DH
Dr Helen Carstairs
Senior Research Fellow in Child Online Safety
University of Edinburgh
Dr Helen Carstairs is a senior research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, where she leads the Digital Childhoods Research Group. Her work focuses on how children and young people interact with online platforms, with particular expertise in algorithmic harms and age-appropriate design. She has published extensively on the impact of social media on adolescent wellbeing and has contributed evidence to parliamentary inquiries on the Online Safety Act. Helen regularly advises schools, charities, and technology companies on creating safer digital environments for young users.
Online platform safetyAlgorithmic harms to childrenAge-appropriate designAdolescent wellbeing and social mediaPolicy and regulation
MT
Mark Tomlinson
Former Detective Inspector, Child Protection Unit
Independent Consultant (ex-Metropolitan Police)
Mark Tomlinson served for over 20 years with the Metropolitan Police, spending the final eight years in the Child Protection and Online Investigation Unit. During his career, he led complex investigations into online child exploitation, grooming networks, and the distribution of indecent imagery. Since retiring from the force, Mark has worked as an independent safeguarding consultant, training schools, local authorities, and voluntary organisations in recognising and responding to child abuse. He is a regular contributor to professional conferences and has helped develop training materials for frontline practitioners across the UK.
Criminal investigation of child exploitationOnline grooming detectionMulti-agency safeguardingLaw enforcement trainingIndecent imagery investigation
SO
Sarah Okonkwo
Head of Safeguarding and Wellbeing
Riverside Academy Trust
Sarah Okonkwo is the head of safeguarding and wellbeing across Riverside Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust comprising twelve primary and secondary schools in the West Midlands. With over 15 years of experience in education, Sarah oversees safeguarding policy, staff training, and the trust's approach to online safety education. She holds the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People's Services, and is a qualified trainer for designated safeguarding leads. Sarah is passionate about creating school cultures where every child feels safe to speak up and every adult knows how to respond.
School safeguarding policy and practiceDesignated safeguarding lead trainingOnline safety in the curriculumTrauma-informed approachesStaff safeguarding culture
JW
James Whitfield
Programme Director, Child Safety Initiatives
The Lighthouse Foundation
James Whitfield leads the child safety programme at The Lighthouse Foundation, a national charity focused on preventing harm to children and supporting survivors. His work involves developing community-based prevention programmes, running parent education workshops, and coordinating with local authority partners to improve referral pathways. Before joining the charity sector, James worked as a youth worker and family support practitioner in South London. He brings a practical, community-focused perspective to child safeguarding, with a particular interest in reaching families who may not engage with traditional services.
Community-based child protectionParent and carer educationHard-to-reach familiesYouth work and early interventionReferral pathway development
PS
Priya Sharma
Digital Safety Education Lead
UK Safer Internet Centre
Priya Sharma is the digital safety education lead at the UK Safer Internet Centre, where she develops educational resources and training programmes for teachers, parents, and young people. She has a background in secondary computing education and holds a Master's degree in Digital Education from UCL. Priya has helped design national campaigns including Safer Internet Day activities and coordinates a network of young digital ambassadors who deliver peer-led online safety sessions in schools. She is a trusted media commentator on emerging digital trends affecting young people, from generative AI to live-streaming platforms.
Digital literacy and citizenshipTeacher training for online safetyEmerging technology risksPeer-led safety educationGenerative AI and young people
DR
Dr Rachel Morrison
Child Psychologist
University College London
Clinical psychologist researching the impact of digital experiences on child development. Specialises in screen time, social media anxiety, and digital wellbeing.
child psychologyscreen time researchsocial media anxiety
DJ
DS James Hartley
Former Forensic Investigator
National Crime Agency (retired)
Former NCA detective sergeant specialising in online child exploitation investigations. Now advises families and schools on digital evidence and reporting.
online exploitationdigital evidencelaw enforcement
PA
Prof Amina Khan
Education Policy Advisor
Department for Education (advisor)
Education policy expert advising on safeguarding frameworks and digital literacy in schools.
