The people that make us who we are

SENIOR SOLICITOR

Sarah is a Senior Solicitor at Access Social Care and helps oversee the delivery of legal advice and casework by our legal team.  Sarah worked as a health and social care policy researcher in Westminster, before qualifying as a solicitor.  Sarah has experience representing both individuals and health and care organisations in community care and health and welfare cases. Her particular interest lies in the interface between health and social care law and how to improve joint working and seamless provision of care.  Outside of work, you’ll most likely find her out with her dog exploring the countryside.

SENIOR SOLICITOR

Camille Ivinson is a Senior Solicitor and co-head of the Legal Team at Access Social Care. She qualified as a solicitor in 2019 and previously worked as a Court of Protection and mental capacity specialist. She is committed to helping people understand their rights and navigate the legal system to bring about meaningful and lasting improvements in their lives. 

LEGAL STRATEGY MANAGER AND DATA LEAD

Hannah is a solicitor and Legal Manager at Access Social Care. Hannah advises our member organisations and clients on a wide range of community care and related issues, including healthcare and criminal justice.

Hannah leads on some of Access Social Care’s strategic litigation and, as Insight Lead, co-author’s the annual State of the Nation report.

LEGAL MANAGER

Mitchell Woolf is one of our Legal Managers supervising the excellent legal caseworkers at Access. He is also a practicing solicitor and has brought a number of community care and public law challenges through the Courts. Mitchell taught on the International Law on the Rights of the Child course at Queen Mary, University of London for many years and has written widely on social care and human rights issues.

SENIOR CASEWORKER

Danny is a Senior Legal Caseworker. After completing an LLM Law conversion, he has worked in in a number of organisations in the charitable sector including Rethink, Carers UK and RNIB, specialising in community care.

TRAINEE CASEWORKERS

Emily is a Trainee Caseworker at Access Social Care. She has a background in statutory independent advocacy, specialising in deprivation of liberty and healthcare complaints. She is excited to develop her legal skills to support people to access legal justice and live the lives they choose.

CASEWORKER

Lisa is a Legal Caseworker supporting clients to obtain the social care they are entitled to. She has a wide-ranging background spanning Planning, Wellbeing, and Mental Health, and more recently supporting people with autism and/or a learning disability with their benefit appeals. When she’s not at work, Lisa is likely to be swimming in the sea or a river, or cuddling up with her greyhound and Maine Coon cat (who makes frequent cameo appearances in meetings!).

SENIOR CASEWORKER

Kerrie is a Senior Legal Caseworker. After completing her legal studies in 2016, Kerrie went on to gain experience in community care and public law matters and assisted clients who were experiencing difficulties in obtaining appropriate care and support from local authorities and the NHS. Kerrie also assisted on cases concerning all aspects of mental capacity and Court of Protection practice, including deprivation of liberty work. More recently, Kerrie has assisted with the general management of property and affairs deputyships and personal injury trusts.

SENIOR CASEWORKER

Lucy is a solicitor and Senior Legal Caseworker. Prior to Access, she worked in the funeral industry and in abuse claims against public authorities, with a particular focus on supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Alongside managing member contracts and her own caseload, Lucy supervises and supports the work of other caseworkers.  She is committed to work that centres the voice of those with lived experience, and harnesses the power of local communities to prefigure wider system change. 

PRO BONO MANAGER

Danielle Zeider is our Pro Bono Manager, practicing solicitor and a Legal Caseworker. After qualifying as a solicitor and working in private practice for several years she moved across to the charitable sector in 2010, specialising in welfare rights. Danielle has worked for a number of organisations in the charitable sector, including the Citizens Advice, Sense and Mencap.

CASEWORKER

Vicky Hughes is a Legal Caseworker here at Access Social Care. After completing an MA in Social Work at Sussex University Vicky worked as a Social worker in a Community Learning Disability Team and then as an advocate for Mind specialising in mental health and social care cases.

