Find out about our training staff - further information on the people who run the training courses at LAF

Dave Cartlidge has over 14 years experience in supported and special needs housing, formerly as Area Manager for a Housing Trust which specialises in the accommodation and resettlement of ex-offenders, including problem and dependent drug users.

Elizabeth Hamilton works as an independent trainer and advisor, offering a range of courses based on her 23 years of experience of working for both social services and the independent sector. She has been responsible for the development of new services and monitoring of contracts in the independent sector.

Fiona Venner is a freelance trainer who has worked with self harm in a number of settings during the last 14 years. Fiona is currently the manager of the Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service, which supports people in acute mental health crisis at the point of crisis; many of whom self harm. Fiona has also been the Deputy Chief Executive of Leeds Mind for four years, worked with homeless people with mental health problems in London and managed the Suicide and Self Harm Project of 42nd Street, a service for young people in Manchester. Fiona volunteers as a therapist at the Leeds Women's Counselling and Therapy Service as part of a Person Centred psychotherapy training.

Gillian Wainman is an experienced consultant of eighteen years standing, working for the statutory, voluntary and private sectors.   She is a qualified member of the Institute for Personnel Development. Her extensive experience includes designing and delivering work with individuals, teams and organisations at every level around the issues of violence and aggression.

Guy Smith, who is a qualified social worker currently working in Leeds, also has extensive experience in mental health in the voluntary sector and managed a residential project and a supported housing project with group homes and single tenancies. He has worked as a community support worker with the hard-to-place mentally ill who exhibited challenging behaviour.

Heather Levene was an equality policy adviser for a local authority for 5 years. For the last 15 years she has worked in further education and higher education. Currently running a FE teacher training course, she has also taught on tenant participation and access to higher education courses and was the college's Gender Equality officer. She is highly commited to the development of strategies to address inequality and has had many years of experience of trying to put policy into practice.

Jan Jordaine has held  a Managerial Position for the past 13 years with Gipsil, supporting young people aged between 16 – 25 yrs old. Within that role she facilitated Safeguarding training to all staff, including  Child / Adult Protection and Domestic Violence Awareness Training.  She has worked closely with the local Domestic Violence Unit and Social Care and represented GIPSIL at the East Leeds MARAC. For the past 5 years she has successfully run a support group for women of all ages who have or are currently experiencing a domestic violence relationship, either as an adult or a child.

Jean Betteridge works as a Welfare Rights officer, specialising in policy and publicity work, for a local authority advice service in Manchester. She is an experienced trainer on Welfare Benefits and access to entitlements.

Jo Rawnsley for the past 22 years has worked either in social work, community work or supported housing. Jo has worked for several national and regional Housing Associations and has experience in smaller voluntary sector organisations too. Jo has also worked for Local Authorities (Leeds City Council and Wakefield Council) and for the past few years has worked for Wakefield Family Services.  Jo has carried out several roles including Lead Officer for Youth Homelessness, Contract Manager for Supporting People Team, and currently is the Personalisation and Transformation Manager for Adult Social Care services. Jo has worked with a variety of client groups, including young homeless people, people with mental health problems, people with drug and alcohol problems, older people, offenders and refugees/asylum seekers. She has extensive experience of working with the SP Programme and has been offering consultancy services and delivering training independently since 2005.

Judy Browne has over 18 years experience working as a trainer and consultant with the voluntary and community sector. Formerly working in adult education and welfare rights, she has a wealth of experience in support and guidance, including safeguarding, combined with a excellent skills and knowledge of personal development training and management coaching

.Kevin Flemen is an independent trainer with significant and varied experience. He was the Director of Release and formerly the Senior Project Worker for the Inclusion Project at Release. He also worked for the Hungerford Project and the Big Issue. He has worked with many organisations in the North on projects, especially seminars for managers (Premises, Drugs, Law and Good Practice: Managing the Misuse of Drugs on your Premises) with HPAS and the Housing and Drugs Conference in Bradford with the Bridge Project. Kevin has written "Room for Drugs" (1999) and "Smokin' Whispers" (1997).

