Our speakers
Michelle John
Event Host and Founder of PEGS
Michelle John is the founding director of PEGS, a social enterprise which aims to reduce the individual and societal impact of Child to Parent Abuse. PEGS has directly supported more than 5,000 parents over the past four years, and has trained more than 2,000 frontline professionals including officers from police forces across England and Wales. Michelle helped develop the very first regional CPA policy which is now in place across Mid and West Wales, and has been replicated in other regions too. She was also asked to consult on the Domestic Abuse Act by the Home Office, and has partnered with the DWP to create an Employer Covenant.
Michelle’s work has been recognised by numerous national and international awards schemes, and she’s been asked to speak at events across the UK as well as raising awareness of CPA through media including Channel 5 and ITV News, regional television and radio programmes, and the majority of national broadsheets.
Who's Who?
We’re thrilled to be supported by a whole host of experts who are changing outcomes for families every day through their research, knowledge, campaigning, and partnership working.
We’d be delighted to hear from you if you would like to sponsor our first hybrid conference. Your support would be gratefully received and would allow us to spread the word.
Join us and experience our fantastic speaker lineup and help us make a change for the future.
If you have a general enquiry or any questions then we are here to help, contact us today
Speaker Lineup
Joe Lockley
Event co-host and Founder of Brightstar
Joe Lockley has helped to bring different sectors together, by using boxing as a vehicle for change.
Joe is the founding director of Brightstar, who empower young people to thrive. Since 2016 the journey of Brightstar has been incredible, from a voluntary run organisation working with 6 young people, to now where there are several centres set up across the West Midlands, where 28 full time staff and 30 volunteers now support over 600 young people each week.
Brightstar have been extremely successful and have been awarded the Queens award, have been internationally recognised and Joe even spoke at the World expo in Dubai to help shape the sports development work in different countries.
Joe and the team are great examples of how using your Why can help knock down barriers as they continue to work with international partners to create lasting change.
Talk Title:
TBC
Dr Amanda Holt
Professor of Criminology at the University of Roehampton
Dr. Amanda Holt is a Professor of Criminology at the University of Roehampton, London. She has been researching and writing about the problem of adolescent family violence for nearly 20 years She wrote the UK’s first book on the topic, which was followed by an edited collection on how to support such families. She recently completed a project funded by the Mayor of London which assessed adolescent family violence across London. Amanda sits on the Risk of Harm committee for Family Lives and is a member of the Advisory Board at PEGS.
Talk Title:
TBC
Dr Andrew Newman
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, NHS
Dr Andrew Newman has worked within the NHS for over 20 years in the field of mental health and as a Psychologist exclusively in forensic settings. He is employed in the NHS as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in a Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. He is also the clinical lead for our local Mentalisation Based Treatment (MBT) Service, that runs in the National Probation Service (NPS). This is a psychotherapy service for men over 18 years old, who are considered to be a high risk of causing serious harm to others.
He oversees the psychology input into Enhanced Case Management (ECM) across the West Country region. ECM is a service that offers trauma informed formulation led psychological support to Youth Justice Services. He is also clinical advisor to the BNSSG ICB Framework for Integrative Care Vanguard. This is a collaboration of seven services trying to reduce the risk of children and adolescents becoming involved in the criminal justice system and trying to divert those involved out of the system. The services take a trauma informed, formulation led approach to working with young people in Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).
He also sits on the British Psychological Society (BPS), Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) Executive Committee as the Finance Lead. He also sits on the BPS, DCP, Forensic Faculty Committee as the child and adolescent representative and Finance Lead. He also sits on the advisory board for Parental Education Support Growth (PEGS).
Talk Title:
TBC
Annelli Peavot
Head of Safeguarding, Canterbury Christ Church University
Profile coming soon.
Talk Title:
TBC
Billy Cragg-Hughes
Lead-Child/Adult Child to Parent Abuse Service, Warrington Borough Council
Profile coming soon.