CASEWORKER

Thomas Hobbs is a Legal Caseworker here at Access Social Care. After completing a Masters in Mental Health, Ethics and Law at King’s College London largely focusing on mental health and disability law, Thomas has worked as a statutory advocacy caseworker covering a wide range of disability law for disability charities and disabled-led organisations. Thomas is motivated by a strong sense of social justice and a belief that all should have access to legal justice. ­

CASEWORKER

Jean-Baptiste Vincent is a Legal Caseworker at Access Social Care. He completed an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development at UCL and worked in various charities aiming to reduce food poverty. During his last role at Feeding Coventry as a support worker Jean-Baptiste provided advice in a wide range of issues such as disability benefits, housing and challenged unlawful practices resulting in his clients experiencing hardship.

CASEWORKER

PARALEGAL APPRENTICE

Nel is a Paralegal Apprentice at Access Social Care. She has a background in fundraising for health and welfare charities, including hospice care and welfare services for frontline service providers. She also has a master’s degree in social research with a focus on domiciliary care, developed from her own experiences as a home care worker. She is excited to be transitioning to a legal career at Access Social Care.

COMMUNITY CARE LAWYERS PROJECT MANAGER

Caroline Miles is project manager for the implementation of recommendations from our 2022 Community Care Legal Career Pathways report. Caroline qualified as a solicitor in 2008. She specialised in community care law in a social welfare legal aid practice and then a law centre. In 2016 she moved to academia, researching and developing Care Act, Equality Act & public law training with Disabled people and social workers. Caroline is herself Disabled and has considerable personal experience of social care and health services. She is committed to improving the provision of social care itself through increasing the provision of appropriate, timely, expert, legal knowledge and advice.

PARALEGAL

Marlene Sam is a Paralegal at Access Social Care. Marlene's interest in law began during a Model Law Commission project where she presented legal reforms to the Law Commission. Since then, Marlene has complete an LLB in Law and Criminology and has advocated for individuals with complex social care needs, including through our university clinics. She is committed to developing her legal career and ensuring that people can access their rights to justice.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CEO

After returning to the UK following ten years of living and working in Spain, she joined ASC in June 2023—her first role within the charitable sector. Prior to this, she spent most of her career in the NHS, providing extensive Executive Assistant support to CEOs and Chairs. She is passionate about being part of an organisation that genuinely strives to make a difference.

PEOPLE DIRECTOR

Serena is CIPD qualified and an experienced HR and OD practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in the charity sector. She combines deep expertise in strategic and operational HR, and employment law, with a passion for building inclusive workplace cultures that empower people at every level. As People Director at ASC, Serena drives the organisation’s people strategy and ensures HR practices uphold excellence, keeping ASC a great place to work.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Pete is a qualified chartered accountant and has held senior management positions across the not-for-profit sector since 2008. His experience spans international charities to small start-ups, in the UK and abroad. At Access Social Care, Pete is responsible for financial strategy, business planning and governance. He is passionate about making financial information more accessible to facilitate better decision-making.

CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENT MANAGER

Sian has been a key part of Access Social Care since the very beginning in January 2020. She was our 'first recruit', joining before the rest of the team came over from Mencap, and has taken on many roles during our start-up years. Sian is passionate about making Access Social Care a great place to work. She focuses on building strong systems, supporting staff wellbeing, improving communication, encouraging learning and knowledge sharing, and nurturing a positive, connected culture. She leads our Business Support Team and is part of the Senior Leadership Team, helping to guide cross-organisational projects that shape how we work together to deliver our mission.

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Erika is the Learning & Development Lead at Access Social Care. She is passionate about fostering growth and leads on the learning and development of the Legal team, as well as the design and delivery of external training for organisations and individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of the Care Act and other relevant legislation. With wide-ranging experience across the charity sector — including roles as a Training Coordinator, Research and Impact Manager, Data Protection Consultant, and Head of Operations — she is deeply committed to people’s rights and social justice. Outside of work, Erika enjoys reading, experimenting with new recipes, and spending time at her favourite café in Oxford with a cappuccino and a slice of cake.

