Find out more about the Children in Scotland staff team, their areas of expertise, and get in touch.
Please note, as staff will be working from home for the remainder of 2021, most office telephone lines are not being regularly monitored.
Staff can be contacted via email as normal – you can find email addresses following the staff descriptions on these pages.
Billy took up the post of Head of Services in March 2022.
He was previously Senior Policy Officer (Children’s Rights), working with the My Rights, My Say service.
Billy has worked for 20 years with and for vulnerable young people and young adults across Community, Health, Education and ASN settings.
Prior to working for Children in Scotland, Billy held service management, learning and development, personalisation, community health development and youth mentoring roles.
He is an innovative person-centred practitioner and visual recorder who has a passion for children’s rights, engagement and research & evaluation.
Catherine joined Children in Scotland in January 2020, and is part of Children in Scotland’s Communications Team, with a particular focus on supporting the Membership Service team but also covering marketing, media engagement, publications and digital output.
Previously Head of Communications at Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest independent theatre organisation, Catherine has worked in public relations for more than 20 years, directing campaigns and communications strategies for organisations including Edinburgh College of Art and the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Before working in communications, she worked as a staff and freelance journalist for UK national and international publications.
Lizz joined Children in Scotland in September 2021 as a Learning & Events Officer. The key focus of her role is to plan and support the development of learning and training opportunities for the children’s sector workforce.
Previously, Lizz worked as a secondary school teacher in and around London. Her last teaching role was English Lead at a school in a low-secure CAMHS hospital for young people sectioned under the Mental Health Act. She has a keen interest in youth participation and children’s rights as well as education, health, and social welfare reforms.
She studied English & Scottish Literature at the University of Edinburgh and writes in her spare time.
Sally joined Children in Scotland in September 2021 as a Learning & Events Officer. Her work centres around researching and developing new learning opportunities for the children’s sector including training events, webinars, commissioned sessions and eLearning modules. She also runs the Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Life Story Work.
Prior to joining the organisation, Sally held roles supporting projects, governance and events at Macmillan Cancer Support and Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). Sally is also a qualified ESL teacher and spent two years living in Spain teaching English to children and adults. She is now a volunteer language tutor with Refugee Action Scotland.
Outside of work, Sally enjoys yoga and exploring her adopted home of Scotland.
Grant provides IT support to staff across the organisation, in particular, with the development of Enquire’s websites and databases. Grant developed Enquire’s suite of Filemaker databases which are now essential in the operational and reporting aspects of the service.
In addition to his Children in Scotland role, he is CEO of S'up Products Ltd. The company sells the S'up spoon – the spoon for shaky hands – that Grant created because of personal need.
Grant enjoys getting outdoors, especially if it involves any adrenaline-filled activity including skiing and water-skiing.
Angus joined Children in Scotland in September 2019 and has worked for several years as a freelance designer.
He is a member of the communications team and the Engagement and Learning department. He contributes design work and expertise across digital materials, print, events marketing, and in support of our ongoing project work and strategic aims.
Angus’s clients as a freelancer included Scottish Canals, Perth & Kinross Council, reallymoving.com, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Museums and Heritage Highland, Get Glasgow Moving, Lightpress Design and East Perthshire Youth Alliance.
Public transport inequalities is an area of particular interest. At a practical level, Angus is concerned with encouraging the use of intuitive schematic mapping and signage and advocating for improved infrastructure in modern UK cities.
Before joining Enquire, Robert was previously Senior Project Officer on the CHANGE Project, which helped to develop childcare services and family support in the East End of Glasgow.
His involvement with Children in Scotland began in 2014, when he volunteered as a Research Mentor on Beyond4Walls – a participatory youth research project exploring young people’s experiences of Housing.
Robert’s background is in community development and he was involved in establishing community food projects that later became part of Children in Scotland’s Food, Families, Futures programme.
He is also a Participation and Engagement Associate at Children in Scotland and recently worked on the Young Media Voices project, supporting children and young people across Scotland to learn new skills, create multimedia content and share the stories that matter most to them.
