Meet the experts
Our experts from across the Mental Health Foundation and the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities bring with them a wide range of knowledge and experience across their respective fields.
Josefien Breedvelt:
Josefien leads on the development of research and evaluation at the Mental Health Foundation. She is responsible for managing a portfolio of projects and collaborates closely with other departments in the organisation. Josefien’s focus is to maximise the impact of findings to ensure that the research is relevant. Before joining the Mental Health Foundation, Josefien worked as a senior researcher for the Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners trust (RAPt). Whilst working at RAPt, she was also responsible for leading the Research and Development workstream in Transforming Rehabilitation for RAPt, which provided an innovative solution to research and data collection in probation services. She holds an MSc in Mental Health Studies from King’s College London and a BSc in Psychology. Josefien has been involved as stakeholder for the NICE guidelines on Mental Health in Prison and initiatives such as the Justice Data Lab. In previous research roles she has presented to various audiences, including government officials, carer-representatives and private sector companies.
Marguerite began working for the Mental Health Foundation in April 2015 as the Foundation’s Policy Manager. Her role is to manage the Foundation’s efforts to inform and influence evidence based policies and legislation across the UK, which impact on mental health and learning disabilities. This work involves developing positions on key topics, responding to Government, producing policy briefings and papers to influence decision makers, as well as working with other organisations and bodies to maximise the impact of our policy efforts.
Before joining the Foundation, Marguerite worked at the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, as the Knowledge Exchange Officer for the Mental Health Innovation Network – a collaborative project for the Global Mental Health community – run jointly by the Centre and World Health Organisation. Prior to moving to the UK, Marguerite worked as a Health Promotion Officer with the World Health Organisation, stationed at the Lesotho Country Office, where she contributed to the development of several national health policies and initiatives.
Marguerite read Sociology and Psychology as an undergraduate and holds a Masters in Epidemiology and Public Health from the University College Cork.
David has worked as Head of Empowerment and Social Inclusion at the Mental Health Foundation for 5 years. His role involves developing, delivering and evaluating service user involvement, carer involvement, peer support, mental health awareness training, and self-management training.
With over 20 years’ experience in service user involvement, David has previously occupied a number of prestigious posts including chief executive of Mental Health Media, former board member and vice-chair for the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, founding member of National Survivor User Network (NSUN), and former chair and treasurer of Survivors Speak Out.
David has been widely published in the field of mental health and is currently studying for a Doctorate at Middlesex University. He is a member of the All Wales Mental Health Promotion Board and an advisor to World Health Organisation (WHO) Europe on empowerment. In 2012, David was appointed to the Welsh Government’s Mental Health Naitonal Partnership Board (NPB). As part of the NPB David will help shape Together for Mental Health – A Strategy for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Wales and its Delivery Plan.
Molly Mattingly
As Head of Learning Disability Programmes at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, Molly works in partnership with external organisations to support people with learning disabilities and mental ill health through improving and evolving their services, practices and organisational development.
Molly promotes, obtains and manages consultancy projects with organisations that focus on moving their services and practices towards person centred ways of working; this includes the development and monitoring of partnership contracts, providing consultancy and training, and follow-up work to ensure that contract agreements have been met successfully.
Molly has worked in long stay hospitals, private agencies, family homes and within the voluntary sector in both the USA and the UK. She has extensive experience in the many aspects of developing community services, predominantly supporting agencies to convert from day centre and residential services to individualised community support services and employment. She has worked with state and governmental learning disability agencies in the development and implementation of quality services. Molly has a MEd (University of Missouri-St. Louis) and most recently co-authored and published the “How Are We Doing on Planning?” evaluation tool for Person Centred Planning through the Valuing People Support Team.
Christine Towers
Christine has been Research and Service Development Manager at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities since 2005, where her role involves managing and delivering research projects, development projects and consultancy contracts.
Christine’s particular areas of interest include planning with families, improving the quality of support (including quality checking with experts by experience), supporting people with learning disabilities as they grow older, people with learning disabilities with caring roles and the development of social and community networks. Her research interests include the experiences of fathers of children with learning disabilities (Recognising Fathers) and planning for the future with families (Thinking Ahead). Prior to working at the Foundation, she worked on national research projects on direct payments and the impact of person-centred planning.
