Session Information & Bios
Jake Mills
Jake@chasingthestigma.co.uk
Chasing the Stigma
Bio
Jake Mills is a leading mental health campaigner and CEO of the national charity Chasing the Stigma. After surviving depression and a suicide attempt in 2013, he dedicated himself to tackling stigma and improving access to support across the UK.
Under his leadership, Chasing the Stigma created the Hub of Hope—now the UK’s largest mental health support database and the primary national signposting tool endorsed by NHS England. His latest initiative, Hope in the Community, brings accessible, non-clinical support directly into local spaces.
Jake’s pioneering work has driven collaborations with organisations including Mind, Network Rail, The Priory, James’ Place, and Everton FC. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Diana Award judge, he is also an acclaimed speaker and writer—once described by Davina McCall as the “Dalai Lama of Mental Health.”
Session Brief
Jake Mills delivers a powerful and deeply personal talk on transforming adversity into action. Drawing on his experience of surviving depression and a suicide attempt, Jake shares how this turning point became the catalyst for founding Chasing the Stigma and creating the Hub of Hope—now the UK’s leading mental health support database, endorsed by NHS England.
Through honesty, humour and hope, Jake explores the realities of mental health stigma, the importance of community-based support, and the role lived experience plays in driving systemic change. He reflects on the organisation’s growth from a grassroots movement to a national charity shaping policy and practice across the UK.
Gillian Ferguson
Gillian.Ferguson1@open.ac.uk
Open University
Bio
Dr Gillian Ferguson is a Lecturer in Social Work and Programme Leader for the Doctorate in Health and Social Care at The Open University. An educational researcher focused on professional and practice learning, her work — including When David Bowie Created Ziggy Stardust: The lived experiences of social workers learning through work — has reshaped understanding of how social workers learn in complex practice environments. Gillian has worked across a range of practice settings and has held roles in learning and development, regulation, and Higher Education across multiple disciplines.
Session Brief
This session draws on research into the lived experiences of social workers learning to do an extraordinary job. It introduces a web model of learning through practice, bringing together interconnected themes: the journey of the self; navigating landscape and place; navigating tasks; learning through others; learning through the body; and learning by chance. By recognising the complexity of social work and the realities of practitioners’ experiences, we can better understand how to support effective practice. The session will explore how these insights can shape personal and organisational learning strategies across all stages of a social work career.
Julie Feather
featherj@edgehill.ac.uk
Edge Hill University
Bio
Dr Julie Feather is a Senior Research Fellow in the Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit at Edge Hill University and a qualified social worker with extensive experience in adult social care practice and education. Her research focuses on strengthening integration across health and social care, with particular interests in interprofessional collaboration and workforce development. Julie’s recent study on dual-qualified nurses and social workers examines how combined qualifications support person-centred, relationship-based, and integrated care. Committed to co-production and values-led research, she works to bridge academic inquiry with practice realities, using frontline evidence to inform workforce policy, role design, and the future of collaborative care.
Session Brief
This session presents insights from an exploratory study in England examining the experiences and career pathways of dual-qualified nurses and social workers. It explores how professionals with both qualifications combine their knowledge, values and practice approaches to support integrated care across health and social care settings.
Highlights include how dual-qualified practitioners exemplify person-centred, relationship-based practice and act as natural connectors between systems—promoting joined-up thinking, reducing fragmentation and enhancing outcomes. Their work demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and embeds core social work principles of compassion, advocacy and partnership.
In celebrating World Social Work Day, this session recognises these professionals as exemplars of collaborative, reflective and values-led social work within complex care environments.
Hayley Tooley
Hayley.Tooley@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Kelly Cartwright
kelly.cartwright@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
axess
Session Brief
This session introduces axess sexual health services and their role in improving access for young people, vulnerable adults and individuals supported by social care professionals. Key topics include why sexual health matters, existing inequalities, axess service provision, contraception and LARC, sexually transmitted infections, and how professionals can use every interaction to promote accurate, accessible information.
Hayley Tooley
Hayley.Tooley@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Kelly Cartwright
kelly.cartwright@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
axess
Session Brief
Designed to support professionals working with young people and vulnerable adults, this briefing increases confidence and awareness around the laws relating to consent and sexual behaviour. Participants will gain the knowledge needed to promote positive sexual health, support conversations about consent and healthy relationships, and contribute to early prevention and safeguarding.
Bridget Caffrey & Audrey Mukosera
b.caffrey@chester.ac.uk
University of Chester
Session Brief
This interactive session invites participants to reflect on how to build hope into practice by creating inclusive placement environments where global majority social work students are welcomed and able to thrive. Drawing on lived experience and local research, the session combines a short presentation with an exhibition of quotes and images illustrating the everyday realities faced by students on placement.
UK research consistently shows that global majority students experience disproportionate levels of racism within social work education, both in universities and practice learning environments. These experiences contribute to increased risks of placement breakdown, delays and withdrawal.