Jennifer is Editor of our member magazine Insight and leads on the curation of our magazine webpages, bringing topical news and comment to our wider network. She provides communication support across the organisation, including leading the communications activity for the Inclusion Ambassadors group.
Prior to joining Children in Scotland in 2012, Jennifer worked for Holyrood Communications, researching, developing and delivering policy-focused conferences and seminars. She also has extensive experience developing and managing PR campaigns for leading names in the Scottish hospitality sector having previously worked as an Account Manager with a boutique PR firm.
When not at work, Jennifer can usually be found on a beach, up a hill or in a forest with her husband and two young children.
Leah joined Children in Scotland in May 2022 in the role of Assistant Policy Officer.
Previous experience has involved working within the children’s rights sector across a several areas including children in conflict with the law, human trafficking, and asylum and refugee issues. She is also passionate about informing her work through participation work with children and young people.
Leah has an undergraduate degree in Chinese, and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in East Asian Relations at the University of Edinburgh. Her dissertation focuses on UNCRC compliance within Chinese provincial government policy.
The Enquire service’s Helpline Officers listen and respond to questions and concerns from parents, carers, professionals, children and young people about additional support for learning.
The team members come from various backgrounds, including teaching, policy, support work and other advice lines.
The team undergoes an extensive induction and continuous training programme to develop their knowledge and keep up to date with developments in the law relating to additional support for learning.
0345 123 2303
Beth joined Children in Scotland as an Advice and Information Officer with Enquire in June 2021.
Previously, Beth worked directly with children and young people with additional support needs in a mainstream educational setting. This practical experience has given her a passion for supporting all children and young people to succeed.
Beth recently completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Mental Health and Education and has an English Language and History degree from the University of Glasgow.
In her spare time, Beth volunteers with the Scouts, supporting children in her local area to have fun, adventure, and contribute to their community.
Lynn is part of Children in Scotland’s Communications Team, with responsibility for the organisation’s digital and social media output. She also provides marketing, editing and IT support and leads on communications for specific projects.
She is currently managing our website development project, and is also actively involved with our Participation and Engagement work and work on LGBT+ equality.
Lynn joined Children in Scotland in November 2004. She has 20 years’ experience working in journalism, PR, events management, schools outreach work and charity fundraising. She has a degree in History & Scottish Historical Studies from the University of Edinburgh, and a postgraduate qualification in Journalism. She previously worked in a range of roles, including reporter and editor, for local and national newspapers and magazines.
She is a qualified yoga teacher, and enjoys practicing and teaching yoga, breathwork and meditation.
Hannah joined Enquire in September 2015. She is involved in managing Enquire’s helpline where they offer support and advice parents, carers, professionals and young people about children’s rights to support when they are struggling with their learning. She also works on Enquire’s policy and influencing work and outreach programmes.
Previously, Hannah worked with the Scottish Government in education policy and as an employment support worker for young adults with learning difficulties. For three years she chaired a young people’s group at the Sick Children’s Hospital in Edinburgh – helping make sure the group’s views and experiences where taken into account.
Hannah studied Social Anthropology at Aberdeen University. In her spare time she writes, plays board games and enjoys sitting under trees with a good book.
Marie joined Children in Scotland in May 2022 to take up post as Senior Policy Officer (Children’s Rights) for the My Rights My Say service.
Over the past 15 years she has worked to promote children’s rights through lobbying and advocacy posts both in Scotland, Denmark, Kenya and the Netherlands. The main focus of her work has been to promote the rights of children with additional support needs and to support children to share their views in all decision making processes that affect them. She has been involved in various projects aimed at creating awareness of the UNCRC and children’s rights both on international, national and local level.
Marie holds a degree in Aesthetics and culture and has used her skills to develop creative toolkits to support children with additional support needs to share their views in child-centred and unique ways that are meaningful to the individual child. She will be starting a Master’s Programme in Children’s Participation and Leadership in September 2022 with the University of Highlands & Islands.
