Meet the Safeguarding team

Below is some background information on the people behind Cognus’ Safeguarding service.

Hayley Cameron

Education Safeguarding Manager

Hayley has worked in Sutton and Croydon Schools since 2005 and has been a Designated Safeguarding Lead since 2008. She was appointed as Deputy Head Teacher for Safeguarding and Pastoral Care at Avenue Primary Academy in 2015 before going on to become Acting Head of School.

In 2018, Hayley became Director of Safeguarding for Cirrus Primary Academy Trust where she had the opportunity to work with and support schools in meeting their safeguarding responsibilities, as well as advising on the management of individual cases. Hayley developed supervision for staff to support emotional well-being and led statutory safeguarding training as well as offering bespoke training packages dependent on the level of need.

In September 2020, Hayley completed a 2-year, Distanced Learning, Master’s Degree in Advanced Child Protection at the University of Kent. This has helped her to create a broad, local, national and international, multi-agency support network and to further develop her own knowledge and expertise. This leads Hayley to where she is today, in her current role as Education Safeguarding Manager, working alongside an experienced and well-established team.

Hayley is a true believer in safeguarding being everyone’s responsibility and that includes pupils, staff and people in the local community – there needs to be an understanding of the importance of safeguarding and the need to build capacity within our schools, paying particular attention to the awareness of burnout; the need for supervision; the need for regular training and the benefits of a multi-agency support network.

Stephen Welding

Education E-Safety Adviser

Stephen left school at the age of 16 and joined the army where he spent two years at the Army Apprentice College in Harrogate to train as a Radio Telegraphist. Once trained, he was posted to various units around the world providing strategic long-range communications. Stephen spent a total of 15 years in the army before joining the Metropolitan Police in 1993. He spent a further 22 years as a police officer in South London mainly as a detective investigating serious crime.

Stephen joined Sutton Local Authority in December 2014 to become part of the Education Safeguarding Team. One of his main functions was to focus on online safety for both adults and children. He became a Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) ambassador to become accredited in this role and still maintain links with CEOP to ensure he keeps up to date with current trends.

Due to Stephen’s role in Internet safety, he was accepted to become a member of AACOSS (Association of Adult and Child Online Safety Specialists).

In 2015/16, the UK saw a rise in terrorist attacks and the Government brought out the Prevent Duty. Stephen enrolled with the Home Office to become an accredited Prevent trainer to enable him to carry out workshops with schools and local authority staff. As his role evolved, he now carries out safeguarding training in schools and work with schools and colleges to ensure their safeguarding procedures are fit for purpose.

Stephen is currently a Safeguarding Governor at a Surrey Primary School.

Mick Bradshaw

Outdoor Education Adviser

Mick has worked in Outdoor Education since 1990, in both residential and day visit centres around England and Wales, teaching field studies to key stage 2 and 3 children and outdoor activities to both children and adults. He has subsequently completed a BSc QTS in Geography and Environmental Issues and taught in secondary schools in Sutton and Croydon. Mick also ran an Adventure Project as part of the Youth Service provision in Sutton, organising and delivering activity clubs, courses and expeditions.

When the opportunity also came to undertake the role of Outdoor Education Adviser, the chance to encourage and support schools to continue to offer children similar experiences to those that he had been fortunate to enjoy himself as a child was compelling.

Mick now supports schools across three south-west London boroughs as they offer learning opportunities in the UK and far beyond, and provide them with guidance, training and ongoing advice. Working with colleagues as part of the Education Safeguarding Team at Cognus has enabled him to widen his understanding of the safeguarding responsibilities of schools, but also to ensure that safeguarding is addressed alongside learning outcomes and health and safety as an aspect of all educational visits.

Mick aims to promote the benefits of all learning beyond the classroom activities, encouraging schools to look for new opportunities whether they take place in the school grounds or venture to the more remote regions of the world.

Mick holds a range of professional outdoor qualifications and is about to begin a Post Graduate Diploma in Outdoor Education at the University of Edinburgh. He endeavours to constantly remain current in his knowledge and skills across both education and outdoor activities.

Mick is currently a trustee of a local outdoor activity centre and an active member of the Outdoor Education Advisers Panel.

Gillian Bush

Education Safeguarding Children Adviser

Education Lead in the MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub)

Gillian has worked within Public Protection for a considerable number of years working closely with Multi Agency Partners. Some of the areas she has worked within are Disclosure Barring Service screening applications and at Sutton Police Station supervising those on the Sex Offenders Register working closely with Probation and other MAPPA members.

Gillian was part of a group set up to review and identify organisational learning that could benefit safeguarding practices and I set up the then newly formed Missing Persons Unit at Sutton Police Station and realising the importance of Partnership were one of the first units to work hand in hand with Jigsaw 4 U.  She has been part of the MARAC membership for a number of years and historically was part of a small team who set up the One Stop Shop in Sutton which has since gone on from strength to strength to be an integral part of the Multi Agency support we offer victims of Domestic Abuse and their families.

Risk Management has played a key part in all of Gillian’s roles and she was one of the original team members of the ‘MASH’ in Sutton, now known as CFCS some seven years ago.

Working closely with all our Multi Agency partners and drawing from her past experience, she now works closely with all Sutton schools and in particular their Designated Safeguarding Leads.

Following the CFCS Protocol, we jointly make decisions on a daily basis drawing from her current and past experiences. Gillian is part of an integral team who work tirelessly to offer support and early intervention and training in areas needed and identified from her current roll.