Over the past 30 years, Christine has worked in a variety of roles developing opportunities for people with learning disabilities and their families in health services, social services and the third sector. She has an interest in partnership working across sectors and has project managed the integration of learning disability services across health and social care in a local authority. Her development work has included housing and support, family support services, daytime opportunities for people with complex needs and user involvement. Christine has an MA in Social Policy (Goldsmiths, University of London), a BA in English Studies (University of East Anglia), and a Diploma in Management Studies (University of Greenwich).
Christine Burke
Christine is the Senior Development Manager for the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. Her role is to implement policy, undertake applied research and conduct consultancy work.
During the past few years, Christine has facilitated several service reviews and supported their strategic development. She has also developed leadership training programmes for people with learning disabilities and their families and has furthermore established methods to build inclusive communities.
Christine brings with her many years of experience and passionate commitment to the achievement of an inclusive community and human rights. She has worked closely with a variety of partnership agencies to improve existing provision and to develop new services. She has supported people with learning disabilities for over 25 years in various roles and has worked within senior management for voluntary organisations in research, teaching, training, policy and community development.
Christine moved to the Foundation from Kings College, where she also worked as Senior Development Manager. Prior to this, as Deputy Chief Executive, she set up and managed a national organisation developing circles of support throughout the UK. Academically, Christine has achieved a BA (Hons) in Psychology, a MSc in Child Psychology and is trained as a Psychotherapist.
Keith Bates
Keith is Head of Employment at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. His role specifically involves leading the Employment Programmes that support the development of more and better employment opportunities for people with a learning disability. His work also includes running the In-Business programme which supports people with a learning disability to explore the option of self-employment and small business ownership.
Having supported people with disabilities in to work for nearly 20 years, Keith has a particular interest in using enterprise and trade to develop opportunities for people with learning disabilities. He has extensive experience of working in supported employment, developing social enterprises, developing social firms and supporting people to set up co-operatives. Prior to joining the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, Keith spent a number of years running a development consultancy specialising in the creation of employment opportunities for people with a disability or disadvantage in the workplace.
In addition to his DipHE in Social and Environmental Problems and BSc (Hons) in Geography, Keith has achieved Diplomas in Small Business Financial Management and Franchising Theory and Practice. Keith is the Founding Director of BOSS Employment Community Interest Company, Director of Jigsaw Catering Co-Op Ltd, and until recently Keith was also a Trustee of Social Firms UK.
Jill Davies
Jill is Research Programme Manager at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. Her role largely involves working on projects relating to children and young people with learning disabilities. The majority of her work is spread across the many aspects of project management, ranging from identifying areas of research, obtaining funding, recruiting an advisory board, right through to the development of outputs at the end and the project’s dissemination.
Jill has worked with people with learning disabilities for over 20 years. She previously managed a family support service for children with autism and also worked as a Nurse Therapist on a specialist team for children and young people at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley hospitals. Jill has a number of academic achievements that supplement her expert insight into the field of learning disabilities. She is a Registered Nurse for People with Learning Disabilities (RNLD), holds a BSc Degree in Psychology, and has recently published “What Kind of a Future for Young People with Down’s Syndrome? The Views and Concerns of their Families” (2010).
Toby Williamson
Toby is Head of Development and Later Life at the Mental Health Foundation and leads our work in mental health in later life and dementia, as well as being involved with mental capacity. His other areas of expertise include ethics and values, innovative community mental health services, social inclusion, user involvement and service improvement.
Toby has over 20 years’ experience of working in the field of mental health where he has been involved in setting up, working in and managing a variety of services in both statutory and non-statutory organisations for people with severe and enduring mental health problems living in the community. He initially worked as an assistant supervisor on a gardening project for people in a psychiatric hospital in Oxford. Since then he has worked for the NHS, local authority social services, a housing association, a local MIND association and community-based mental health services. He has also worked at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health as a training and practice development officer.
Toby has worked for the Mental Health Foundation since 2002. As Head of Policy, he co-chaired the Making Decisions Alliance which successfully campaigned in support of the Mental Capacity Act and spent 18 months seconded to the Ministry of Justice as Stakeholder and Communications Manager for the Mental Capacity Act Implementation Programme. Toby has published a variety of work on older people’s mental health, team working, user involvement, and attitudes and values, and has also designed and delivered training for multidisciplinary mental health teams based in the community.
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