Participants will explore practical, hopeful actions to dismantle barriers, strengthen belonging and develop safer, more equitable learning environments across placements, universities and teaching settings.
Kevin Howarth
K.Howarth@bury.gov.uk
Lindsay Stott
L.Stott@bury.gov.uk
Bury Council
Bios
Kevin:
Kevin is an experienced social worker with extensive practice in services for people with learning disabilities and autism, including supported living, day services, and adult and children’s social work teams. He has held roles ranging from frontline social work to advanced practitioner and team leader positions, working with individuals with complex needs. Kevin has deep expertise in the Care Act, safeguarding adults, the Mental Capacity Act, and Court of Protection matters. He is passionate about strengths-based, relational social work, placing relationships at the centre of practice, and involving people with lived experience to achieve aspirational outcomes.
Lindsay:
Lindsay is an experienced social worker in the Reviewing Team at Bury Council, with a career spanning roles including Personal Assistant, Learning Disability Support Worker, Reviewing Officer, and Social Worker within specialist projects. She focuses on supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs, employing strengths-based and person-centred approaches. Skilled in safeguarding, the Mental Capacity Act, and the Care Act, Lindsay leads on assessments, outcomes-focused interventions, and holistic support planning. She demonstrates leadership through mentoring, peer supervision, and co-producing processes that enhance team practice, always prioritising partnership, collaboration, and improved outcomes for those she supports.
Session Brief
This session presents an analysis of a strengths-based project using the Progression Model within adult social care for people with learning disabilities and autism who have complex needs and high-cost support packages. The project team—trained intensively in strengths-based approaches—worked alongside a wider virtual network including commissioning, housing, health services, providers, families and people with lived experience.
Through deep analysis of existing support and strengths-based conversations, the team re-aligned support to ensure proportionality, effectiveness and clear progression towards independence, autonomy and control. Central to the approach is relationship-building and co-production, empowering individuals to shape their own support and ensuring their goals, perspectives and aspirations underpin practice.
Donna Naden – alongside experienced social workers currently working for the NAAB
donna.naden@homeoffice.gov.uk
NAAB
Bio
Donna has dedicated her career to working with children and families, becoming a qualified social worker 13 years ago. Her experience spans front door services (MASH) to leaving care, and she has been a practice educator since 2017, contributing to the development of students and ASYE programmes. Donna’s passion lies in Child Protection and Court work, where she spent the past seven years progressing from advanced social worker to specialist manager in Public Law and subsequently Team Manager. Since August 2025, she has served as Regional Manager at the Home Office (NAAB).
Session Brief
This awareness session provides an essential introduction to the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), a newly established body supporting local authorities in conducting age assessments for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The session explores the NAAB’s origins, purpose and role in promoting standardised, trauma-informed and legally robust assessments.
Participants will consider how the NAAB interacts with the responsibilities of local authorities, the evolving role of social workers in age assessment, and the implications for professional judgement, ethical decision-making and child-centred practice.
Amarjit Randhawa
Amarjit.randhawa@disabilityrightsuk.org
Disability Rights UK
Moving Social Work is an evidence-based education programme supporting social workers to confidently discuss and integrate physical activity into care planning with Disabled people and other groups. Co-produced with social workers, Disabled people, carers, academics, and leaders across local authorities and the NHS, the programme is embedded in the Government Disability Strategy (2021) and supported within the national Physical Activity Strategy (2023–2027).
Bio
Amarjit is a qualified social worker with extensive experience in local authority roles, progressing to senior positions over her career. She joined Disability Rights UK as the Moving Social Work Programme Manager, focusing on driving systemic change rather than localised interventions. Passionate about social justice, Amarjit advocates for meaningful change and values working with diverse communities. Outside of work, she enjoys socialising and spending quality time with her family.
Session Brief
The training enhances knowledge and confidence for Care Act assessments and is currently being delivered to social work students, Teaching Partnerships and practising social workers. Co-production remains central throughout Phase 2, which incorporates ongoing research and evaluation. While designed with Disabled people in mind, the learning is widely transferable across social work practice—supporting positive, progressive and equitable outcomes.
Rose Devereux
deverer@hope.ac.uk
Service User Group at Hope (SUGAH) Group
The SUGAH Group is a collective of people with lived experience who share their stories to support the learning and development of social work students at Liverpool Hope University.
Session Brief
This session provides an informal opportunity to ask questions, reflect and explore the profound impact social workers have on individuals’ lives. Attendees will also learn how the SUGAH Group contributes to shaping empathetic, informed and person-centred practitioners through its role in student training and professional development.
Lisa Betteridge
lisa@advocacyhub.org.uk
Warrington Speak Up Advocacy Hub
Bio
Lisa has nearly 14 years’ experience as an advocate and currently serves as Practice Lead, overseeing IMCA, MCA, DoLS, Paid RPR, and Care Act work within the Hub. She manages new referrals, delivers training, and has recently led the Still Me dementia project while managing the Making Connections Dementia network.