education policysafeguardingdigital literacy
LC
Lisa Chen MSW
Senior Social Worker
Children's Services
Social worker specialising in child protection with expertise in technology-facilitated abuse and online grooming.
child protectiontechnology-facilitated abusesocial work
TW
Tom Wright
Parent Advocate & Author
Digital Parenting UK
Parent of three and author of practical guides to raising children safely in a digital world.
parentingfamily agreementspractical guidance
DS
Dr Sophie Adams
Tech Safety Researcher
Oxford Internet Institute
Researcher studying platform design, algorithmic harm to children, and age-appropriate design codes.
platform safetyalgorithmic harmage-appropriate design
KP
Kai Patel
Youth Voice Representative
Young People's Advisory Board
Youth advocate aged 19 who provides the young person's perspective on online safety policy and resources.
youth voicepeer educationyoung people's rights
CO
Claire Oduya
Youth Justice Specialist
Youth Offending Team Consultant
Claire Oduya has spent over 14 years working within and alongside Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) across England and Wales. Her work focuses on the intersection of online harm and youth justice — including how children drawn into exploitation, criminal networks, and gang-related activity are increasingly recruited and controlled through digital platforms. Claire provides training and consultancy to YOTs, schools, and local authorities on recognising exploitation-related patterns in young people's online behaviour, supporting trauma-informed responses that prioritise the child's safety and recovery. She has contributed to national guidance on child criminal exploitation and digital safeguarding.
Youth justice and child exploitationCriminal exploitation via digital platformsGang-related online recruitmentTrauma-informed safeguarding practiceMulti-agency working with YOTs
FA
Fatima Al-Rashidi
Refugee Children Support Specialist
Safe Futures Network
Fatima Al-Rashidi works as a specialist practitioner at Safe Futures Network, an organisation supporting displaced children and families across the UK. Having arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied minor herself, Fatima brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work. Her focus is on the digital vulnerabilities facing refugee and asylum-seeking children — including exposure to exploitation through social media, language barriers that prevent access to safety information, and the particular risks facing unaccompanied children who lack adult supervision online. Fatima delivers training to social workers, teachers, and support staff and has developed translated safeguarding resources for families from multiple language backgrounds.
Safeguarding for displaced and refugee childrenDigital safety across language barriersUnaccompanied asylum-seeking childrenExploitation of vulnerable migrant childrenMultilingual safeguarding resources
DN
Dr Naomi Blakely
Eating Disorders and Digital Health Researcher
King's College London
Dr Naomi Blakely is a researcher at King's College London whose work examines the relationship between social media use, digital platform design, and eating disorders in young people. Her research has focused on how algorithmic content recommendation systems on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest can expose teenagers to harmful body image content and pro-eating-disorder communities, even when they have not searched for such material. Naomi has given evidence to parliamentary committees on the Online Safety Act, advised the Advertising Standards Authority on body image in digital advertising, and works closely with the eating disorder charity Beat to develop evidence-based guidance for families and clinicians.
Eating disorders and social mediaAlgorithmic harm and body imageDigital platform design and vulnerable usersAdolescent mental health researchClinical guidance for families
RA
Ross Ashworth
Young Carers Policy Advocate
Carers UK (Young Carers Programme)
Ross Ashworth leads the young carers advocacy programme at Carers UK, where he campaigns for better recognition and support for children and young people in caring roles. A former young carer himself, Ross has been a prominent voice on the particular vulnerabilities facing young carers — including digital safety risks arising from limited parental supervision, emotional vulnerability, and heavy reliance on the internet as a form of respite. He works with schools, local authorities, and technology companies to develop more sensitive and appropriate responses to young carers' needs, and has contributed to government consultations on online safety legislation and carer recognition.