Valerie is part of Children in Scotland’s Leadership Team. She is responsible for Central Services’ functions and driving the sustainability of Children in Scotland through robust and proactive financial management.
Valerie is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
Access to Childcare Fund Lead
Before joining the Access to Childcare Fund (ACF), Alison was previously Senior Policy and Participation Officer on the CHANGE project, working to improve access to childcare and family support in the East of Glasgow.
This experience has helped inform how she supports the ACF projects across Scotland to provide childcare solutions enabling more accessible and affordable childcare for families and to helping to reduce barriers.
She has more than 30 years’ experience of working within the Early Years Sector including in development and training and internal verification.
As well as being qualified in Early Years, Alison has a BA (Hons) in Humanities and a Postgraduate Qualification in Strategic Thinking: Systems for managing change.
In her spare time, she enjoys going to antique/vintage fairs and book groups.
Angela has been with Children in Scotland since 2018 and is the administrator for the Early Learning and Childcare Inclusion fund, which Children in Scotland administers on behalf of the Scottish Government. She also works on administration related tasks within the Central Services team.
Angela has worked in administration and finance in the voluntary sector for a number of years, which included working in community education centres and, more recently, working with IDEAS, a development education organisation.
Angela administered the Development Awareness Mini-Grants in this role which IDEAS administered on behalf of DFID.
Tracy focuses on developing new relationships and securing a sustainable future for the organisation. She is also the key contact for our members.
Tracy has significant experience in membership support and development through her previous experience at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, where she was Assistant Development Manager. Before joining Children in Scotland she was Head of Marketing and Membership at the Scottish Business Resilience Centre.
Lucy works as part of the Enquire team and has a focus on raising awareness of children’s rights to be supported and listened to, in particular those with additional support needs. This includes engaging with children and young people and generating opportunities for them to have effective and fulfilling participation in Enquire’s work – including the Reach website, social media and the My Rights, My Say service.
Lucy’s background mainly lies in education. She joined Children in Scotland in August 2018, bringing with her a range of experience from her previous role as a teacher, where she specialised in history. For many years she has championed children’s rights in schools, which she continues to do in her current role.
Nina joined Children in Scotland in October 2021 as Assistant Communications Officer – Digital.
She comes to the organisation with experience of working alongside children and young people with additional support needs, and on projects aiming to engage young people on issues of gender inequalities.
In addition to her role with Children in Scotland, Nina works in marketing for a Scottish publisher. She has just completed a Master’s degree in Publishing after studying Sociology and Psychology at the University of Edinburgh.
Elaine is a Policy, Project and Participation Manager. She leads on our direct engagement and participation work with children, young people and families. This is often through our project work.
Elaine joined Children in Scotland in September 2016 and brings a wealth of experience in young people’s health and wellbeing, rights and participation.
Elaine was a secondary school teacher for more than 18 years. Most recently she was Principal Teacher of Pupil Support at Linlithgow Academy. She also enjoyed a secondment with Education Scotland where she was responsible for developing national guidelines relating to Health And Wellbeing for practitioners.
Elaine is Chair of the Board of Fast Forward, Edinburgh. She also enjoys reading, singing and dancing.
Cat joined Children in Scotland in January 2019 with a strong background in education that focused on professional learning, community engagement and environmental education. She has a keen interest in equality and sustainability.
Previously, she has worked on community education programmes that supported asylum seekers, refugees, the Traveller community and young people.
Cat is a board member of Edinburgh Remakery, an award winning environmental social enterprise.
Having worked in Australia, Poland, Ireland and the UK, Cat brings a range of international experience to the team.
Mohit has worked in the third sector since 2013, while he was at university completing a degree in Marketing. Within the charity sector he has worked for and supported a wide range of charities, including West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC) and GalGael.
Mohit has had varied roles working in the charity sector, including Marketing and Enterprise Officer, Marketing and Sales Administrator, Fundraising Assistant and Project Co-Ordinator.