Maggie Nelson is a freelance trainer and consultant working as part of a management consultancy involved in nationwide training of voluntary organisations including Action for Children and NCH.  She holds a degree in Management and has extensive experience of managing a Child Assessment Centre and Sure Start Organisation.

Jeanette Harkness  has worked with hundreds of staff to enable them to work more effectively and also to improve the lives of their clients. Her experience includes 20+ years working in the homeless sector with a vulnerable, highly challenging and potentially aggressive client group. Ten of these were as Team Manager at Foundation Housing working as part of an organisational corporate management team, with local responsibility for managing, supporting and developing a team of 22 staff.

Jeanette now runs her own Training and Development company and specialises in Personal and Team Effectiveness.  She is also a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Motivational Speaker.  For over 15 years she has designed and delivered training and coaching in Mind Management, Stress Management and Relaxation, Personal Development and Effectiveness, enabling teams and individuals to reach their full potential and cope better with life’s challenges.  She is a specialist Solution Focused Trainer and Practitioner, enabling people (staff and customers) to visualise and move towards their ‘preferred future’.

Nikki Escreet  is a skilled facilitator, coach and consultant. She has over 15 years experience of designing and delivering performance development programmes, particularly in the public sector. Nikki has gained experience as a manager in the voluntary sector, community development and social housing. She specialises in leadership development, management skills, coaching, and performance improvement.

Nik Rabbani-Barker has designed, delivered and evaluated over one hundred training courses in the field of emotional and mental health; ranging from one-day courses to twenty-four week courses. She was formerly a Mental Health Homeless Support Worker supporting vulnerable people to live independently in their own accommodation and develop strategies to effectively manage their mental health conditions. She went on to design Mind mechanics training courses, which aim to identify fear-distorted perception and how to move beyond it to improve health, prosperity and productivity

Rachel Gillett is an experienced trainer with several years experience of training around interviewing and advice work skills. Rachel Gillett has worked for the Citizens Advice Bureau and other voluntary sector agencies and is currently one of VA-L's training officers.

Shahida Sidduqe is an experienced former corporate manager, Work Life Balance trainer and Consultant, Qualified Psychotherapist and Youth and Community worker. She brings together a range of both skills and experience along with a passion and belief in human potential which enables her to deliver training to the highest standards.

Stella Cross has worked in supported housing since1984 as a Project Worker for West London Cyrenians and since at a women’s refuge and in residential and floating support for those with long-term mental health problems, alcohol problems and with young people. She has worked as a social worker with older people, a community worker with women, a counsellor in a GP practice, a research officer on in-patient mental health services, an adult protection officer and a trainer for Leeds City Council Social Services Department. She recently spent several years caring for her parents, including a year looking after them on a full-time basis.  Stella has an M.A. in Social Work (1987), a Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Training and Development (2003) and Certificates in Psychotherapy (1996), Personal Fitness Training (2006) and Life Coaching (2008).  She is currently working on a freelance basis as a trainer, coach and consultant.

 Steve Pepper runs his own private training business specialising in Supported Housing, Health & Safety (including Food Hygiene) and staff development. Steve is a graduate of the HCIMA and CIPD and a corporate member of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health. Prior to his current role he spent a number of years as a training centre manager for a national registered charity delivering Apprenticeships, train to gain and working with people who faced significant disadvantages in life. He was also a Support and Resettlement Manager for ECHG in Leeds. While working for Harrogate Health Care as a Training and Project Manager he gained invaluable experience as a control of infection rep and as taking the lead role on Pest Control Management for the Authority. He is an IRCA accredited ISO9000 series Auditor and has implemented a number of quality systems including PQASSO, ISO 9002, Customer First and various "In House" systems. Steve has recently undertaken a Diploma in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and is working towards being accredited as an NLP Practitioner.

Terry Patterson is an experienced trainer on welfare rights for people facing homelessness or housing need.  He is a welfare rights officer promoting access to benefits in Greater Manchester. He is a senior social security adviser to the Local Government Association and Co-Editor of ‘Benefits - The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice.'

Tony Slater works as an independent trainer, offering a range of courses based on legal issues surrounding tenancies, housing law and housing management. He provides training for RSLs, housing Associations, local councils and voluntary organisations in the North East of England.