Who We Are

Jim Wild

Jim is the founder of this training service. Jim is an academic, trainer and activist in the context of child protection and safeguarding work, masculinities and values. Jim holds a range of post-graduate qualifications and is a qualified social worker. He worked on the frontline in child protection for 15 years. Jim has innovated the development of active learning around the UK and mentors others to run the workshops. His training workshops have been evaluated by Professor Brian Littlechild and Professor Chris Goddard and his publication 'Transforming Child Protection Practice' will be released in August 2014.

Jim is also available to speak at conferences on hostile service users, reflective supervision, corporate & commercial exploitation of children and young people, working with men and whistleblowing in the public sector.

Jim is editor of ‘Working with Men for Change’ (Routledge: 2002) and 'The Value-Base of Social Work and Social Care' (Open University Press: 2008) and 'EXPLOITING CHILDHOOD - How Junk Food, Material Obsession and Porn Culture are Creating New Forms of Child Abuse' (Jessica Kingsley Publications).

Jim will be facilitating a range of training events around the UK on active learning and promoting his latest publication 'EXPLOITING CHILDHOOD - How Junk Food, Material Obsession and Porn Culture are Creating New Forms of Child Abuse'.

07419991101 jwild156@gmail.com

Associates, Friends & Sources of Knowledge

Professor Brian Littlechild

Brian is Associate Head of School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at the University of Hertfordshire. A qualified and registered social worker, he worked as a practitioner and Manager protecting children work before universities. He has taught social work students issues of child protection for a number of years providing many training courses on this, staff safety and wellbeing, in a wide variety of agencies and settings.

He has presented at local, national and international conferences and published widely on child protection issues with particular reference to the causes of parents' aggression and violence against social work staff, including:.

  • 'The Nature and Effects of Violence against Child-Protection Social Workers: Providing Effective Support', (2005) British Journal of Social Work, 35: 387-401 Littlechild,B. and Bourke, C.
  • 'Men’s use of violence and intimidation against family members and child protection workers', In Humphreys, C., and Stanley,N. (eds),
  • 'Domestic violence and child protection: directions for good practice' Jessica Kingsley pub., London, 2006.
  • 'Social Work with Involuntary Clients in Child Protection. The Carrot or the Stick? Towards effective Practice with Involuntary Clients in Safeguarding Child Work', Edit by Martin Calder, Russell House pub., 2008.
  • 'Child Protection Social Work: Risks of Fears and Fears of Risks - Impossible Tasks from Impossible Goals?' (2008) Social Policy & Administration, 47 (6), 662-675.

Chris Goddard

Professor Chris Goddard has worked extensively in social services in the UK and child protection in Australia. His research career started in the child protection team at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne where he undertook some of the earliest work connecting child abuse and other forms of family violence. His research into child deaths led to an Age series and a Four Corners ABC TV investigation into child protection in Victoria.

He was Head of the School of Social Work at Monash University from 1998-2007. He established Child Abuse Prevention Research Australia, a joint initiative with the Australian Childhood Foundation and Monash University, and is now full-time Director. As director of Child Abuse Prevention Research Australia at Monash University, Chris Goddard (MSocWk 1982, PhD 1992) is committed to preventing and reducing child abuse, neglect and murder in Australia.

He has published more than 50 Opinion pieces in major Australian newspapers, including 'The Age and The Australian', in the last seven years on issues concerning family violence, child abuse, child protection and children’s rights, including children in detention centres and abuse in churches. He has also written more than 50 refereed journal articles, six books and many government and non-government reports.

Professor Goddard's research and commentary have contributed to policy and legislative change in key areas such as mandatory reporting and child sexual abuse. However, there is still more work to be done, particularly in collecting coherent national data and delivering accountable services.

Gail Dines

Gail Dines is a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston, an internationally acclaimed speaker and author, and a feminist activist. Her writing and lectures focus on the hypersexualization of the culture and the ways that porn images filter down into mainstream pop culture. Gail’s work on media and pornography has appeared in academic journals, magazines such as Time and Newsweek, and newspapers across the country. She is a frequent guest on radio and television and is a recipient of the Myers Center Award for the Study of Human Rights.

Gail is a founding member of Stop Porn Culture – an educational and activist group made up of academics, anti-violence experts, community organizers and anyone who is concerned about the increasing pornification of the culture.

http://www.gaildines.com

Professor Liz Kelly

Liz Kelly, PhD (Sociology), BA (First Class, Sociology and Politics), is Professor of Sexualised Violence at London Metropolitan University, where she is also Director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU). She has been active in the field of violence against women and children for almost 30 years. She is the author of 'Surviving Sexual Violence' (1988), which established the concept of a 'continuum of violence' and over 70 book chapters and journal articles. CWASU has a national and international reputation for its research, training and consultancy work. The Unit has completed over 50 research and evaluation projects and are known for their work on making connections - between forms of gender violence, and between violence against women and child protection. As special advisors to the British Council CWASU undertakes considerable international work (in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America), providing consultancy and training on research and policy.

Oliver James

Oliver trained and practised as a clinical child psychologist and, since 1988, has worked as a writer, journalist, broadcaster and television documentary producer and presenter. His books include the best-selling 'Affluenza', 'They F*** You Up' and 'Britain on the Couch', which was also a successful documentary series for Channel 4. He is a trustee of the Alzheimer's charity, SPECAL and lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and two small children.

http://www.oliver-james-books.com

Susie Orbach

Susie is a psychotherapist and writer. With Luise Eichenbaum she co-founded 'The Women's Therapy Centre' in London in 1976 and in 1981 'The Women's Therapy Centre Institute' in New York. She lectures extensively in Europe and North America, is a visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, and has a practice seeing individuals and couples and consulting to organizations. She is a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines, as well as to radio and television programmes.

http://www.endangeredspecieswomen.org.uk

Sharon Girling

Sharon Girling OBE is a retired police investigator and consultant with over 35 years' experience. She is currently conducting training programmes for schools and law enforcement both nationally and internationally. She consults for various companies and corporations relating to child protection and e-safety. Sharon is the Group Assurance Manager for a number of Independent Fostering Agencies and advices them on various issues relating to security and protection of data.

She has been appointed as the Child Protection Advocate at the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR).

Sharon can provide workshops in the following areas:

  • Historic or current case reviews
  • Obtaining statements or additional evidence for cases
  • Undertaking risk assessments
  • Interviewing suspects/witnesses
  • Internal investigations
  • Conducting computer forensic examinations