Meet the CPSU team
Anne Tiivas, OBE
CPSU Director
Anne joined the CPSU in 2001. Anne is responsible for managing the unit’s staff across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. She also manages relationships with the respective Sports Councils, with our key partners in sport, and with the wider safeguarding world.
Anne maintains contact with a range of sports-related trusts, organisations and councils as well as liaising with government departments. She is also working with International sports bodies such as The International Olympic Committee to develop international resources to address sexual harassment and abuse of athletes.
Prior to working with the CPSU Anne worked as a trained social worker.
Nick Slinn
Senior Consultant England
Nick joined the CPSU in 2002. Nick has worked within the NSPCC since 1990, specialising in work with sexual offenders and child victims of abuse in a frontline service. Nick’s area of responsibility is supporting county sport partnerships in developing their safeguarding work.
Prior to working with the CPSU Nick worked as a qualified social worker.
Jude Toasland
Senior Consultant England
Jude joined the CPSU in 2009. She has worked for the NSPCC since 2000, both in Training and Consultancy and in managing direct services for children and young people. Jude is a qualified social worker.
Jude's work involves providing support to sports National Governing Bodies, supporting them in their safeguarding work. This role involves consultation, training and liaision with sports organisations, government departments and other sports bodies.
Michelle North
Senior Consultant England
Michelle joined the CPSU team in April 2013. Michelle has worked with the NSPCC since 2010 and has joined the unit from the NSPCC Safeguarding in Education Service. Michelle's work within the team will have a particular focus on FE and HE and her knowledge of the sector will help with partnership building and co-ordinating processes.
Prior to joining the NSPCC Michelle was an Education Welfare Officer with over 10 years' frontline experience and later a Senior Manager with responsibility for prosecutions and case management. She was also a trainer for the LSCB specialising in neglect and domestic violence.
Carole Billington-Wood
Senior Consultant England
Carole joined the CPSU in 2005. Carole’s role involves supporting both UK Sport and Sport England NGBs and partners in developing their safeguarding work. Carole also works with Sport Wales to support the NGBs in Wales with their child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures. Within the CPSU team Carole leads our work on elite athlete welfare.
Prior to joining the unit, Carole was Director of Development for British Triathlon. Having been a youth swimmer and GB International Triathlete, Carole remains a keen sportswoman; she has also taught PE, been a coach educator and practitioner in sports development. Carole is currently a specialist member of the National UK Anti-Doping Panel.
Denise Richards
Senior Consultant England
Denise joined the team in September 2017 and works with our National Governing Bodies and County Sports Partnerships to ensure they have the resources and guidance they need to achieve and maintain their safeguarding standards.
Denise previously worked for Nottinghamshire County Sports Partnership as a Lead Officer.
Paul Stephenson
Senior Consultant Northern Ireland
Paul works with sports governing bodies in Northern Ireland to support them to achieve safeguarding standards for sports sector organisations and promote good safeguarding practice. He is also secretary of the Northern Ireland branch of the National Organisation for Treatment of Offenders (NOTA).
Prior to joining the NSPCC Paul managed a Probation-funded project working with those involved in the criminal justice system. A number of his previous clients were sex offenders with coaching awards and this is how he became interested in this area of work. Paul has also worked directly with young people in the care system who have experienced different forms of abuse.
Laura Whapham
Senior Consultant Wales
Laura works closely with Sport Wales to support the National Governing Bodies in Wales with their child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures. Laura's role also supports many of the sports through the Safeguarding Standards Framework to enable sports to maintain and embed safeguards. Within the CPSU team Laura leads on our work around deaf and disabled children and young people in sport.
Prior to joining the team Laura worked predominantly in the voluntary social care sector with a range of young people with complex needs, including children with disabilities, young carers and looked after children. She is also a keen sportswoman, with a degree in sport and physical education.
Cerri Dando
National Development Officer Wales
Cerri started with the unit in August 2017 as a part-time member of staff. Cerri works with the Welsh National Governing Bodies and supports them to embed safeguarding practice by helping them to achieve the safeguarding standards.
Before joing the unit, Cerri was a Lead Safeguarding Officer for an NGB in Wales and worked as a UK Coaching Tutor specialising in safeguarding. Cerri is also a qualified gynastics and netball coach.
Lian Gaten
Safeguarding Information Officer
Lian joined the CPSU team in August 2010. Prior to this Lian worked for NSPCC Safe Network project as an Administrator from June 2009.
Lian and Mel are jointly responsible for making safeguarding in sport information widely accessible through our website and social media.
They also coordinate the development of our e-newsletter and help to coordinate and run the CPSU webinars.
Hannah Mansell
Senior Content Specialist
Hannah began working as an Information Officer for the team in April 2009 and accepted the role of Senior Content Specialist in May 2017.
She works with the NSPCC's digital team to review and improve the content of the CPSU website.
Previously she worked as an Administrator for the CPSU team since March 2007.
Melanie Addams
Information Officer
Mel previously worked for CPSU as an administrator and returned to the team to cover maternity leave in September 2016.
Mel is jointly responsible with Lian, for making safeguarding in sport information widely accessible through our website and social media.
She also helps to produce content for our e-newsletter and run the CPSU webinars.
John Watson
Digital Producer
John sits in the NSPCC Digital Engagement Team and works with us to ensure the content on our digital platforms is easy to access and meets the needs of our audience.
John also acts as our link to the wider NSPCC and ensures that safeguarding resources and information are accessible through the CPSU website.
CPSU Administration team
The CPSU administration team coordinate all enquiries that come into the unit, CPSU meetings, working groups, training, conferences and events run by the team.
Julyn Walker (as pictured) is responsible for managing the administration team and dealing with financial procedures within the CPSU.
