Improving services for adults with adults with autism: a
national conference
Speaker Biographies
Biographies are listed alphabetically by speaker surname.
Christine Austin
Team Manager
Liverpool Asperger Team
Chris completed a social science degree in
1979 and went on to train as a speech and language therapist,
qualifying in 1982. She has specialized in working with people who
have a learning disability and has worked in the health services in
Liverpool since 1991. In 2003 Chris set up and developed the
Liverpool Asperger Team. This provides health and social care to
adults who have Asperger syndrome. This has consistently been
recognized as “one of the best examples of autism good practice in
the UK” (National Autistic society). The team is also recognized as
an example of good practice in several key Government
publications.
Cath Baker
Policy and Development Officer
(Learning Disabilities)
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
and Crossroads Care
Cath Baker, policy and development officer
(learning disabilities) with The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
and Crossroads Care works on policy issues around family carers and
learning disabilities. She originally trained as a teacher
before taking a post-graduate course in psychology and moving into
the field of mental health where she worked in advocacy services in
Birmingham and Suffolk. On moving to Herefordshire Cath
worked with volunteers with learning disabilities, physical
disabilities and mental health needs, before becoming community
services manager for Herefordshire Mind, developing day
opportunities, education services and housing support services
throughout the county for people with mental health needs.
Most recently she worked for a small heritage charity, The Gateway
Gardens Trust, enabling access to historic gardens for carers and
people with disabilities. Cath is currently a director of
ECHO, a local learning disabilities charity, and a parent carer for
her son who has learning disabilities.
Hardip Begol
Deputy Director, Special Educational
Needs and Disabilities
Department for Children, Schools and
Families
Hardip Begol is the deputy director for
special educational needs and disability (SEND) in the Department
for Children, Schools and Families, a post he has held since March
2007. Hardip joined the Department for Education in 1995 and
has worked on policy on teacher training, intervention in poorly
performing local authorities and legislation on school categories
and higher education. He was the secretary to the Disability
Rights Task Force, which produced recommendations to Government on
how to implement civil rights for disabled people. Hardip has
also worked for KPMG Consulting as a public services consultant and
spent a year at the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.
Angela Browning MP for Tiverton &
Honiton
Committee of Public
Accounts
Angela was elected as the Member of Parliament
for Tiverton and Honiton in 1992. She had previously fought
the Crewe and Nantwich seat in 1987.
She was Parliamentary Secretary at the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food between 1994 and
1997. Also, Government Co-Chairman of Women’s National
Commission between 1995 and 1997. When the Rt Hon William
Hague MP was Leader of the Opposition, she held the following posts
in his Cabinet: Education & Disability Spokesman, Shadow
Secretary of State for Trade & Industry and Shadow Leader of
the House. She was vice chairman of the Conservative Party
from 2001 to 2003 and held the post of deputy chairman between 2005
and 2007.
The following are offices held by Angela: vice
president of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, vice
president of the Tiverton Small Bore Rifle Club, Vice President of
Devon Young Farmers, President of the Tiverton Town Band, Vice
President of St Loye’s College Foundation and Patron of Unite –
Carers in Mid Devon.
She holds titles for the following Charities:
vice president of the National Autistic Society, patron of Research
Autism, vice president of the Alzheimer’s Society and Patron of
Bournemouth & Poole College.
Interests include Autism, Mental Health, Small
Business and Taxation.
Mark Davies
Director of Health
Value for Money Audit
National Audit Office
Mark Davies has been, since October 2007, the
National Audit Office director responsible for health value for
money studies, examining a range of topics including alcohol harm,
NHS pay reform, and, most recently, autism. Future studies
will cover major trauma and sexual health as well as a range of
thematic issues including commissioning by the NHS and health
service productivity.
Prior to health Mark was responsible for
cross-government value for money studies. This including directing
reports on a range of subjects including risk management,
diversity, and improving service delivery.
During that time Mark led the National Audit
Office on joint work with other UK audit and inspection bodies
examining issues around the delivery of shared PSAs and the
efficiency and effectiveness of delivery chains and networks,
including those for tackling child obesity.
Christina Earl
Team Manager,
EmployAbility
SurreyCounty
Council
Christina Earl has over 25 years management
experience in both the private and third sector. For over 7
years she ran her own successful training consultancy. For
five years she worked with people with HIV and other hidden
disabilities, advising individuals, trades unions and employers on
issues around health management, disclosure and awareness.