Talk Title:
TBC
Elize Freeman
Deputy Director and Co-Lead Dewis Choice
Elize Freeman is Service and Training Development Lead for the Dewis Choice project. She has co-developed and delivered training nationally for the project to professionals from Social Care, Adult Protection, Health, Police and Domestic abuse, including bespoke training for SafeLives IDVA’s working with older people. Elize, based on her extensive experience supporting older victim survivors co-authored “Transforming the response to domestic violence in later life,” practitioner guidance.
Elize is an accredited SafeLives Gender Based Service Manager, Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA), Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) and experienced Wellbeing Practitioner. She is a Dementia Champion with the Alzheimer’s Society delivering Dementia Friends sessions to practitioners and community members. Elize is a member of the Abuse Steering Group for the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales and also the Mid and West Wales VAWDASV Delivery Group influencing policy and service provision both regionally and nationally.
Attaining BSc Hons in Social Science & Digital technology (The Open University in 2016), Elize is currently studying a MA Safeguarding Adults – Law, Policy and Practice with Keele University.
Talk Title:
TBC
Fiona Wells
Adoption Expert, Social Worker, Founder of PATCH
PATCH (Passionate Adopters Targeting Change with Hope) is a campaign dedicated to challenging the systemic failings that escalate crises within adoptive families.
The assumption that simply removing a child from harm is sufficient for healing is profoundly misguided. Love and safety alone cannot address the unresolved loss, grief, and trauma that children face, nor can they mitigate the effects of intergenerational trauma. The unique perspectives of children regarding their safety are often overlooked, reduced to adult assessments that may not reflect their reality.
Children who haven’t processed their trauma carry complex feelings that require targeted, tailored interventions. Yet, when families reach out for help, they often encounter delays and inadequate responses. Instead of receiving the expertise they need, they face judgment, bias, blame, and shame. This shallow understanding of their struggles perpetuates crises, undermining their pleas for support.
The lack of empathy, compassion, and collaboration, combined with decisions made without expert insight, further spirals families into distress. This leaves them fractured, with children’s needs unmet by the very professionals meant to assist them.
At PATCH, we recognize that parenting children who have experienced trauma poses significant challenges that demand a trauma EXPERT approach. To address these issues, we have formed the PATCH Steering Group, composed of adopters with lived experience. This group is dedicated to raising awareness of the unique challenges faced by adoptive families and advocating for the necessary changes in the support system. While the group has just been established and no actions have yet been completed, we are committed to identifying systemic issues and emphasizing the urgent need for reform.
Through shared experiences, interactive support, and community engagement, we aim to amplify the voices of adoptive families and ensure that their needs are met with compassion and expertise.
Talk Title:
TBC
Julie Mackay
Author and Podcast Host, Retired Detective Superintendent, Expert Witness, Associate with HMICFRS, Trustee Threds of Red
I joined the police in 1988 when women weren’t allowed to work alone on nights, had to supervise female prisoners and children and the most senior female officer was an Inspector. I was a natural thief taker and from a very early stage wanted to be a detective (there was one female detective per station).
I was sent to a murder incident room in 1989 as “the goffer” where I made tea, took pieces of paper to different trays, checked the messages, and listed and absorbed everything that was happening around me and I was hooked…
I concluded my career as a Detective Superintendent with responsibility for a Tri-Force murder team in the Southwest, it was my dream job and something that in 1988 was never considered a possibility in policing.
Since retirement, I have been an expert witness for HM Coroner for the inquests into the deaths of the victims of Stephen Port (a serial killer), I am an associate with HMICFRS inspecting Police and Fire services and I trained as an independent DHR chair and author with AAFDA. I have just completed my 3rd DHR ( a steep learning curve) and am commissioned for two more.
I have just been accepted onto the Independent Monitoring Board for prisons, with my local prisons being a category D and a sex offenders’ prison, so I look forward to understanding what rehabilitation really looks like.
Finally, I work closely with the media, usually as a professional commentator on reality crime shows, but podcasts, news items etc. My own podcast “To catch a killer” has had over 1 million downloads and the book “To Hunt a killer” won the True Crime award.
