Carolyne Willow – National co-ordinator

A qualified social worker, Carolyne has spent nearly 25 years trying to improve the rights of children.

She was chair of Children's Rights Officers and Advocates (CROA) for several years and helped to establish A National Voice young people’s organisation, having previously set up and been adult advisor to the Nottinghamshire branch of NAYPIC (National Association of Young People in Care). She was adult support worker to Article 12 young people's organisation.

Carolyne was a member of Lord Carlile’s independent inquiry into the use of restraint, strip-searching and segregation in child custody, established by the Howard League for Penal Reform. She was a member of the reference group for the Government's discrimination law review and Trevor Phillip’s equalities review.

Carolyne has written widely on children’s rights and co-ordinated the NGO alternative reports to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2002 and 2008.

Carolyne went on her first demonstration at the age of 11 to try and stop the closure of her comprehensive school in South Shields (unsuccessful). She co-founded South Tyneside Youth CND whilst at FE college, and has been campaigning on human rights and social justice issues ever since.

Policy team

Carla Garnelas – Senior policy and change officer (Get ready for Geneva)
Catherine Billingham – Parliamentary adviser
Ciara Davey – Senior children's rights investigator (Get ready for Geneva)
Krishna Maroo – Policy and change assistant (Get ready for Geneva)
Sam Dimmock – Get ready for Geneva programme director
Tom Burke – Senior policy and change officer (Participation Works)

Legal team

Katy Swaine – Legal director

Office management and administration

Sabeena Kistnah – Administrator
Sue Marris – Office manager

You can email individual staff using the follow format:
intial and surname@crae.org.uk
Example: hcampbell@crae.org.uk

Volunteers

CRAE has policy and legal volunteers that help with our campaigns and advice-giving. Contact us for more information: info@crae.org.uk