Since joining Surrey County Council she has been a strong advocate
for employment opportunities for those most distanced from the
workplace. On a wider basis, she is on the steering group for
transformation of services for people with learning disabilities
and autism in Surrey and a director of Surrey Supported Employment,
a partnership of pan disability employment services. Surrey
are one of the leading local authorities for the number of
residents with learning disabilities and autism in paid work, and
Christina runs the EmployAbility service that currently support
over 500 individuals in work.
Sarah Hewitt
Manager
BT
Sarah Hewitt is a senior technical consultant
within BT Retails’ Corporate Business division. Sarah transitioned
from a career in sales and gained promotion to the senior technical
role within 2 years of her move. Sarah was diagnosed with
Asperger Syndrome and ADHD 6 years ago at the age of 26.
Sarah actively promotes awareness of AS within BT, working with
Prospects employment service as both a client and a partner.
She developed and maintains an ASD specific web based forum within
BT which enables people on the spectrum, their colleagues, managers
and family members of people with ASD to share experiences,
information and ideas. Sarah also volunteers with Research
Autism. She has spoken about her own employment experiences
at a number of conferences and events including newspaper and news
interviews. Sarah also contributed evidence to the recent
government ‘Inquiry into Transition’ and the NAO report on
supporting adults with autism.
Patience Wilson
Programme Head
Independent Living, Social Care
Directorate
A career civil servant, Patience is the Deputy Director for
Independent Living within the Department of Health's Social Care,
Local Government and Care Partnerships Directorate. In this role,
she holds the policy lead on services for disabled people. Current
key programmes include Valuing People Now and the development of a
new cross-government strategy on support for people with autistic
spectrum conditions.
Patience has made her career largely within the Department of
Health, aside from a couple of years as Director for Consumer
Safety at the then Department for Trade and Industry. Previous
roles in the Department of Health include policy on residential and
domiciliary care for older people, policy on cancer services,
including screening programmes, health promotion, and NHS planning
and review.
Paul Johnson
Service Manager
Nottinghamshire Adult Social Care and
Health Department
Since qualifying as a social worker in 1990,
Paul has worked for Nottinghamshire County Council. He worked
in and managed a community learning disability team (Adults) before
becoming strategic commissioning officer for learning disability,
tasked with implementing 'Valuing People.'
The Council developed an Asperger's
commissioning strategy in 2007. Paul has since been
responsible for implementing that strategy; one key area being the
establishment of a new Nottinghamshire Adults with Aspergers
Team.
In his current role as service
manager he is responsible for operational and commissioning
activities within the field of Aspergers, as well as sharing
considerable responsibility in the field of learning disability,
including services for adults with autism.
Mark Lever
Chief Executive
National Autistic Society
Mark Lever joined the National Autistic
Society (NAS) as CEO in March 2008. The NAS is
the country's leading organisation for people affected by
autism. It champions the rights and interests of all people
with autism and aims to provide individuals with autism and their
families with help, support and services that they can access,
trust and rely upon and which can make a positive difference to
their lives.
Prior to the NAS he worked for 12 years
at the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS), holding a range of
roles, including, Director of Strategic Development and Operations
and then CEO. He was previously a partner at accountancy firm
Kidsons (now Baker Tilly) with a background in HR, marketing,
and accountancy.
Geoffrey Maddrell
Chairman
Research Autism
Geoffrey Maddrell has an industry and public
service background. After service in the Parachute Regiment, he
gained a law degree at Cambridge University and an MBA at Columbia
University. He spent his early career overseas with Shell and
Bowater, where he joined the main board. He then became Chief
Executive of an international textile group, Tootal, at a time of
significant change. He subsequently became Chairman of
businesses usually undergoing strategic change - including
Glenmorangie, Westbury, and LDV - or being developed from a start
up – including the UNITE Group. He has had two periods as a
Civil Service Commissioner and set up three charities in addition
to Research Autism, all in areas where social needs were not being
met.
Geoffrey’s interest in making Research Autism
a huge success is to achieve their vision of a world where those on
the spectrum are able to realize their potential, feel a sense of
belonging and enjoy, with their families, a better quality of life;
all of this to be achieved through a focus on research into
interventions which is woefully lacking.
Chris Mitchell
Adult with Autism
Chris Mitchell was diagnosed with Asperger's
Syndrome at 20-years-old when a university student. Currently
working as a Clerical Assistant for Durham County Council, he is
also an active member of the Autism External Reference Group
and has provided training on Asperger's Syndrome for frontline
services and employers as well as giving lectures on his
experiences of Asperger's Syndrome throughout the UK.
