Carolyne Willow – National co-ordinator

Carolyne Willow has been a children’s rights advocate for over 25 years and became CRAE’s national co-ordinator in 2000. She started her career as a child protection social worker where she helped children establish the Nottinghamshire branch of NAYPIC (National Association of Young People in Care). She then became a children’s rights officer for looked after children and young people, and was Chair of CROA for several years. Whilst heading up the National Children’s Bureau’s children’s rights and participation programme, she helped establish A National Voice. She was adult support worker for Article 12, a children's rights organisation run by under 18s.

Carolyne has contributed to two national inquiries: in 1997, she consulted young disabled people living away from home as part of the Children’s Safeguards Review led by Sir William Utting; and, in 2005, she interviewed children in secure training centres as part of Lord Carlile’s inquiry into the use of restraint, segregation and strip-searching in child custody. She was a member of the reference group for the Government's discrimination law review and Trevor Phillips’ equalities review.

Carolyne is the Vice-Chair of the Council of Europe’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Child and Youth Participation. She has written and edited a wide range of children's rights publications, including “Children’s right to be heard and effective child protection”, published by Save the Children Sweden.

Carolyne is a home-educating parent and, when not at work, helps run two groups for home-educated children aged 4 to 13 years. She went on her first demonstration aged 11, to try and save her comprehensive school from closure.

Policy and public affairs

Carla Garnelas – Senior policy and change officer (Get ready for change!)

Carla is CRAE's senior policy and change officer on the Get ready for change! project and a member of the CRAE policy team. She joined CRAE in October 2005. Since graduating from Edinburgh University with a degree in Social Anthropology in 2002, Carla has worked in the voluntary sector in London. In 2006, she received an MSc from Birkbeck College in Race and Ethnic Relations, focusing on issues of gender, ethnicity and identity. She worked for a number of years in the Jewish community as a youth worker and informal educator and spent a year in Nairobi, Kenya with VSO working with street children projects. Carla is a trustee of Gulan, a charity that promotes Kurdish arts and culture.

Catherine Hodder – Parliamentary adviser

As CRAE's Parliamentary Adviser, Catherine communicates children's rights issues to members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, so that they can ask questions of the Government, debate particular issues or amend laws to improve children's human rights protection. Before joining CRAE, Catherine worked for a Member of Parliament and completed a Masters degree in human rights. She has been a human rights campaigner since the age of 15.

Krishna Maroo – Policy and change assistant (Get ready for change!)

Krishna is one of CRAE's policy and change assistants, and encourages children and young people from all over England to get involved in Get ready for change! She helps children's rights champions campaign for change where they live, and delivers outreach and training. Krishna has a degree in journalism, and has been working with children since she was a young person. She is really interested in how new media can support and encourage young people's self advocacy, and enjoys using photography and film when working with them. Krishna finds the work she does with young people very inspiring. Before joining CRAE, Krishna was the student voice co-ordinator at a West London school. 

Sabeena Kistnah – Policy and change assistant

In September 2009 Sabeena changed from being CRAE's administrator to being a CRAE Policy and change assistant.  She is encouraged by how much children and young people are involved in CRAE's work and how children and young people's voices are continually putting pressure on decision makers for changes that concern their lives.  Before joining CRAE, Sabeena worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She has a degree in Politics and International Relations.

Sam Dimmock – Head of policy and public affairs

Sam Dimmock is CRAE's Head of Policy and Public Affairs. She is responsible for ensuring CRAE's human rights advocacy is focused on achieving the fullest possible implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in England, and that children and young people are supported to engage in human rights monitoring and activism. Sam began her career working in communications at the Imperial War Museum, after which she became the Education Co-ordinator at The Who Cares? Trust, a charity working with children in care. Prior to taking up her post at CRAE, Sam was the Regional Development Manager at Partnership for Young London, providing strategic development advice to youth services and organisations across the capital. Sam has a Masters degree in Medieval History.

Tom Burke – Senior policy and change officer (Participation Works)

Tom Burke is senior policy and change officer working as part of the Participation Works programme. His part-time role is to monitor, secure and defend the participation rights of children in England. Tom has been a children's rights activist from a young age leading campaigns on youth issues in his home town. Aged 16 he was a member of the steering group of the Child Rights Caucus at the UN Special Session on Children and was previously a director of social enterprise 'Young People Change the World'. He is currently trustee of international development charity Peace Child International and serves on advisory boards for various youth and democracy initiatives. Tom is a fellow of the RSA. When not working, he has a passion for dance/electronic music and attempts to cook for friends (with mixed results).

Legal

Katy Swaine – Legal director

Katy qualified as a solicitor in 2000 and started her career acting for individuals and businesses in commercial and employment disputes.  In 2003 she moved into the voluntary sector, joining the national drugs charity Release where she provided legal services for those affected by drug use.  Katy joined CRAE in 2007 to set up our new legal department, with the remit of using legal advocacy to help CRAE achieve its aims.  Katy leads on CRAE's strategic litigation work, co-ordinates the campaign for the incorporation of the UNCRC into UK law and runs our advice service for children on human rights and equality law.

Office management and administration

Hayley Barrett – Administrator

Hayley joined CRAE in September 2009 to support the whole staff team as CRAE's administrator.

Sue Marris – Office manager

Sue started at CRAE in 2006 and is responsible for the finances, for the office administration and for personnel matters. Her previous jobs include working as an actuarial officer at the Government Actuary's Department and as the statistician at the Arts Council of Great Britain before she moved to work in the charity sector. She then worked as centre manager of a community centre, as tenant liaison officer for a housing association and most recently as office manager at a drop-in centre for families of children with disabilities. She has a degree in Economics with Econometrics and an MA in Arts Administration.

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

Volunteers

CRAE's work is supported by policy and legal volunteers who help with our campaigns, research. administration and advice service.  Read our volunteer policy.  CRAE is an equal opportunities employer.

Our next round of recruitment for volunteers is likely to be in Spring 2010, and details will be posted here.  Please contact Katy Swaine if you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive information about future volunteering opportunities.