Young carers policy and advocacyDigital safety for children with caring responsibilitiesOnline safety legislation and vulnerable groupsSchool-based support for young carersLived experience in safeguarding
DA
Dr Amira Hassan
Senior Research Fellow in FGM and Cultural Safeguarding
University of Bristol
Dr Amira Hassan is a senior research fellow at the University of Bristol, where she leads research into female genital mutilation and culturally sensitive safeguarding practice. Her work examines how professionals in health, education, and social care can engage effectively with communities at risk of FGM while maintaining a child-centred, rights-based approach. Dr Hassan has contributed to national policy development, provided expert evidence to parliamentary committees, and develops training resources used by local authorities across England. She is a trustee of a national charity supporting FGM survivors and advocates for survivor-led approaches to prevention and support.
Female genital mutilation (FGM)Cultural safeguarding practiceCommunity engagement in child protectionMandatory reporting and professional dutiesSurvivor-led prevention approaches
DM
DI Michael Okonkwo
Former Detective Inspector, Serious and Organised Crime
National Crime Agency (retired)
Detective Inspector Michael Okonkwo (retired) spent over 18 years with the National Crime Agency and its predecessor, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, specialising in county lines drug supply networks and child criminal exploitation. During his career, he led multi-force operations targeting organised crime groups that used children and vulnerable adults as runners. Since retiring from operational policing, Michael has worked as an independent consultant advising local authorities, schools, and voluntary organisations on recognising and responding to CCE. He delivers training for frontline practitioners and contributes to national guidance on county lines safeguarding responses.
County lines drug supply networksChild criminal exploitation (CCE)Multi-agency safeguarding responsesNRM and modern slavery referralsLaw enforcement and education partnerships
RS
Reverend Sarah Pemberton
National Safeguarding Adviser for Faith Settings
Church of England
Reverend Sarah Pemberton is the national safeguarding adviser for faith settings at the Church of England, where she leads on developing safeguarding policy, training, and culture across parishes, schools, and other Church-related organisations. With a background in social work and ordained ministry, Sarah brings a distinctive perspective to institutional safeguarding — one that takes seriously both the duty of care owed to children and the particular vulnerabilities and power dynamics present in faith communities. She advises faith organisations of all denominations on implementing robust safeguarding governance and has contributed to national research on abuse in religious settings.
Safeguarding in faith settingsInstitutional child protectionPower and authority in religious organisationsClergy and volunteer oversightInter-faith safeguarding collaboration
DH
Dr Hannah Ford
Research Fellow in Trauma-Informed Practice
Anna Freud Centre
Dr Hannah Ford is a research fellow at the Anna Freud Centre, one of the UK's leading child and adolescent mental health research organisations. Her work focuses on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the long-term impacts of maltreatment and neglect on child development, and the evidence base for trauma-informed approaches in education and social care. Hannah has developed training for teachers and school staff on recognising and responding to the signs of trauma, and has co-authored guidance on embedding trauma-informed practice into school cultures. She regularly presents at national conferences and advises government on the relationship between early adversity and educational outcomes.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)Trauma-informed practice in educationChild development and the impact of maltreatmentTherapeutic support for childrenSchool-based mental health provision
AN
Alex Nguyen
Digital Safety and Workplace Conduct Educator
Careers & Enterprise Company
Alex Nguyen is a digital safety and workplace conduct educator at the Careers & Enterprise Company, where they develop resources and programmes helping young people transition safely and confidently into employment and work experience. Their work focuses on the particular risks young people face in workplace and apprenticeship settings, including digital conduct, inappropriate contact from employers, and online professional boundaries. Alex delivers sessions directly to secondary school and college students across England and works with employers to develop young-person-friendly safeguarding policies. They bring lived experience as a young person who navigated unsafe situations in early employment, and use this to inform a practical, relatable approach to digital safety education.
Teen employment and apprenticeship safetyWorkplace digital conduct for young peopleProfessional boundaries and online safetyEmployer safeguarding responsibilitiesCareers education and early work experience