Chris became involved with the Autism External
Reference Group to campaign help strengthen undertstanding and
awareness of Asperger's Syndrome in key service. He has written two
books, Glass half-Empty Glass Half-Full (an autobiography)
and Asperger's Syndrome and Mindfulness: Taking Refuge in the
Buddha.
Amyas Morse
Comptroller and Auditor
General
National Audit Office
Amyas Morse was appointed comptroller &
auditor general on 1 June 2009. Amyas was born in Edinburgh,
and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of
Scotland. He led the Coopers & Lybrand practice in
Scotland, before moving to London to manage the London City Office,
and subsequently becoming the Executive Partner of the Coopers
& Lybrand UK firm. When PricewaterhouseCoopers was
formed, he took on global responsibilities, and served as global
leader of the assurance practice (audit and related services), and
then as global managing partner (operations).
Amyas joined the Ministry of Defence in July
2006 as the defence commercial director. During his time as
commercial director he was responsible for shaping the Department’s
relationship with industry, and he played a key role in the
agreement of strategic commercial arrangements. More widely
across government, he served as a member of the Major Projects
Review Group, the Public Sector Board of CIPS, and on an NHS
Project Board.
Sue Osborn
Chief Executive
KingswoodTrust
Sue Osborn is the chief executive of the
Kingwood Trust, a specialist provider of supported living services
for 50 people with autism and Aspergers, who have challenging
needs. Sue was a chief executive in the NHS for over 20 years
having had responsibility for acute, primary care, mental health
and learning disabilities services as well as having been a health
authority chief executive. In addition she was the first
chief executive of the National Patient Safety Agency, a national
organisation within the NHS, with responsibility from improving the
safety of the delivery of health care within England. A key part of
the responsibility of the latter job was looking at the most
appropriate design of services and facilities within the NHS.
Kingwood is working with the Helen Hamlyn Centre, which is part of
the Royal College of Art, on developing guidance on improving the
design of the homes of people with autism.
Alex Scharaschkin
Manager, Health Value for Money
Audit
National Audit Office
Alex is an audit manager on the National Audit
Office’s Health Value for Money team. He has led national
studies on services for adults with autism, prescribing costs in
primary care, and stroke care. He joined the NAO in 2000,
having previously held posts in the civil service and the education
sector, and at the Universities of London and Melbourne
(Australia).
Diana Sellwood
Service Development
Manager
(Disability Service - Children, Young
People and Families)
Warwickshire County
Council
Diana’s current post is as a service
development manager within Warwickshire's Integrated Disability
Service. The IDS works with disabled children, young people and
their families and incorporates professionals from social care,
connexions, health and education. Within the IDS they are
developing a specialist team to meet the needs of children and
young people with autistic spectrum conditions. Diana’s role
involves managing one of the three IDS offices in Warwickshire and
she also has a strategic lead within Warwickshire's children’s
services around transition to adulthood. This has involved working
alongside colleagues in adult services to develop clear transition
pathways and to identify needs and gaps in services.
In the past Diana has worked for over 20 years in the connexions
service as an adviser to young people with a range of learning and
other disabilities and as a manager with responsibility for
developing LDD policy and practice and for leading a team of
specialist advisers.
Simon Veasey
Service Delivery Manager (Learning
Disability Local Commissioning)
Warwickshire Adult Health &
Community Services
Simon Veasey has worked both in strategic and
local commissioning within Wawickshire County Council developing
and commissioning services for people with both mental health needs
and learning disabilities. Currently working as a service delivery
manager within the County's Adult Learning Disability Team Simon
leads on both Transitions and Autism. Prior to working in
Warwickshire Simon developed a number of social enterprises and
innovative employment services before joining the service
development team at national mental health charity Rethink.
Caroline Waters
Director of People and
Policy
BT Group
Caroline Waters is director of people and
Policy for BT Group. A role that she has held since 2005
following a number of senior HR appointments within the
company. Her current role focuses on realising BT’s business
ambitions through leading-edge people strategies, underpinned by
robust policies and processes, which promote inclusivity, empower
individuals and generate revenue and opportunity.
In April 2007 Caroline created BT’s Diversity
Centre of Expertise which builds on the Company’s leadership in
diversity practice to enhance implementation throughout BT’s
operations.
She regularly contributes advice and guidance
to Government and Industry through a variety of employer forums and
working parties. Current responsibilities include chair of
the Employers’ Forum for Belief, chair of the Employers’ for Carers
Leadership Group, chair of Employers’ 4 Fathers, director of the
Stitching Permits Board, director and trustee of the Employers’
Forum on Age and president of the BT International Twinning
Federation.
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