Barbara Firth Expand Barbara has a background in health and social services organisations as a practitioner, manager and educator. For the last thirty years she has been an independent trainer and consultant with a focus on safeguarding and the development of policy and practice in child welfare. Barbara’s work has included the design and delivery of training courses for a wide range of managers and practitioners; audits; service evaluations and supervision and consultancy for senior managers in Health Services and Children’s Services. She also undertakes Serious Case Reviews and has helped to develop new approaches for reviewing cases of serious child and adult harm. At a local level Barbara is active in the voluntary sector and is a founder member of Aylesbury Women’s Aid.
Bushra Ahmed Expand Bushra is an experienced board trustee, business woman and community activist, with a wide cross-sector network, as well as over 20 years of experience in community engagement. Currently she holds positions as Director at the Sheila Mckeknie Foundation, the Survivors Advisory Forum for the National Emergencies Trust and the Victim Care Improvement Forum at the Met Police, as well as being a Civic Futures Leader at the GLA. Bushra is the founder of West Croydon Voice, set up after her family business was destroyed in the 2011 Riots, to fight for the victims rights to compensation. She is a public speaker, mentor and strategic consultant, and uses her lived experience to advise on issues around diversity, inclusion and cultural awareness.
Lin Hinnigan - Chair of Trustees Expand Lin Hinnigan was previously Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board and has had a successful track record of strategic leadership as a director and Chief Executive of a number of public bodies and within the Civil Service. She has led organisations responsible for the regulation of social work, the development of the school curriculum, assessment and qualifications, and the oversight of teacher training and development. Having initially trained and worked as an educational psychologist, Hinnigan has a proven passion and track record for supporting children and young people to improve their life chances. Hinnigan takes up the role at Home-Start UK alongside her existing Chairing roles at Make A Wish - a charity supporting critically-ill children and Working Chance - which supports women involved in the criminal justice system back into employment.
Naomi Dickson Expand Naomi Dickson became Chief Executive of Norwood in 2023. Naomi joined Norwood in 2023, having previously spent 8 years as Chief Executive of Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA), the community charity that supports Jewish women affected by domestic and/or sexual violence. Having initially joined JWA as Refuge Coordinator, as CEO she was responsible for almost doubling the organisation’s annual income, and she was recognised as one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2020. Naomi’s experience also includes roles at Jewish Blind and Disabled and the Notting Hill Housing Trust. She has served as a trustee for the Women’s Aid Federation of England
Pearly Siffel Expand Pearly is a global strategy executive with over 16 years’ experience in professional services and financial services across Europe, the Middle East, Australia, North America, and the UK. She is accomplished in opening up new markets, developing high-performing teams and driving organisational transformation to unleash growth. Pearly is personally committed to helping underprivileged people improve their mental and physical well-being. For several years, she was a Committee Member and volunteer with Dress for Success in Australia and the US, helping women thrive in work and life. Additionally, for the last 20 months she’s provided strategic guidance and coaching for The Children’s Society in the UK, which supports abused children to build their confidence and well-being.
Ray Ayivor - Treasurer Expand Ray is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds two Masters degrees in Change Management and Finance. He also holds a Diploma in Charity Accounting from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Ray has been actively involved in charity and social action work in Africa and the UK for over 25 years. His UK experience includes working for charities that have delivered services in the areas of adult and social care, international water and sanitation, mental health and youth and social action. Having developed a keen interest in the role of the family setting in the development of the wider society, Ray comes to Home-Start UK looking to make a meaningful contribution to ensuring that children have the best starts in life and grow into adults who are actively engaged in the building of a stable and beneficial society.
Sheena Bolland Expand Sheena has over 30 years’ experience working in social care, both in the voluntary and statutory sectors. Her work has been recognised by government organisations and she has been a member on several advisory committees. She is currently Head of Service for Public Health nursing working for Medway Community Health in Kent. Having worked alongside Home-start for many years, Sheena was delighted to take up the post of a trustee of Home-start Medway when the opportunity arose approximately ten years ago. For the last three years, she has served as Chair. During this time, the Project has been successful in securing funding by expanding and diversifying service delivery. As a member of the national Board, Sheena brings direct experience of local Projects and a current working knowledge of issues being faced by children and families in the current climate. Sheena has a degree and Masters from the University of Kent and post graduate diplomas in child and adolescent mental health from the Tavistock and Portman Trust.