© IRCT 2026. All rights reserved. Registered Charity Number 1156924
IRCT is a charity governed by a Board of Trustees elected from its membership. There are some formal roles to comply with the requirements of the Charities Commission and Companies House and then internal areas of responsibility which help us to develop the work of the organisation. All of our trustees are volunteers; IRCT also has a patron who supports the work of the charity but who is not a member of the board.
Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss GBE was appointed to the House of Lords as an independent peer in 2006. She was President of the Family Division from 1 October 1999 – 6 April 2005, and the first lady Lord Justice of Appeal (from 1988-99.) She was chairman of the Cleveland Child Abuse Inquiry 1987-8. She is Chairman of the National Commission on Forced Marriage (NCFM) and former Chairman of the Commission on Religion and Belief in Modern-Day Britain and Chairman of Visitation of Exeter Cathedral. Amongst other titles, she is co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking, a Trustee of the Human Trafficking Foundation and a member of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Advisory Panel.
Munira Wilson is the MP for Twickenham and the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson on education, children and young people. After a decade working for health and children’s charities, the NHS and global science companies, she was elected to Parliament in 2019.
She is passionate about ensuring children and young people’s needs are at the heart of government policy, and that they are seen as an investment not a cost. Since her election, Munira has campaigned for improvements to children’s mental health services. Her other priorities include widening free school meals eligibility, narrowing the attainment gap and ensuring kinship carers are properly supported.
Mary is a Social Worker who spent many years working in the field of child protection before developing a specialist therapeutic residential care service for profoundly traumatised children (SACCS). As founder and chief executive of SACCS Care Mary was at the forefront of delivering recovery for traumatised children for more than 30 years. Mary invested heavily in the training of her staff developing a specialist qualifying Foundation Degree course for residential carers. She is helping IRCT develop guidelines for training the children’s workforce.
Andre is an experienced social worker with over 25 years’ experience in social work and therapeutic work with children who have experienced developmental trauma. He has a demonstrated history of establishing successful social care businesses including independent social work services (WillisPalmer), residential &, education services for children who exhibit harmful sexual behaviour (Kites Childrens Services) and therapeutic foster care services (Mosaic Foster Care). He has a strong professional background specialising in care, assessment, and therapeutic services with children and young people who have experienced trauma.
Sarah worked in the NHS for 30 years as a Health Visitor, Named Nurse for Safeguarding and as the manager of a Sure Start local programme. In 2009 she joined Family Links the Centre for Emotional Health as Director of Programmes, becoming Chief Executive in 2018. Since her retirement in 2022 Sarah continues to deliver training in Family Links’ Nurturing Programme approach to professionals across the UK, with a focus on breaking the cycle of childhood trauma and enabling all children to realise their individual potential, enjoy positive relationships and live healthy and fulfilled lives.
Sarah is currently Chair of the Parenting Programmes’ Alliance, bringing together programme developers to influence policy and practice in the commissioning and provision of parenting programmes.
Ed.D, MSc.Oxon, PCTHE, PGDES (Oxon), PGCE, BA.Hons, MBPsS, SFHEA,
FRSA
IRCT Centre for Recovery from Childhood Trauma Director
Jon joined Oxford Brookes University following a teaching career in both Primary and Secondary Education. His teaching career involved working in mainstream and special education settings, as well as working with the Local Authority. Jon has taught in a therapeutic residential school that catered for pupils who had experienced severe emotional trauma due to the accumulation of adverse experiences in infancy and early childhood and has been a Deputy Head Teacher of an Independent Secondary Special School, which supported children with complex learning needs, communication difficulties and ‘challenging behaviours’.
As a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University Jon is the MA: Education: SEND Strand Leader and works with Undergraduates exploring diverse and additional learning needs, alternative educational provisions and inclusion. He supervises MA and Doctoral research and also works with students undertaking Initial Teacher Education. Jon is a Research Fellow for the Children and Young People Research Network at Oxford Brookes University here which aims to contribute to research and knowledge-building that will ultimately lead to improving children and young people’s opportunities, experiences and outcomes. He has worked with a number of International and National organisations and has contributed to projects involving UNESCO and The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, The Department for Education, WholeSchoolSEND, London Leadership Strategy,
National Education Trust, The Oxford School of Thought, The National Association of Primary Education and the National Network for the Education of Care leavers. Jon’s Doctoral Thesis ‘Teachers’ emotional work, support for their wellbeing and the role of compassion: A critical exploration is available here
Chris is a child psychotherpaist with 30 years of experience in working with children and families. He provides services to children, young people, familiies and professional teams working with complex trauma, and individuals exhibiting sexually problematic and harmful behaviour. He has extensive experience of facilitating therapeutic programmes both within residential and foster care. His particular theoretical interests lie in psychodynamic work with traumatised children and young people, but he is also trained in and utilises various other approaches to therapeutic work, including cognitive/behavioural interventions and systemic thinking.
Chris also provides training to local authorities, residential providers and fostering agencies in understanding and working with issues of sexual abuse, sexually harmful behaviour and complex trauma.
Claire Agius is a doctoral researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) with a particular interest in Developmental Psychology. For her PhD study she is exploring the lived experiences of parents who adopt children with trauma histories, with a focus on co-creating solutions to post-adoption support.
As an adoptive parent and struggling to find support and understanding for her son’s psychological challenges, she set about educating herself on the impact of early life adversity on a child’s brain development. Shifting from being a freelance translator of French, German and Spanish to undertaking masters studies in Childhood Development in 2020. Her research project exploring compassion fatigue in adoptive parents was awarded Best Dissertation by MMU’s Department of Psychology and has been published in The British Journal of Social Work.
Claire also works within MMU as a psychology tutor for undergraduates, and as a research assistant on various externally funded projects.
Jay has been working with traumatised children since 1989, and passionately believes in the use of arts, play and body-based approaches in helping care experienced children and their families heal.
Jay is a co-founder of Family Futures, a leading therapy centre for care experienced children and their families in the UK. Since 1998 when Family Futures began thousands of families have been helped through the pioneering assessment and therapy service which helps children heal from early life trauma and abuse.
Jay’s extensive clinical experience with children and families has informed the Family Futures therapy model, Neuro Physiological Psychotherapy (NPP),
Jay was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours Lists in 2022 for services to children and young people. Jay is also a trustee for CVAA.
Jay is a Dramatherapist, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapist, Somatic Experience Practitioner and Theraplay Practitioner, trainer & supervisor and is a published author, trainer and children’s advocate.
Halah is a volunteer at IRCT, supporting the charity’s digital engagement and helping to expand its reach. She has a background in business analysis and project management and also works as a tutor supporting children with special educational needs (SEN). Through this, she has seen the challenges faced by children who have experienced trauma and the importance of ensuring they receive the right support. She is committed to raising awareness of trauma-informed care and strengthening IRCT’s online presence to connect more people with the charity’s vital work.
© IRCT 2026. All rights reserved. Registered Charity Number 1156924