NFS MEDIATION - Key Persons
Christabel has worked and volunteered in the third sector for over 10 years, including as a Project Manager for an environmental charity and as a Samaritans listening volunteer. She has experience of supporting vulnerable residents and tenants; of recruiting, managing and developing volunteers; of adapting and running training programmes; of securing funding and working in partnership with local authorities and services across Southampton and Hampshire.
A barrister who has spent over 25 years practicing civil and common law including matters involving children, family finance and in the Court of Protection (relating to people who lack the mental capacity to make a decision for themselves). He is deputy head of his chambers in Southampton. Since 2019 he has sat as a deputy (part-time) district judge dealing with civil, children and family finance cases. He is qualified as a civil mediator and as an arbitrator of private law children disputes.
David has worked as an assessment officer with NFS Mediation on a part time basis and currently undertakes mediations. He has worked with over 200 households in his role. David is also a qualified mediator & RJ practitioner with over 100 cases completed. David takes his role as one of our peer mentors for our mediators seriously, assisting in their continued to development. David also assists with the delivery of our training courses in particular the OCN Mediator skills course.
Gaby has worked with NFS since 2012 as a volunteer mediator specialising in neighbourhood and workplace disputes and is now one of the senior mediator team that mentor and support new mediators. Since 2015 Gaby has also been part of the training team who train new mediators and take specialist CPD accredited communication skills courses into local businesses including Southampton City Council. This team are now expanding the training arm of the service to recruit and train new mediators across the full geographical operational area of the service and marketing our CPD accredited courses.
Gaby's background is 25 years working in Human Resources in Finance Banking and heavy industry, experiencing all aspects including, recruitment, disciplinary, redundancy, training and performance management.
Based in Basingstoke, Helen is our Office Manager and an assessment officer who covers north and south east Hampshire. Very experienced within the mediation and assessment ASB field, Helen has delivered many hundreds of cases for NFSM. Helen is also part of the Restorative Justice team.
Helen's history includes extensive work in the field of supporting young people and dealing with threats of homelessness, health and substances misuse issues. Helen has an developing interest in NFSM new services and is steering our new HOMES Hoarding Service as well as assisting in launching a new NFSM intergenerational service.
Jessica joined the team in January 2019 as an assessment officer. Jessica has recently completed a mediation skills course and RJ facilitation training.
Jessica brings with her, experience in customer service, retail and a wealth of local knowledge. Jessica also has a vast amount of experience in the field of Autism. Alongside Jessica's work with NFS, she is also working towards a degree in Law.
Michael has spent all his life in the Shoe Trade, latterly importing nearly everything. He is well travelled. Since retirement and return to his birth county, he has continued as a Magistrate and retired after 35 years on the Bench. Now a Churchwarden at Durweston, Steward at Salisbury Cathedral, and Chairman at the Shaftesbury Bridge Club.
Studied humanities before becoming a Chartered Valuation Surveyor. He has worked in the Civil Service, BP plc, and as a self-employed consultant. Work related experience of litigation led to an interest in alternative dispute solutions. He has been a Relate Counsellor and a CEDR Accredited mediator. Now retired and convinced of the value of restorative approaches to resolving conflict he works as a community mediator with NFSM. He is a Trustee of the charity New Forest Quaker Care Home Limited in New Milton and a former Trustee Director of BP Pension Trustees Limited.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Life President / President
President of NFS Mediation, is a mediator, RJ practitioner and a Chartered Psychologist. A regular visitor to North Carolina, USA he is a practicing Restorative Justice mediator in the states criminal districts courts. Formerly principal psychologist for the three Isle of Wight prisons. He was a New Forest District Councillor and chair of the Council's Community Safety Working Party for six years, and is as an active local council member. A founder trustee and treasurer of the Restorative Justice Consortium and represents the Quakers at the United Nations Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention Commission. He arranged the first workshop presentation to be made on RJ at the UN Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders in 1990. He helped draft the UN Guidelines on RJ which came into effect in 2002.
Rachel brings with her 23 years experience of working with people including 15 years in the private sector of the Criminal Justice System. Rachel has also had various roles within the NHS including working frontline in a Drugs and Alcohol Advisory Service and also in the Out of Hours GP Service.
Rachel is a qualified police station rep and legal executive; she also holds a diploma in private investigating.
Responsible for all our financial and administrative systems, Sarah has significant experience in the financial and care sectors. Sage training and Association of accounting technicians (AAT) accredited and qualified in Business Administration, Sarah contributes enormously to the day to day running of our Southampton office. Sarah is also a trained RJ practitioner.
Job Titles:
- Mediation Systems Co - Ordinator
Responsible for the administration of the mediation service, Sarah co-ordinates all the mediation referrals working with many outside organisation. She is instrumental in organising our many qualified mediators and ensuring that the workshops that are provided quarterly are designed to maximum benefit of the mediators to assist in developing their mediation skills. Sarah also coordinates our training programmed liaising with our attendees and trainers. With strong administrative background gained from a varied and challenging work back ground. Qualified as a mediator & RJ practitioner Sarah has carried out mediations and assessments for the service and has over 20 years' service with NFS Mediation.
A leading authority in this country on mediation assessment, Stuart has been with NFS for over 20 years. He has contributed significantly in the innovation and successful development of ground breaking mediation models that make conflict management an essential ingredient of the Anti-Social Behaviour policies of local authorities, housing and other statutory agencies. With a substantial case work and management experience behind him, Stuart has played a primary role in turning NFS Mediation in to one of the country's most innovative and successful community mediation services.
Stuart has 33 years restorative justice practitioner experience, gained through working with the Hampshire Probation Service and various statutory and voluntary bodies.
In particular, Stuart has worked extensively in the fields of housing management; mental health; substance misuse and public protection. He has served regularly on multi-agency public protection agreement panels and worked intensively with serious and potentially dangerous offenders.
Instrumental in working with Stuart Sillett to drive NFS forward for the future, Sue's role as Services Manager means she is continuing to work as an Assessment officer and Restorative Justice lead, but also works with Stuart on a management basis. Previously she worked in Housing with Bournemouth City Council's Supporting People. She is a qualified mediator with a BSc in Psychology; Sue has worked with over 1000 households since joining NFS and is an active restorative justice practitioner.
Sue has also previously worked as a panel member for the Wessex Youth Offending Team working under the principles of restorative justice, as well as an Appropriate Adult for the National Children's Home (NCH). She has also been part of an innovative published research project which was about the affects Anti-social behaviour orders have on young people and their families.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Treasurer
Treasurer of NFSM, Tim is a chartered accountant having qualified in the City with Mazars and worked for KPMG in London and Johannesburg. Tim moved into industry in 1984 and has been finance director of several well known companies on the south coast including the Hendy Group. Tim is currently part time finance director for five companies and specialises in developing business plans and buying and selling businesses for clients. Tim is Hon. Treasurer for several local charities and not-for-profit organisations in and around Salisbury where he lives, is a steward at Salisbury Cathedral, and remains a keen participating sportsman in cricket, golf and tennis.