Talk Title:
TBC
Rebecca Zerk
Director and Co-Lead Dewis Choice / SEE Training and Consultancy / The Centre for Age, Gender and Social Justice – Aberystwyth University
Rebecca Zerk is the Director for the Centre for Age, Gender and Social Justice at Aberystwyth University and the Co-Lead for the Dewis Choice Initiative (awarded 4* world leading case study for the Research Excellence Framework). With a proven record of creating and disseminating research beyond academia, Rebecca works closely with victim-survivors, practitioners, and creative artists to produce publications, short films, animations, and podcasts, aimed at diverse audiences. Rebecca’s current research involves co-production with community members and older victim-survivors of domestic abuse to co-create safer spaces. Rebecca’s passion lies with promoting social justice with marginalised groups, particularly at the intersections of older age, gender, sexuality, and domestic abuse.
Don’t miss out, book your ticket today to experience our fantastic line-up of speakers
Contributors
Lucy Wade
You Don’t Own Me – Domestic Abuse Consultant
Lucy is a Domestic Abuse Consultant, Specialising in Post-Separation Abuse and the creator of the website You Don’t Own Me a Consultancy and guest speaking business around Domestic Abuse and Post-Separation Abuse. She is also the host of the Podcast, DIP in and out with Lucy CIC – a “one-stop shop” helping people find useful resources, support services and access to knowledge shared by professionals around domestic abuse.
Here you can dip in and out with no judgement. No rush. Just space.
Creator and Owner of You Don’t Own Me – ydom.co.uk
Creator of The Let’s Talk Series
Creator and Host of the Podcast – DIP in and out with Lucy CIC
Laura Rowe
Align Lifestyle
Laura Rowe is the owner and founder of Align Lifestyle. She is a global Wellness and Empowerment coach, an ex-NHS theatre practitioner, a health science specialist, and a trauma and cancer survivor, on a mission to help people rediscover who they are at their core, to see how truly powerful they are, how to gain emotional freedom by living intentionally and finding calm in the chaos of life. Because after struggling for years with anxiety, depression and eventually cancer, Laura learnt the hard way that if we don’t make time for our wellness, we’ll be forced to make time for our illness.
“I am passionate about creating a society with less burnout, anxiety & stress, so we can be a nation more focused on health, wealth & happiness.”
Using science backed holistic modalities such as meditation, breathwork, yoga and mindset practices, Laura is here to help more of us embrace better health without it feeling like a chore.
Laura has contributed a range of breathing space resources for the conference, she is available for public speaking events, wellness projects, as well as private consultations, and group coaching.
The event is powered by
Matt Collins
MC Online Events
I’ve been supporting PEGS with their conferences for a number of years, and I am constantly blown away by the impact PEGS is having though its support for parents and its drive to change institutions. It’s truly inspirational!
I have always wanted to help people with a passion and a message to reach more people and that is why I set up MC Online Events. I provide technical support for running high quality conferences, both online like this one and hybrid events with some people in the room and some online.
As well as providing the tech support, I can also give advice on how best to structure and run your event so it works best for those engaging remotely, and I will always recommend Anna if you need help with content, organisation and visual design!
You can get in touch at [email protected] or visit www.mconlineevents.co.uk or follow me on Instagram.
Anna Rose Bowler
Content Annie
It is always a pleasure to work with the PEGS team. They are making huge waves, and like Matt, I am continually impressed by their impact across the UK and globally. Michelle and her team are highly professional, friendly, and always make Matt and me feel welcome and part of the team.
Working with purpose-driven organisations is a privilege, but navigating the fast-moving world of digital content can be overwhelming when you are managing the day-to-day running of a charity. As a qualified teacher and trained marketeer, I have combined my skills to support organisations in deploying a range of digital content – including online events and courses – alongside providing the skills and guidance to help them build connections and achieve significant growth via digital platforms.
If you need a tech wizard, Matt is your person. He is always calm, friendly, professional – and unflappable.
You can get in touch at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Leon and the team at isev
isev – An award-winning website design agency
We’re isev, a professional web design agency based in the heart of Telford. Whether your business is big or small, we spend time crafting cutting-edge websites for businesses all across the UK.
With a keen eye, our team helps your business stand out from the crowd and builds you a lasting digital presence.
You can contact us on 01952 897444 or visit our website.