EXECUTIVE AND GOVERNANCE OFFICER

James joined ASC in early 2024, after a long career in professional services in the university sector. He brings with him a wealth of administrative and regulatory expertise and is passionate about process review and improvement. As a service user and recipient of social care himself, he is keenly aware of the importance of ASC's work, and enjoys working as part of a team which is committed to issues of real social importance.

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT OFFICER

Alex has a varied role at Access working across different areas of Access Social Care. Alex works within the fundraising team as a Prospect Researcher. He also helps the Public Legal Education team in an administrative and co-ordination capacity as well as providing admin support to the legal and chatbot teams. Alex has a law degree from the University of Gloucestershire and has a keen interest in human rights and making the law accessible and has volunteered at the DWP and Gloucester Law Centre.

PEOPLE ADVISOR

Chelsey is a CIPD qualified HR professional and has extensive experience in HR. She joined ASC in 2024. As well as assisting the People Director in implementing the people strategy, Chelsey plays a key role in the development of the employee lifecycle policies and processes to ensure a positive, fair and inclusive working environment. With personal experience as a family carer, Chelsey is very passionate about contributing her expertise to help others gain access to vital help and information. Outside of work, Chelsey enjoys spending time with her miniature schnauzer Oscar and attending Comic Cons.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Sally joined ASC as Administration Assistant in 2025. She has over 20 years’ experience in administration, finance and governance of small charities. As a working carer, she understands the vital need for ASC’s work and is glad to bring her skills to the team. Based in the north east, Sally can be found exploring the region with her rescue greyhound when she’s not at work.

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Cal joins Access charity as the Head of Communications and Marketing, bringing experience from direct marketing, agency work, and the non-profit sector. With a background encompassing digital marketing, website management, social media, and graphic design, Cal will be responsible for shaping and delivering the charity's communication strategy across all platforms.

COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING ASSISTANT

Chloe is our Marketing & Communications Assistant. She creates content for our website and social media channels. She also gathers success stories from our clients and partners to bring to life the work that we do and the positive impact Access Social Care can have on people's lives.  Chloe has an English degree from the University of Sussex and became an editor for the university newspaper which ignited a desire to work in communications and marketing. After university, she moved back to the North West to start working for a nonprofit that focused on the impact poverty on education and healthcare. Her interest in communications aligns with her passion for helping others against a backdrop of rising inequalities. When she’s not creating content, Chloe can usually be found spending time with her ragdoll cat, Winnie.

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERS AND ENGAGEMENT

Jo has over 20 years experience working in the charity sector in both strategic fundraising and communications roles. As Director of engagement and partnerships, Jo is responsible for delivering a sustainable and long-term income model for the charity, as well as delivering our communication strategy for how we engage with all of our stakeholders via our website, media, digital and events.

PARTNERS AND ENGAGEMENT LEAD

Aidan works closely with stakeholders to strengthen existing partnerships and build new relationships that help drive the organisation forward. After graduating in Politics, ASC became his first full-time role, aligning strongly with his values and passion for cause-driven work. Outside of work, you’ll usually find Aidan doing something active — whether that’s at the gym, on a tennis court, or at the top of a big hill.

TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS FUNDRAISER

After graduating from Liverpool Hope University with a degree in English and History and a Post Graduate degree in Secondary Education, Siobhan spent the first 13 years of her career as a teacher. Initially teaching English, then Drama and Performing Arts, she then left that career and set up her own entertainment business, performing nationally and internationally as a singer.

As was the case for many, the pandemic meant business ground to a sudden halt, and Siobhan had to find another career path. A local charity she was doing some holistic singing work with approached her about some help with fundraising, and here she found a passion she had not even been aware of.