Session Brief
This session explores what advocacy is, why it matters and how it supports effective adult social care practice. Participants will gain clarity on the advocate’s role, boundaries and limitations, the different types of advocacy relevant to social work, and legislative eligibility criteria. Guidance will be provided on how and when to make referrals, followed by a Q&A.
Gill Buck
g.buck@chester.ac.uk
University of Chester
Bio
Dr Gill Buck is an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Chester, teaching research methods, human development, youth justice, co-production, and suicide first aid. She leads Imagining Possible Futures, a UKRI-funded project where people with lived experience of the justice system help reimagine a fairer future through research, art, and collaboration. Before academia, Gill worked as a social worker in youth offending and child exploitation services across Merseyside.
Session Brief
This interactive session supports emerging researchers and practitioners to move from an initial idea to an actionable research plan. Drawing on Gill Buck’s work in participatory, user-led and arts-informed research within social work and criminal justice, the session covers shaping a research question, aligning methods, engaging stakeholders and translating findings into practice.
Participants will explore practical next steps such as literature reviews, partnership-building, ethics and dissemination strategies. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own ideas, leaving with inspiration and a personalised action plan for their early research journey.
Helen Grey
helen@lightsonlearning.co.uk
Lights on Learning
Bio
Helen Grey is an Independent Social Worker, Therapeutic Life Story Practitioner, Practice Educator, and Trainer working with children’s and adults’ social care organisations. Drawing on her lived experience, she began her career supporting cared-for children and young people, a passion that continues to shape her practice. Having held senior roles, including Principal Social Worker, Helen has deep insight into the challenges and rewards of statutory social work. She currently collaborates with the Cheshire and Merseyside Social Work Teaching Partnership, delivering the Manager’s Skills Development Programme and other projects, providing training in critical thinking, trauma-informed practice, and therapeutic social work approaches.
Session Brief
This workshop introduces collaborative, solution-focused thinking through the Ishikawa problem-solving tool. Originating from Therapeutic Life Story Work, the tool has been applied across individual work, organisational consultation and reflective supervision.
Participants will learn how the tool supports voice, collaboration and purposeful planning—helping to identify barriers, explore realistic aspirations and shift towards meaningful, achievable goals. The session highlights how structured, strengths-based problem-solving can transform practice in environments that often default to deficit-focused thinking.
Helen Grey
helen@lightsonlearning.co.uk
Lights on Learning
Bio
Helen Grey is an Independent Social Worker, Therapeutic Life Story Practitioner, Practice Educator, and Trainer working with children’s and adults’ social care organisations. Drawing on her lived experience, she began her career supporting cared-for children and young people, a passion that continues to shape her practice. Having held senior roles, including Principal Social Worker, Helen has deep insight into the challenges and rewards of statutory social work. She currently collaborates with the Cheshire and Merseyside Social Work Teaching Partnership, delivering the Manager’s Skills Development Programme and other projects, providing training in critical thinking, trauma-informed practice, and therapeutic social work approaches.
Session Brief
This session invites participants to consider how understanding our own identity—and that of others—shapes relational practice. Through reflection on personal, organisational and societal influences, practitioners examine how these dynamics impact engagement with the people they support.
The session introduces the Self-Concept Map, a reflective tool encouraging exploration of social identity, power, privilege, values and personal meaning. Participants will consider how this awareness informs what they share with others and strengthens connection, authenticity and effectiveness in practice.
Michelle Bottomley
michelle.bottomley@mft.nhs.uk
Genomic Medicine Service Manchester Foundation Trust
Bio
Michelle Bottomley has worked with the Manchester Genomic Medicine Service for over 30 years, first as a Molecular Geneticist and then for more than 20 years as a Genetic Counsellor. With two adopted children and multiple foster children in her extended family, she has a long-standing interest in genomic issues affecting children in or adopted from care. For the past two years, she has contributed to a Genomic Medicine Service Alliance (GMSA) project exploring the current and future needs of this vulnerable patient group.
Session Brief
Advances in genomic technologies have expanded the use of complex genetic testing, including whole genome sequencing (WGS), raising important implications for children in care and those adopted from care. This session draws on work funded by the Genomic Medicine Service Alliance (GMSA) exploring inequalities in access to genomic services and the limited genomic training available to social workers.
Social workers are increasingly required to support consent processes, interpret nuanced results and ensure vital family information is gathered and shared appropriately throughout a child’s care journey. This knowledge equips young adults with information they may need later in life, including access to screening or reproductive testing.
The session addresses key challenges such as matching considerations, confidentiality, autonomy and managing complex information. Strengthening genomic awareness across all stakeholders—from adopters to courts—is essential to ensuring children in care are not further disadvantaged in an evolving clinical landscape.