While at WSREC Mohit also ran one of the main projects alongside his marketing role. The project was called MESS (Minority Ethnic Silver Surfers), which looked at supporting and training M.E adults over 50 in digital skills, such as how to online shop to how to use Zoom.
Currently, Mohit works at Enquire as the Communications Officer, which is a new role within the organisation. Within Enquire Mohit will be involved with the marketing and communications.
Cathie leads on the organisation’s Human Resources functions and has a key focus on organisation and people development.
She is a member of Children Child Protection Review Group, the Equality & Diversity Working Group, the Participation and Engagement Working Group and the Future Working Group.
She spends much of her home life participating in outdoor activities and is passionate about children and young people having the opportunity to benefit from outdoor experiences.
David leads a range of projects to generate evidence and help to inform Children in Scotland’s policy work at a local, national and international level.
David joined Children in Scotland in April 2019. He has worked on children and family programmes in several cultural organisations including National Galleries of Scotland and Scottish Book Trust. As a graduate of Edinburgh College Art, he is passionate about children and young people’s access to the arts and culture.
David has significant experience of multi-agency working, bringing together contacts from health, education, local authorities and third sector organisations. During his time in the Early Years team at Scottish Book Trust, David managed the organisation's early intervention family support programme and lead on audience development work.
He has a range of professional and voluntary experience working directly with children and young people.
Simon is part of Children in Scotland’s Leadership Team and manages the Engagement & Learning Department, comprising the Communications & Marketing team, Learning & Events team and the Membership Service. He also coordinates Children in Scotland’s child protection activity.
He has a keen interest in equality and diversity, particularly LGBT+ issues and led the organisation through LGBT Youth Scotland's LGBT Charter of Rights accreditation in 2018-19. He is also a member of the Social Work Cross-Party Group and SCVO’s Intermediaries Network.
Simon joined Children in Scotland in September 2015 and has 35 years' experience working in the children’s sector in various roles including volunteer, front-line practitioner, manager and consultant.
He is a qualified social worker and has undertaken extensive child protection and post-abuse therapeutic social work as well as work in residential childcare settings. He is also a qualified practice teacher with experience of the social work education field and local authority workforce development.
Outside of Children in Scotland, Simon is the Chair of Bright Light, an Edinburgh-based charity providing relationship counselling services and he spends a large amount of time chasing his dog, Alfie, around.
Nazmi joined Children in Scotland in March 2020.
She is the Administrative Assistant in the Learning & Events team, where she supports the delivery and day-to-day administration of the team’s events and webinar programme.
Nazmi has more three years admin experience both within and outwith the third sector and has spent time supporting disadvantaged young people. These experiences have made her passionate about working to support children and young people.
She also has a keen interest in equalities, particularly of those who live at the intersections of marginalised groups.
Finance Manager
Madeleine is part of the Central Services team with responsibility for financial management, reporting, budgeting and fund management. She is passionate about providing a professional and high-quality finance service.
Madeleine joined Children in Scotland in April 2021. She previously worked in various finance departments within the SME sector.
Madeleine is an Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Affiliate member, and she hopes to complete the requirements of full membership within the next 18 months.
Madeleine also acts as a treasurer and board member for a not-for-profit nursery in North Edinburgh. Outside of work she is a keen crafter.
Laura has worked with Children in Scotland since 2012, in various roles. She is currently HR Officer, managing the recruitment and induction process, maintaining staff contracts and supporting the wider provision of HR services across the organisation.
She has degrees in English Literature and Law. She is currently working towards a Masters in Creative Writing, and coordinates Children in Scotland’s staff book group.
Sandra is the Mediation Manager of Resolve, Scotland’s leading Additional Support Needs mediation service which she established in 2004
Sandra manages the development, delivery and management of Resolve. She is committed to developing supportive relationships and good communication to ensure Resolve brings about positive change for practitioners, families and young people across Scotland.
Sandra has worked extensively as a practising mediator and supervisor for more than 20 years in a range of areas including family, education, intergenerational and workplace mediations across Scotland. Sandra has nationally recognised experience, knowledge and skills regarding managing and resolving conflict and the impact it can have on the people involved.