Even with the return of “business as usual” Siobhan has stayed in the charity sector, finding a love for the work she does, seeing a difference that can be made by teams of people with a similar goal.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Ailee is our Head of Business Development and aims to promote organisational growth and boost revenue. Based in the South East, her career span includes a variety of national charity and local government leading roles to build and maintain effective service delivery, to enable service users and those supporting them to develop and fulfil their potential. Ailee’s portfolio highlights include business and workforce strategy development, multi-year funding contract management, income generation and service reorganisation.

PARTNERS & ENGAGEMENT LEAD

Aidan works closely with stakeholders to strengthen existing partnerships and build new relationships that help drive the organisation forward. After graduating in Politics, ASC became his first full-time role, aligning strongly with his values and passion for cause-driven work. Outside of work, you’ll usually find Aidan doing something active — whether that’s at the gym, on a tennis court, or at the top of a big hill.

HUB MANAGER

Jacky Martel is a family carer for someone who has social care needs and worked for over 10 years for a Gloucestershire Carers support charity and connected to many local voluntary/community sector organisations. She has many years' experience in community and policy development, influencing and co-production.

SENIOR ADVICE COORDINATOR

Jennine Bailey is our Senior London Legal Hub Co-ordinator and trainer with a specific focus on empowering BAME communities. Seconded from Croydon SocialP where she also specialises in engagement, collaboration and patient support. Developing an array of local based opportunities to improve health and wellbeing. She has over 10 years’ experience in Asset Based Community Development as a trainer, coach and mentor. 

PEER NAVIGATOR COORDINATOR

Sharon joined ASC as Peer Navigator Coordinator in 2024. She plays a key role in developing and piloting an approach to support people to engage with our online Social Care early legal help tool AccessAva.

Sharon has a broad range of leadership experience within social, healthcare and educational settings.

Sharon’s passion is focused on informing, empowering and supporting people to be confident in achieving social justice for themselves and others, and developing people to live and experience more fulfilled lives. Sharon is also a family carer for an individual with multiple disabilities and social care needs.

SENIOR DEVELOPER

Tom is an experienced software engineer and has spent time in a range of industries (including healthcare, finance and public transport) since 2016. At ASC, he is responsible for the technical development of AccessAva, supporting the data team and data security. Before moving into software engineering, Tom worked as an insurance pricing analyst and completed a doctorate in Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science.

HEAD OF DATA INSIGHT

Amit is Head of Data Insights at Access Social Care, where he builds tools and infrastructure that help people with social care needs lead better lives. His work supports both system change and core activities, including information and advice provision. He has spent over 20 years working across UN agencies, government, and NGOs, building databases, data warehouses, strategies, and AI/ML pipelines that turn messy data into meaningful results. When he’s not deep in Python or R, you’ll find Amit at a makerspace turning wood on the lathe or 3D-printing cardboard connectors.

HEAD OF DIGITAL CONTENT

Miriam is Head of Digital Content at Access Social Care. In this role, she works with people with lived experience of social care to understand what they need from the organisation’s digital products, and with the legal team to develop content that meets users’ needs. After over a decade working in library and information services, she moved to the charity sector in 2012 and has since worked in various roles supporting people with a learning disability and providing information and advice to family carers.

HEAD OF PRODUCT

Finbar Mulholland leads the Product Team at Access Social Care. Finbar has been developing and managing digital products and services for over 20 years, with significant experience within the third sector. Finbar is responsible for ensuring all our digital products are fit for purpose, provide best-in-class user experience and ultimately ensure they meet the needs of our community.

TRUSTEE

Over the last decade, Jonathon has worked across the voluntary, private and public sector in health and social care policy, communications and practice.

He started his career working in mental health care as a support worker. More recently, he has worked on health and social care policy development and influencing, focussing on regulation, quality, tackling inequalities and improving public involvement.

In previous roles, including at health and social care think tank, the King’s Fund and Healthwatch England, Jonathon worked directly with national media and policy makers to effectively influence policy debate. He is a well-practiced media spokesperson and has extensive experience developing communications and campaigns strategies.

