About Our team

Dr Sam Warner is the chair of the AOCPP. She is a consultant clinical psychologist and holds an honorary senior lectureship at Salford University. Sam has over thirty five years’ experience of working with children, young people and adults who have complex mental health and safeguarding needs. Sam has specialised throughout her career in sexual violence; child abuse, neglect and exploitation; and domestic abuse; their impacts on mental health; and in respect of related issues including attachment difficulties and personality disorders, self-harm and suicide, dissociation and psychosis. Sam works as an expert witness and provides system-wide/ whole family interventions with children who are looked after. Sam has also led a variety of specialist sexual abuse/ exploitation services in the third sector, mental health, child protection and the residential sector. Sam utilises a trauma-informed approach in therapy and safeguarding. Sam has written books, papers and reports on these issues and advised at national and international levels.

Steve Myers is a registered Social Worker with a background in child protection and youth justice. He has worked as a Social Worker in both statutory and voluntary organisations and been involved with the education of social workers in Higher Education for the past 25 years, including leadership roles. Steve has researched and written about strengths-based and solution focused practice, working with violent behaviour including sexual violence and assessment in social work practice.

Dr Ciaran Murphy is currently employed as Senior Lecturer in Social Work in Edge Hill University's Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine. Ciaran continues to lead on specialist children and families; research; and safeguarding modules. Before working in academia, Ciaran practised for 10 years in the areas of child protection, substance misuse and education welfare. Ciaran remains a qualified and registered social worker, specialising in child protection and risk assessment. Moreover, he is an active researcher with a particular interest in elucidating the lived experiences of practicing child protection social workers and how we can better promote child-centred child protection and social work practice.

Jermaine Ravalier is a Professor of Organisational Psychology and Social Justice at Bath Spa University, and Director of Programmes at What Works for Children's Social Care. Jermaine's interest and expertise in social work revolves around the social work workforce. He has worked with and led BASW and SWU's campaign for Professional Working Conditions, which is based on his bi-annual national survey of social worker working conditions and wellbeing. He works with the IFSW to run global working conditions surveys, and alongside thousands of social workers across the UK has co-created the Working Conditions and Wellbeing Toolkit, which can be found on BASW's website. At WWCSC, Jermaine oversees the commissioning of independently evaluated research aimed at supporting and improving outcomes for children and young people with a social worker, and the social work workforce.

Adrian is a Trustee of the AoCPP and Chair of the Practice Learning SIG Chair. Adrian qualified as a Registered General Nurse (1987), Cardiothoracic Nurse (1989) and Registered Health Visitor (1992) and has worked both in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) and East Warwickshire. Has worked in the Safeguarding arena, initially as a Child Protection Nurse Specialist /Named Nurse for Child Protection and from 2004 -2020 as a Consultant/Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children (incorporating Adult Safeguarding into role from 2011). Adrian managed the Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Hosted Safeguarding Team (working across LLR). As part of role worked with local safeguarding and has chaired a number of inter-agency subgroups, contributed and authored Serious Case Reviews, Adult Learning Reviews and a Domestic Homicide Review Co-Chaired the LLR Channel Panel for 6 years and worked with partners as a CCG prevent lead. Honorary Principal Lecturer at De Montfort University (1999- 2015) School of Nursing and Midwifery. In April 2020 took on a new role and is currently Safeguarding Professional Lead for NHS England. The Midlands NHSE/I safeguarding team covers both East and West Midlands. Adrian is also a Parent Governor of a local school in Leicester.

Dr Rob Ewin is a Police Officer and has served in areas of Public Protection, Safeguarding, Criminal Investigation and Response Policing. He has worked on several major and complex cases, including cases where children have been the victim of homicide. Additionally, he has acted as the Police representative in several complex child protection and safeguarding conferences, meetings, and hearings. Dr Ewin’s main research is around the issue of measures for witnesses in criminal and family proceedings, and he has designed approaches for improving the approach to evidence-led prosecutions and disclosure in criminal proceedings. Dr Ewin is a reviewer for the Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice and is a author of several peer reviewed academic publications.

Dr Sarah Steele is an Independent Child Safeguarding Consultant and an AoCPP Board Member and Policy Lead and is a member of the National Multi-agency Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Working Group. Formerly Head of Child Safeguarding service at a large university hospital NHS foundation Trust; she has over twenty-three years experience as a strategic leader, manager, lecturer and practitioner specialising in all aspects of safeguarding and child protection across the community and acute health sectors and the former LSCBs. She has contributed to national policy documents including ‘Safeguarding Children in whom illness is fabricated and/or induced’ and to several previous editions of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ statutory guidance.

Helen Wilson is our Operations Manager and is responsible for leading the office team and managing the day to day activities of the Association.
Helen's background is in third sector leadership and service design and delivery, having worked extensively across drug treatment services, the criminal justice system and in the areas of adult homelessness and children's palliative care. More recently she was Deputy Chief Executive for a women's counselling service, and currently also works in private practice as a counsellor.

Outside of work Helen is a Mum to 4 teenagers and has a long bucket list of places she'd like to visit. When she isn't working, she is usually found outdoors with her dog, Stanley.

Position: Finance Officer

I joined the AoCPP in April 2023 to look after the membership and finance side of the Association. I thoroughly enjoy my role within the AoCPP and the commitment and dedication of the experts within child protection and adult safeguarding continues to amaze me. Please do contact me should you have any queries or questions; I am always happy to support our ever-growing membership.

Interests: Outside my work for the AoCPP, I am a mother to 2 children who take up most of my spare time! In and amongst family life, I also have my own bookkeeping business and I enjoy socialising with family and friends.

Contact me about: Membership, finance and general enquiries

Position: Events Lead

I joined the AoCPP in October 2025, following several years working with Research Students in Higher Education. My background is in business travel, arranging bespoke itineraries for business travellers nationwide.

As the Events Leads within the Association, this role brings together my love of event organising, working with academics and other professional experts within the child protection and adult safeguarding sector.

Outside of work I enjoy baking, visiting galleries and long walks with family and friends. As long as there’s a café involved!

Position: Membership and Administration Coordinator

I started working at AoCPP in February 2025, with a focus on assisting our valued members with queries. I am grateful to have the opportunity to bring my experience working in specialist organisations and the 3rd sector to a new area. Working for the AoCPP brings so many opportunities for learning, and I am eager to discover more about the work that we, and our members do.

My past experience incorporates working with and helping vulnerable individuals and members of the public in various settings, including not-for-profit, transport, healthcare and utilities. I have also, more recently, brought my writing skills to work in communications and engagement. In addition, I am honoured to represent my community in local politics.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, watching (and discussing) football. On evenings out, I am usually found in a gig venue – often scribbling notes for a review.