC WM and regular history slots on BBC Midlands Today; and he is the expert on ITV’s ‘The Way We Were’ series. Professor Chinn has appeared on numerous Radio 4 programmes, including those presented by Libby Purvess and Laurie Taylor, and has recently presented ‘Centre of Our World’, looking at various ethnic minorities in Birmingham. Professor Chinn’s broadcasting and writing on housing, working-class life, poverty, women and ethnic minorities is deeply affected by his family’s working-class background and life in the back-to-backs of Birmingham. This affinity led him to take a prominent role in the campaign to save the last back to backs in Birmingham and turn them into a National Trust Museum. In 2001 he was awarded the MBE for his services to local history and to local charities.

Speaker Biographies

Louise HughesAssistant Director, Children’s Services, Universal Services

Louise plays a key role as Assistant Director of Children’s services within Walsall MBC . She is an inspiring champion for the development of world class children’s services to support the ECM agenda. She is known locally and nationally for her drive and determination to create the best possible outcomes for children, young people and families. Her previous role before Walsall MBC was Sandwell Local Authority.

Christina EnrightIntegrative Child & Adolescent PsychotherapistClinical Development Manager Kids Company: The Urban Academy.Integrative Child Psychotherapy draws on a broad range of theoretical and practice based approaches in working with trauma and emotional distress. With roots in psychoanalytic, humanistic and phemonological ideology, an integrative approach utilises the most recent neurobiological research findings in working with children whose emotional developmental trajectory has been derailed. Following 18 years experience as a nurse in the NHS, Christina completed a BSc in Psychology before going on to complete a year in family therapy training and subsequently a four years MA in Integrative Child Psychotherapy.She has worked with children, adolescents and parents in a variety of therapeutic settings, including mainstream schools and PRU’s for over seven years. With a special interest in the impact of complex trauma on emotional development, Christina currently works with Kids Company; developing and managing a psychotherapy and mental healthcare service for extremely vulnerable and marginalized children and young people at Street Level. This is supported by her commitment to the creation of an all encompassing therapeutic environment within the service, as well sharing learning and insights from her experience of working with the client group to inform policy and practice in other settings responsible for the wellbeing of children.

Speaker Biographies

Graham Simpson, BA (Hons), MA SW, SQSW

Senior lecturer, social work at the University of Wolverhampton since 1997; previously social work practitioner and manager in child care for nearly 20 years. Been involved in a number of research projects at local and national level evaluating child care practices, and now working on post-qualifying and CPD courses and a key member of the ECM group at the university.  Strong international links in Germany and The Netherlands and currently working on comparisons in child care between Germany & England. Recent published work includes Transforming Society? Social work and sociology (with Vicky Price), which explores (among other themes) the impact of poverty upon the lives of children and families.

Maggie Leese, RGN, BA (Hons),MA/Dip SW

Maggie is senior lecturer and Course Leader in Early Childhood Studies and is doing doctoral research focusing on socially excluded children and families accessing services. She has experience of working with children and families within both healthcare as a nurse and social care as a social worker. Maggie has recently collected qualitative case study research within two Sure Start Children’s Centres 2006 – 2007 focusing on outreach family support services. Maggie has previously been involved in a working party evaluating the impact of Inter-agency working within a community setting and is a member of the University ECM Group.

Phil Dearden, BSc (Hons), MBA, MSc, (MCMI), (CIM)

Philip has over 25 years of experience in education and training and project management work. He has undertaken consultancy work in Europe, Africa, Central and Latin America and Asia. In 1997 he was responsible for the introduction of Project Cycle Management and Logical Framework Analysis to the UK’ s Health Action Zones (HAZs). He then led CIDT’s national UK programme of training support for the HAZs and the many other service providers who have adopted the use of Project Cycle Management techniques and the use of Logical Frameworks. He has recently worked with the 0 -19+ Partnership (now called the Every Child Matters team) in Sheffield where he developed the: “An Introduction to Multi Agency Planning using the Logical Framework Approach”. 0-19+ Partnerships and Centre for International Development and Training, University of Wolverhampton. http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice/search/EP00025/

Speaker Biographies

Kay Child Head of Service – Safeguarding Children, Walsall M.B.C. Qualified as a social worker in 1985, advanced award in Social Work in 1995, Also holds post graduate Diploma In Management Studies. 25 year experience in local authority Children’s Services. Early career worked in various fieldwork locations across Birmingham, including two years working in a risk assessment unit. Moved to Walsall in 1995 to manage the child protection investigation team. Promoted to Principal Officer for Child Protection in 1997 and Head of Safeguarding in 2006. In addition to her core role she has a portfolio of responsibilities including lead on Domestic Abuse and Safer Recruitment. Also acts as Local Authority lead officer for CAMHS.

Bridgette PughHead of service – Strategic Planning and Projects, Wolverhampton City Council

Bridgette has a wide range of teaching experience across secondary school and further education. She joined Wolverhampton City Council as a dance teacher. Bridgette has also been a Regional arts Advisor, Ofsted Inspector and External Examiner for Glasgow University. She is currently employed by Wolverhampton City Council as Head of Service for Planning and Projects in which she led the preparation for the Joint Area Review in 2007.

Carole Ferron-Smith, BA (Hons), DipSWProgramme Manager – Sure Start Children’s Centre, Blakenell

Born in the UK, Carol lived in Toronto Canada for 26 years returning in 1990. In Canada one of her key roles was a family therapist. Carol has had a varied career working within local and regional authorities and the voluntary sector. These include: Women’s Development Officer, Women’s Centre Manager, Community Links Officer and Regeneration Officer for the West Midlands. Her current role is to manage a range of Children’s Services as part of Blakenell Sure Start Children’s Centre.