Academic Credentials

Dr. Debby Allen

Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care, Oxford Brookes University, RGN, DN Dip, PG Dip HE, BSc (Hons), MSc

Debby has been a senior lecturer/research fellow in the School of Health and Social Care, Oxford Brookes University, since 2000. Debby obtained her PhD in 2004 with her thesis focusing on young people and illicit drug use. She was lead investigator of a study funded by the Alcohol Education Research Council,and Home Office to adapt the US SFP 10-14 for use in the UK context. From March 2007 Debby was a trainer/consultant for delivery of SFP 10-14 (UK)training to 24 Family Intervention Projects in England funded by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF). There have also been trainings in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Since 2008/9 Debby has been involved with work for the National Academy of Parenting Practitioners delivering SFP 10-14 (UK) trainings to Local Authorities as part of the Parenting Early Intervention Pathfinder (PEIP).

Lindsey Coombes

Research Fellow, School of Health and Social Care, Oxford Brookes University, RMN RGN BA (Hons) PGCEA MA

Lindsey has been a senior lecturer/research fellow in the School of Health and Social Care, Oxford Brookes University since 1989 and has been involved in teaching a wide range of modules in mental health nursing. His main research interests are in the field of substance misuse and he has conducted a number of studies mostly focusing on drug and alcohol issues and young people. For the past six years he has been researching the SFP 10-14 (UK), training people to facilitate the programme and delivering the programme to families in the UK and other countries. From March 2007 Lindsey was project manager for delivery of SFP 10-14 (UK) training to 24 Family Intervention Projects in England funded by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF).

Megan Marsh

RN, RM, ENB 603, BA (Hons)

Megan works as a part-time Parent Training co-ordinator based within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Barnsley South Yorkshire. Her employment involves working in partnership with other agencies to deliver evidence based parenting interventions. Megan has had a varied nursing career starting in general nursing working in the Intensive Care Unit at University College Hospital, London before moving on to midwifery. She worked as a midwife at Guy’s Hospital and the Royal London Hospital in London and at St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth. After moving to Yorkshire she worked as a School Health Advisor in Sheffield prior to joining the CAMHS team in Barnsley in 1999 as a charge nurse.

Between 2000 and 2002 Megan worked in a job share with Sara Male as Parent Training Co-ordinators for a Health Action Zone funded project. She became a certified group leader for the Incredible Years parenting programme and joined Sara on a travel scholarship to explore programmes for parents of young teenagers and went on to train as a facilitator of the SFP 10-14. Megan has been involved in the development of the SFP 10-14 (UK) in Barnsley through organising group leader training for multi-agency professionals and supporting their progress in running groups. This has been reinforced by close contact with the programme author Virginia Molgaard in Iowa, USA. Megan is a TOF and TOT trainer.

From March 2007 Megan was a trainer for delivery of SFP 10-14 (UK) training to 24 Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) in England funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Together Megan and Sara Male offer a Training and Consultation service for SFP 10-14 (UK) training (M&M Consulting).

Sara Male

RMN, ENB 603

Sara works part time as a community mental health nurse for the CAMHS in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Before moving to Barnsley in 2000 she worked in Sheffield as a ward manager in both of Sheffield’s child and adolescent inpatient mental health units. Sara also held the position of lead clinical nurse for children’s inpatient services and whilst in post she implemented relationship play therapy groups and introduced the Incredible Years parenting programme for parents of children 3-8 years into the Sheffield CAMHS service. On moving to Barnsley as a parent training co-ordinator for the Health Action Zone, Sara achieved certification as a group leader for the Incredible Years programme. In 2001 Sara secured a Westfield travel scholarship to the USA to examine parenting programmes for parents with children in the 10-15 year age group. Sara has been involved in the development of the SFP 10-14 (UK) in Barnsley through organising group leader training for multi-agency professionals and supporting their progress in running groups. Sara is a TOF and TOT trainer.

Julie Perry

BA (Hons), CertEP(YJ)(Open)

Julie works as a full-time Parenting Lead Practitioner with Wakefield MDC and in this capacity she organises and delivers Strengthening Families Programmes to families where the children are at risk of involvement in crime or anti-social behaviour. Julie previously worked as a Senior Education Welfare Officer and also as the full-time Strengthening Families Co-ordinator in Rotherham MBC. Julie has been a trained facilitator of the programme since 2002 and has delivered the programme to more than 100 families. She became a Trainer of Facilitators in 2005 and from March 2007 was a trainer for delivery of SFP 10-14 (UK) training to 24 Family Intervention Projects in England funded by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF). Julie is also a trainer of the National Occupational Standards for Work with Parents and is about to complete a PGCE with University of Huddersfield.

Shelley Shaw

BSC (Hons)

Shelley Shaw works for Rotherham MBC as Senior Parenting Practitioner with responsibility for Parent Support Advisor and the workforce development of Parenting Practitioners. Shelley previously worked as a Parent Support Coordinator for Barnsley Behaviour Support Service and over her 7 years in this role completed the Strengthening Families Training and delivered the programme to more than 50 families. From March 2007 Shelley was a trainer for delivery of SFP 10-14 (UK) training to 24 Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) in England funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Shelley is also a trainer of the National Occupational Standards for Work with Parents and is about to complete her first year studying her PGCE with University of Huddersfield.

Grahame Howard

Cert & Dip inst welfare, Cert counselling

Grahame works at Cardiff Alcohol & Drug Team leading on the development and implementation of evidence based tier 1 & 2 family support services.

As part of this wider role which also encompasses preventative interventions, Grahame is a certified level 3 Strengthening Families Programme SFP10-14 (UK) Trainer & Consultant with significant experience of planning, organising, facilitating, training, leading and managing on delivery of multi-agency Strengthening Families Programmes. Grahame has successfully implemented and managed SFP 10-14 (UK) through a multi-agency, universal targeting model in Cardiff since 2005. The Cardiff team, led by Grahame, is at the forefront of SFP training and implementation across Wales. Grahame has trained many facilitators and a number of local trainers in Wales and across the UK and has also worked alongside the original Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 developers to deliver training in Pennsylvania, USA.

Previously Grahame has gained many years valuable experience of practice, project development and management in both the voluntary and statutory sectors in the fields of learning disabilities, practical support for carers, kinship care and therapeutic family support initiatives in the substance misuse field.

Grahame’s other areas of interest in evidence based therapeutic practice are Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focussed Brief Therapy and CRAFT (Community Reinforcement & Family Training).

Mandy Morgan

Cardiff Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 (UK) Coordinator and Lead Trainer for Wales, BSc (Hons) Behavioural Sciences

Mandy has more than 12 years experience of working with families in the substance misuse field in both the voluntary and statutory sector. She joined the Cardiff Alcohol and drug team in 2001 to work therapeutically with families in crisis where there were issues relating to substance misuse and child protection. She was instrumental in setting up the innovative Option 2 service in the Vale of Glamorgan and has delivered training of the Option 2 model.

Mandy has been the SFP 10-14 (UK) coordinator in Cardiff since 2006. She is involved in the development of the universally targeted programme across the city with the delivery of programmes to families, and through the training and leadership of multi agency teams to facilitate and coordinate the programme. In addition to training across the UK, Mandy is currently lead trainer on the national roll out of SFP 10-14 (UK) in Wales.