Senior Advice and Information Officer – Enquire
Mark has worked with Enquire since 2018, offering advice on children and young people’s rights to additional support for learning. As well as helping manage Enquire’s helpline, Mark contributes to Enquire’s written publications, websites and outreach work.
Mark has a Scots law degree and he worked in a variety of roles with Citizens Advice Scotland prior to joining Enquire. He was the in-court adviser for Edinburgh Sheriff Court and a policy officer for rights and redress issues. He has also worked as a mentor to young people facing challenges with their learning and was a children’s panel member in Edinburgh for three and a half years.
In his spare time, Mark enjoys dragging himself up Munros before cooling off with some outdoor swimming.
Alison supports Mediation Manager Sandra Mitchell with the development, delivery and management of the mediation service. She is the primary liaison and contact person for all referrals to Resolve and has a good knowledge of additional support for learning legislation and the Scottish education landscape.
Prior to joining Children in Scotland Alison worked for several third sector organisations and has many years’ experience of fundraising, project management and administration.
Lyndsay joined Children in Scotland in October 2021 to manage the Supporting the Third Sector project.
Before joining Children in Scotland, she worked for nine years delivering front line family support to vulnerable families.
Lyndsay was awarded a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship in 2017 with a focus on exploring innovative services across America for pregnant and parenting women affected by problematic substance use.
This practitioner research sparked her interest and pursuit to improve service delivery, systems and resources for vulnerable families.
Chris’s role focus on delivering a range of participation and engagement focussed projects including the Inclusion Ambassadors and the National Suicide Prevention Youth Advisory Group. Chris also has a key role in our policy work including supporting the implementation of key manifesto calls.
Chris has a Masters in Health Inequalities and Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh and has previously worked in an after school club setting and with adults with learning disabilities.
Chris is also a keen cricketer and captains a team at his club.
Monica (they/them) joined Children in Scotland in August 2021 as the Learning & Events Coordinator. They have worked in the events industry for nearly a decade within higher education and are excited to pivot to the third sector. They have a vested interest in intersectionality, equality, and sustainability.
Originally from Oregon, USA, Monica studied cultural & creative entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths College in London, completing their MA in 2011. Using a community-focused approach, they’ve adapted that creative thinking to events logistics.
Outside work, Monica writes novels, dances, and spends as much time outside as the Scottish weather will allow.
Parisa joined Children in Scotland in January 2021 as Policy, Projects and Participation Officer.
Before joining the organisation, she worked at a busy child law centre on projects that help young people experiencing homelessness and those who have left the care system and also worked in their Policy Team. She previously worked in political offices in Holyrood and Westminster carrying out research and casework. These roles allowed her to appreciate the importance of well-informed and beneficial policy in achieving positive change.
Parisa studied Law at Durham University and completed an LLM in General Law at the University of Edinburgh in 2017. Through her pro bono experience as a Volunteer Advocate for parents whose children are involved in the care system, she developed an interest in family law and children’s rights.
In her spare time, she is learning Farsi to communicate with her Iranian family, she enjoys reading and spends a disproportionate amount of time petting dogs.
Chris leads our Communications Team, covering digital, media engagement, marketing and our bimonthly magazine.
Starting his career as a sub-editor at the Scotsman newspaper, Chris has more than 20 years’ experience in journalism, communications and marketing. He has worked previously as Communications Manager at the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, reporter for TESS, publications officer at the University of Edinburgh, and web editor at the Scottish Parliament.
He has also worked extensively as a freelance writer, editor and consultant, and was editor of the culture magazine Product for 11 years.
Chris joined Children in Scotland in November 2014, having been Communications Officer with us from 2005-8.
Cat’s role is creating strong partnerships with organisations working with and supporting children of additional support needs and their families. Cat leads on developing accessible advice and information about Additional Support for Learning and promoting Enquire to parents, carers, professionals, children and young people. Cat’s particular interest is supporting families to work in partnership with schools so children have the support they need to get the most from school.
