Mike Cunningham

Mike is an experienced and successful leader of large organisations at local and national levels, including inspection and reporting leadership roles.

He has held three of the most senior positions in British policing: Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, and CEO of the College of Policing (the standards setting body for policing in England and Wales).

Mike was appointed as Lead Commissioner for the government intervention into Liverpool City Council and Independent Chair of Liverpool City Council Improvement Board. During his career he has also taken a particular interest in leadership development and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Leadership College for Government. He has been the voluntary national police lead for Professional Standards and for LGBT + individuals and led on the development of a Code of Ethics for policing.

Geraldine Nosowska

Gerry is a social worker based in Cornwall with a background in local authority social care. She set up a consultancy in 2013 to provide advice and support to improve social care with and for people and communities.

Gerry has been the Chair of the British Association of Social Workers and has contributed to safeguarding in her local diocese of Plymouth. Gerry has a particular interest in working alongside Experts by Experience, victims and survivors.

Tara Camm

Tara Camm is an experienced executive and non-executive leader based in the UK, currently working as an independent consultant for social impact, public and commercial organisations. She has held leadership roles with organisations such as Plan International, the Wellcome Trust and Save the Children. She is known for her focus on advancing children’s rights and her work in the transformation of international non-profit organisations operating at scale. She is frequently sought after to help organisations navigate ethics, legal and governance complexity, where she integrates her professional legal experience into her leadership.

Ashiedu Joel

Ashiedu Joel (PhD) is an experienced non-executive director, consultant, and trustee with over two decades’ experience spanning corporate, academic, community, faith, voluntary, and public sectors. Her career is distinguished by her commitment to governance, resilience, and inclusive leadership.

Her dedication to creating equitable opportunities, promotes constructive dialogue across racial, cultural, belief and socio economic boundaries, challenging norms and advocating for collaboration that fosters equity and diversity. Ashiedu leads a cultural capital and inclusive leadership consultancy. She holds a doctorate in sustainable development. Ashiedu is a Fellow of the Society of Leadership Fellows, Windsor Castle, and an alumni of the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University.

Sister Dr Una Coogan

Sr Una Coogan is a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), Her professional background is in spirituality, chaplaincy and Canon Law. She is trustee for safeguarding in her province and is a member of the Trustees’ sub-committee for safeguarding for the Archdiocese of Birmingham and CoREW’s as the Lead Religious for Safeguarding. She also works in the Birmingham Metropolitan Marriage Tribunal and as one of the Vicars for Religious in Birmingham.

Bishop Paul Mason

Bishop Paul was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark in 1998 and worked as assistant priest in Purley before being appointed chaplain to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London. He has worked in Kent as Episcopal Vicar and as  Auxiliary Bishop. In 2018 Pope Francis appointed him to his current role as Roman Catholic Bishop of the Armed Forces.

In recent years Paul has been a member of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission and is currently a Director of Safe Spaces England and Wales.

Bishop Paul is Lead Safeguarding Bishop for the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Sarah Kilmartin

Sarah Kilmartin is Chief Operating Officer of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, where she supports the Bishop and Trustees with their oversight of finance, resources and compliance in the Catholic church in Surrey and Sussex. She is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in commercial and charity roles and serves as a charity trustee for the Catholic Trust for England and Wales.

Stephen Ashley

With 30 years’ senior experience in policing and inspection— including Assistant Chief Constable in HM Inspectorate of Constabulary – Steve led national work on vulnerability and child safeguarding. He has spent his career working to help strengthen safeguarding systems in complex environments.

Steve chaired and scrutinised a range of children’s and adults’ safeguarding partnerships, including chairing the Tower Hamlets Children’s Safeguarding Partnership when moving children’s social care from an Ofsted judgement of Inadequate to Good within two years. He chaired the Rotherham Children’s Safeguarding Board as part of the leadership team in Rotherham during a major rebuild of safeguarding services. He has also served as an Associate of the Local Government Association, undertaking peer reviews and delivering safeguarding lectures. Stephen has conducted over twenty safeguarding serious case reviews and domestic homicide reviews.

Steve previously held NHS governance roles as Non-Executive Vice Chair at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, sitting on Audit, Safety and Finance Committees and chairing the HR Committee. He became Interim CEO of the CSSA in October 2022 and was appointed permanently in February 2023.