Training Events

Marcella Leonard, BSc. (HONS)., C.Q.S.W, MSc. AASW, PG. Dip ATSO, ASW, ASI. PTA, Fellow NOTA, Reg. COSRT.MBE,

Director of Leonard Consultancy and Associates has over 35 years experience in child, adult, public safeguarding and protection. She is a qualified social worker with additional professional training in psychosexual therapy, trauma therapy, sexual and violent risk assessor. Her expertise is sought nationally and internationally both at strategic and operational levels in organisations.

 

Leonard Consultancy and Associates is an independent organisation which specialises in providing expertise in all aspects of child, adult and public safeguarding and protection to the statutory, sports, arts, academia, religious, industry, charity and voluntary sectors nationally and internationally.

Paul is a Senior Consultant for the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit.

Prior to this he worked for Extern and managed a probation funded hostel. In his social work career Paul has also worked directly with both perpetrators and survivors of sexual abuse. In his current post Paul’s primary role is working strategically with governing bodies in sports to enable them to promote good practice in their work with children. He provides sports organisations with consultancy on the development of safeguarding policies and procedures and responds to issues arising from specific cases.

Paul takes the lead in Northern Ireland with public policy, campaigning, promotional and awareness-raising work in the sport and leisure sector. Paul has worked with the Department for Communities and Sport NI in the development of their safeguarding policy and provided advice to a number of the organisations under their governance. Paul currently represents the NSPCC on the National Organisation for Treatment of Abuse (NOTA) (NI) steering group.

Having graduated from Liverpool in ‘97 he spent the vast majority of his career in mixed clinical practice in the Welsh Borders.

Over that time, he developed an expanding interest in animal welfare and worked with a wide range of stakeholders around the investigation and enforcement of animal welfare offences including building collaborative partnerships with forensic science providers to the benefit of both animal welfare and human welfare.

With particular interests in non-accidental injury and the links to human health and welfare he developed a reporting system for the veterinary profession to seek support and advice when there were concerns that a patient may be a victim of deliberate abuse.

More recently whilst continuing to support animal welfare investigations internationally he had taken a role as Group Head of Animal Welfare for IVC Evidensia focusing on improving welfare and wellbeing of the patients that the Group attend to on a daily basis.

Andrea’s equine background is in showjumping, working hunter, tetrathlon and mounted games.  She graduated from the University of Bristol Vet School in 2001 and worked in mixed practice for 3 years. She then worked as a locum in mixed, equine and small animal practices before returning to Bristol to complete her PhD in the Department of Infection & Immunity in 2011. 

She has a wide range of experience in practice, consultancy, public health and continuing education.  She also worked in the food industry, using her veterinary background to promote One Health, provenance and animal welfare.

A volunteer for The Links Group since 2021, she is now strategic delivery lead.

Andrea is a survivor of domestic abuse.  Passionate about education, research and raising awareness about the link between animal abuse and domestic and child abuse, she volunteers for the NSPCC Schools Service, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, the North of Ireland Veterinary Association Council and sits on the board of the Foyle Family Justice Centre.