Meet The Team:
Management:
Chris Dyer, Director - is a 30 + years' experienced professional in the criminal justice arena and set up Mentoring West Midlands in its current format in December 2012; previously from May 2011 it was a specialist consultancy. He is an operational deliverer 'by trade' and the former Strategic Lead Officer for Urban Street Gangs and Reducing Gang Violence for Birmingham. A professionally accredited 'high risk' mediator, mentor and experienced trainer, he holds Level 3 Certificates in Education and Learning and Designated Safeguarding Officer status and is a qualified Care Manager (C & G Advanced M'ment for Care). Chris provides day to day management and leadership within the organisation and leads on all external, professional staff training.
Chris finished working as an Approved Advisor of The Home Office's Ending Gang & Serious Youth Violence Peer Review Team in 2016, who he worked with for close to 4 years; he remains part of the national working group. Previously, whilst working as a senior officer for Birmingham Community Safety Partnership he had specific responsibilities for jointly leading and formulating the city's safeguarding responses to vulnerable and high risk young people, with a view to limiting their involvement in criminal gangs and organised crime; he was also part of the Multi-Agency Gang Unit management team and Vice-Chair of Birmingham Reducing Gang Violence 1 (BRGV1) the city's main tactical, partnership group.
Chris' career in the criminal justice system spans 30 years, as does his operational delivery and senior management experience. He started working in the field of 'extreme emotional and behavioural difficulties', managing and delivering residential programmes for young people aged 10-22, who had committed serious sexual and violent offences. He is a former senior consultant for the national charity Crime Concern (Catch 22 in its current form) and his career also includes success in social business development, change management and creating, managing and delivering programmes of work for some of the country's most challenging and dangerous people.
His work was nationally recognised with a British Community Safety Award in 2001 for his work in the Low Hill Neighbourhood Safety Programme and internationally recognised in 2004, when he received the European Crime Prevention Award whilst working for Crime Concern as a senior consultant, seconded to Birmingham to run the city's Safer Neighbourhood Programme.
Current representative and strategic activity:
- West Midlands Police Independent Advisory Group on Domestic Abuse
- Safer Walsall Partnership, Serious Youth Violence Group
Specialist Mentoring Staff:
Saleena Khatoon, Senior Specialist Mentor - Saleena has over 9 years of experience supporting a range of vulnerable people from the homeless community to adults with safeguarding needs. Whilst studying for her degree she worked at Leeds City Council, engaging with highly vulnerable children helping them back into education. After completing her education Saleena spent two years working as a support worker for adults who lacked capacity residing in a care home; she then spent 5 years working in different services within a housing association, most recently redeveloping a 22 bed medium to high needs hostel in Coventry for adult ex-offenders. At the same time, she launched the opening of the second hostel in Coventry and also has 3 years experience working in the Syrian vulnerable person resettlement programme. She has redeveloped training documents for staff focusing on trauma informed practice, handbooks for service users, created and implemented new efficient ways for staff of operating to service contracts and is experienced in dealing with highly demanding incidents. Saleena holds a BsC in Forensic Psychology, NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care and DSL Level 3.
Daniel Scates, Specialist Mentor - Dan has worked for 11 years in children's residential care, 9 of these in a managerial role; his main service user group was young females that have been victim to CSE and also young people with convictions for violence and sexual offences. He has helped deliver therapeutic in-house programmes to help young people better regulate and manage their emotions. For the 12 months prior to working for MWM Dan has been working in a supported living setting helping vulnerable 16-18 year old care leavers develop their independent skills ready for them to go on and gain their own tenancy. Dan holds an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care, Children and Young People.
Yvonne Banks, Specialist Mentor - Yvonne has worked for MWM, on 3 seperate occasions since the company's inception, and has close to 30 years experience of working with people considered hard to reach and other complex casework. This experience stretches over specialist residential social work with young people involved in sexual exploitation, serious offending and displaying severe emotional and behavioural difficulties, custody based mental health units for young adults and community based support for those furthest from the jobs market; Yvonne has completed much in-service training.
Ray Walters - Specialist Mentor - Ray has been involved in the field of work for close to 20 years; an experienced youth worker, professional mentor and qualified 'high risk' mediator he has worked in and around custody and secure settings with a multitude of public protection case work aswell as a huge variety of people involved in all levels of 'gun and gang' violence and organised crime. Ray has also worked in the Traveller Community aswell as other marginalised ethnic groups and is a qualified Lv3 CPCAB Counsellor, holds a Diploma in Health and Social Care (Children and Adults) aswell as being an accredited 'high risk' mediator.
Solomon Griffiths - Specialist Mentor - Solomon has worked for MWM, on 3 seperate occasions, since the company's inception. Solomon has close to 16 years experience in working with high risk young people and came to MWM having worked as a mediator with the high risk conflict resolution service in Birmingham dealing regularly with credible threats to life scenarios. Engaging with all levels of public protection case work (adult and young person) involved in 'gun and gang' lifestyles, also organised crime, Solomon is an accredited OCN Lv3 high risk mediator and conflict resolution specialist; he also works in schools with young people delivering programme interventions relating to knife crime.
Administration and Back Office Support:
Tracy Jennings, Business Support Administrator: Tracy has 18 years experience in the running of a private child care and education establishment. She handled the financial matters of the business such as client billing, accounts payable, payroll and banking aswell as all manner of oversight on professional practice of services for vulnerable service users and delivery of high quality services; she approaches all aspects of any job with a positive, hard-working mindset, and is passionate about helping find solutions to any challenges. Tracy brings with her an extensive background in customer service and holds an NVQ level 3 management qualification and a Level 3 Diploma and Child Care and Education.
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