Since joining Children in Scotland in 2004 Cat has worked on a range of projects about listening to and providing information to families, including the Esmee Fairbairn-funded project Opening Doors to Learning.
Previously Cat worked with in the NHS as a Performance Review Manager and supporting Drug Actions Teams measure progress towards national drug action targets
Out of work Cat enjoys walking friend’s dogs, heading out to the beach and live music.
Aimee joined Children in Scotland in January 2022 as a Project Assistant. Aimee is also currently studying English Literature & Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow. She is due to graduate in 2023.
Aimee has experience volunteering with Childline as a counsellor and has worked as a caregiver for the elderly. She also gives her time to STAF where she is currently working on the Young Funder’s Grant. Aimee also has a keen interest in sports and has represented GB for judo and ball hockey, as well as being on the GB University ice hockey team. Aimee is currently the captain of her ball hockey team and is looking forward to transferring her leadership skills into her work with Children in Scotland.
Outside of work, university, and sports you will most likely find Aimee rescuing animals. She currently has 16 rats, 8 guinea pigs, 2 hamsters and an axolotl (water salamander) as well as 5 dogs who live with her family members.
Dr. Judith Turbyne became Chief Executive of Children in Scotland in August 2021.
She has spent most of her professional life working in and with the charity sector. For much of that time she worked in international development, with charities challenging global poverty and inequality. She worked in Latin America and the Caribbean for many years, in local frontline organisations and with multinational funders, before moving to Dublin to work as the CEO of Progressio Ireland.
Judith returned home to Scotland in 2013 as Head of Engagement with the Scottish Charity Regulator where she has had the pleasure of working with many charities across Scotland. She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Corra Foundation.
She has a PhD from the University of Bath which looked at empowerment in development. Aside from her wonderful friends and family, the things that make her most happy are mountains, music, running, cricket and a good book.
Dana joined Children in Scotland in January 2020 and supports a range of projects as part of our Policy, Projects and Participation team. She leads on Children in Scotland’s UNCRC Children’s Rights training.
Prior to joining Children in Scotland, Dana worked with MCR Pathways, supporting projects championing the participation of young people with experience of the care system. She has extensive experience mentoring and working with care experienced young people.
Dana's background is in digital, events and content marketing. She studied History and Communications at university, with a focus on Social History and amplifying the voices of marginalised communities. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree at the University of Glasgow in Policy and Management. Dana moved to Glasgow from Canada in 2017 for the good weather and to escape the cold. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, running and cultivating her growing plant collection.
Annie has been working in the Enquire team since 2017, stepping into the role of Advice and Information Manager in 2022. Her role involves overall responsibility for the delivery and quality of the advice and information that the service provides, including oversight of the helpline and our publications and website.
Previously Annie has worked in a range of roles in autism and family support organisations, including at the University of Strathclyde working on the delivery of the Scottish Strategy for Autism and as a manager in an outreach support service for autistic adults.
Outside of work Annie enjoys spending time by the seaside, reading and crafts. She is passionate about equality and human rights, with a particular interest in LGBTQ+ issues.
Jacqueline is part of Enquire’s communications team leading on all aspects of design with a particular focus on digital and print materials.
Passionate about the power of good design to aid communication, Jacqueline works with the team to ensure the presentation of Enquire’s information is clear and accessible to parents, professionals and children and young people.
Jacqueline studied architecture for three years and has an HND in photography. She also worked as a freelance photographer for several years and ran her own art and photography gallery.
Amy is part of Children in Scotland’s Leadership Team and heads the organisation’s policy work.
She has overall responsibility for the organisation’s participation and engagement activity with children and young people, has shared responsibility for project development and oversees a portfolio of Children in Scotland projects.
Amy joined Children in Scotland in May 2015. She has a particular interest in children and young people’s mental health, stemming from 16 years working in the mental health sector for a variety of national third sector organisations.
Amy has extensive experience of managing qualitative research, evaluation and development projects at national and local levels. She is a keen supporter of child rights and evidence-informed policymaking and practice.