Jonathon currently works in public sector management consultancy, supporting NHS and local government organisations to deliver change and transformation plans.

TRUSTEE

After a career working in insurance, in the early 2000’s Jo decided to move away from the corporate and commercial sector and look for a role that was more aligned with her personal values and commitment to social justice. Having worked in HR since the beginning of her career, Jo took up the role of HR lead for the Avenues Group, a charitable provider of support services to people with learning disabilities, acquired brain injury, and autism. In 2019 Jo took on the Chief Executive role and has led the organisation since.

Alongside her work for Avenues, Jo is also a member of the Employment Tribunal which helps to keep her HR skills and knowledge up to date. When not working at Avenues or for the ET, Jo is also proud to be a trustee at Pathway, a charity supporting homeless people and promoting inclusion health and also a trustee at Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, a membership organisation for non-profit providers.

Personally Jo has a strong connection with care and support having first hand experience of navigating the social care system for both children and adult family members.

TRUSTEE

David has over thirty years of lived experience with neurodisability and extensive experience with the social care system through his family and friend networks.

David holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Open University. His personal experiences of disempowerment by public bodies with statutory duties of care and support have reinforced his belief that everyone should be treated equally by the law and be empowered to challenge injustice. David is delighted to support Access Social Care in changing lives by providing legal advice about social care and campaigning for social care reform.

David brings governance experience to Access Social Care from previous roles in the national structures of the Methodist Church and one of the former NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups. He has a particular interest in equality, diversity, and inclusion matters.

TRUSTEE

Chris joined City law firm Travers Smith in 1983, was the firm's Senior Partner between 2013 and 2019 and is now a part time consultant there. He is Honorary Professor of Legal Practice at UCL , where he teaches graduate students, and is a Guest Lecturer at the LSE and Oxford University. Chris was a founding trustee of Access Social Care.

TRUSTEE

Tracey is an experienced quantitative social researcher, specialising in the legal and ethical access, collection, management and use of quantitative data to inform decision making. She is passionate about building supportive mechanisms for not-for-profit organisations, communities and individuals to use data to improve society. 

Her work spans utilising data analysis techniques in the early part of her career, to leading teams of data scientists, designing research projects, and developing strategies that help organisations and communities access and make meaningful use of data. Tracey has worked across the health, criminal justice and employment sectors.

Tracey is currently on a career break providing care to elderly parents, but remains actively engaged in the field through volunteering. She is co-director of Data, Tech & Black Communities CIC, a board member of Open Data Manchester and regularly participates in data and social change initiatives.

CHAIR OF BOARD

Sarah has worked in health and social care sector since the mid 80's when she began supporting people to move out of long stay institutions back to their communities.

Sarah completed her MA in Applied Psychology of Learning Disability Services and began work at Choice Support, formerly Southwark Consortium. She has been part of its growth from a single borough organisation in South East London to a National provider. Sarah took up the role of Managing Director at Choice Support in 2016 where she continued to support people with disabilities take more control of their lives.

In November 2017 Sarah became the Chief Executive of Choice Support following the merger of Choice Support and mcch until she retired in May 2025. Sarah continues in her passion and commitment to the sector as Chair of the Access Social Care Charity and Board member of Future Directions CIC.

TRUSTEE

Richard has a long career in health and social care, progressing from social worker to Director of Social Services and then several years in the Department of Health to lead national improvement and reform programmes.

He has spent the last 15 years in the world of think tanks, becoming a national commentator and analyst of social care and health policy.  

In 2017 he was appointed Visiting Professor at the University of Worcester. He has worked as advisor to independent commissions and inquiries into social care. Richard is an experienced non-executive director and is currently a trustee of Methodist Homes and of the Association of Director of Social Services as well as a couple of small local charities.

These days he balances a portfolio life with dog walking, photography (not at the same time) and campervan trips.