NOTA Cymru
Conference 2025
Spark/Sbarc at Cardiff University – 27th November 2025
#NOTACymru2025
Welcome to the 2025
NOTA Cymru Conference!
We are delighted to welcome you all to our 2025 Conference!
The event will be a one-day conference focusing on ‘No Further Action’ – Understanding multi agency thresholds, decision making and the wider implications for practice.
We would like to draw on recent reports and inquiries which point to missed opportunities across multi agencies to intervene differently or indeed at all, to better prevent, protect and support recovery from child sexual abuse.
We want to explore multi agency thresholds, decision making and service design and provision when responding to child sexual abuse in all its forms. Key will be to consider the support needed by victims and those affected following CSA as well as the support needs of those who cause sexual harm.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS for 2025
Keynote ONE Speaker:
Anna Glinski
It’s time to notice, it’s time to act: Improving responses to children affected by sexual abuse in their family environment
In November 2024 the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published its report “I wanted them all to notice”: Protecting children and responding to child sexual abuse in the family environment, research led by The Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse.
Keynote TWO Speaker:
Kathryn Lawrence
Introducing the Harmful Sexual Behaviour Pathway; what does the pathway mean for children and young people who need support for their sexual behaviour.
Kathryn started working specifically within the field of sexual abuse in 2012, as a practitioner and then a manager within a specialist service, working with harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual exploitation (Barnardo’s Better Futures Service, formally Taith and Seraf)
Keynote THREE Speaker:
Jan Pickles & Jane Foster
“It can happen here“
Jane and Jan will talk about the Learning from the recent North Wales Child Practice Review and reference into sexual abuse of children by head teacher Neil Foden, they will also refer to learning from other similar inquiries including the South Bank and Clwych.
Keynote FOUR Speaker:
Anne-Marie Lawrence
‘Our Voice, Our Journey: From Personal Pain to Collective Change’
Anne-Marie speaks from personal experience as a parent navigating the devastating impact of early life trauma, child sexual abuse and the systemic failures that followed. Her advocacy focuses on disrupting the predictable pathways too many young people face after harm by recognising red flags, stepping in early, and ensuring support is available when, where, and how it’s needed.
PANEL Q&A SPEAKERS
Panelist
Nina Maxwell
Dr Nina Maxwell is a Chartered Psychologist and Principal Research Fellow. She has over twenty years of experience in social care research with an extensive portfolio of studies focusing on youth society and risk, specifically around the criminal exploitation of children. Her work includes the Complex Safeguarding Wales (ComplexSafeguardingWales.org) toolkit which was co-produced with young people, parents and professionals.
Panelist
Chris Frey-Davies
Chris Frey-Davies, BSc, PGCert is Head of Children’s Services at Pembrokeshire County Council. With over 16 years in social care and seven in senior leadership, Chris brings a practical, people-focused approach to improving services for children and families. He has led safeguarding across both children’s and adults’ services, supported multi-agency projects, and works with teams to drive positive change locally and across Wales. Chris has chaired safeguarding groups at all levels and helped shape national strategies. He’s also been involved in developing digital tools that make frontline work more efficient. Known for his collaborative style and focus on what works, Chris regularly shares his insights at national events and is passionate about making a real difference for vulnerable people.
Panelist
Johnny V Matthew
Jonny is a registered social worker and a criminologist. He is Director of Social Care at TRM Academy Ltd,
working to help professionals and agencies embed the Trauma Recovery Model in practice with children
and young people. He offers training, supervision and consultation via Jonny Matthew Ltd and works part
time (0.2 FTE) as Highly Specialist Youth Forensic Co-ordinator at FACS – the All Wales Forensic CAMHS
Team (Forensic Adolescent Consultation Service) where he provides advice and guidance on social care
issues, sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviour in young people with mental health issues or mental
illness and who have committed serious offences and/or present a significant risk to self and/or the public.
Panelist
Gina Carty
Harmful Sexual Behaviour Team for Gwynedd Local Authority, North Wales.
Qualified as a Social Worker (BA Hons) in 2008 with experience of working in fostering and adoption, duty and children and families teams. AIM Associate since 2020 providing training in the AIM Under 12 and AIM3 model of assessment.
Panelist
Kathryn Lawrence
Kathryn is a registered social worker, with over 25 years of experience, working with vulnerable children and young people, across several sectors and roles. She started working specifically within the field of sexual abuse in 2012, as a practitioner and then a manager within a specialist service, working with harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual exploitation (Barnardo’s Better Futures Service, formally Taith and Seraf).
Kathryn is currently the practice lead in service, developing practice around young children and non-directive methods of intervention for sexual harm. She developed education resources to inform RSE curriculum in schools across South Wales. Kathryn leads on the children’s rights work within the service and ensures that the voices of children, who have been affected by sexual abuse, can be heard.
Panelist
Richard Fewkes
Richard has been the Director of the National Police Chiefs Council Hydrant Programme (formerly Operation Hydrant) since 2014. The programme was originally established to coordinate the national response to the rise in reports of non-recent child sexual abuse and to improve policing’s approach to its investigation. In 2015, the Programme was given responsibility for managing the NPCC relationship with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and to coordinate the gathering and submission of evidence to the Inquiry. More recently Hydrant extended its remit to develop policing’s strategy across all elements of the child protection and abuse investigation portfolio.
Panelist
Claire Short
Claire Short is the National Manager for Lucy Faithfull Foundation Wales, leading national initiatives focused on the prevention of child sexual abuse. With over 13 years of specialised experience in this field, she delivers expert training and consultancy to agencies and professionals. Claire works collaboratively with a multi-agency team of child sexual abuse specialists to assess and engage with adults who present a risk of sexual harm, young people exhibiting harmful sexual behaviour, victims/survivors and family members, with the overarching aim of enhancing child protection. A core element of her role involves the development and delivery of educational programmes and therapeutic interventions designed to strengthen family resilience and promote safeguarding practices. With more than 15 years of experience in childcare and social care, Claire has held positions as a childcare manager, lecturer, trainer, and assessor in childcare. She possesses extensive expertise in supporting families of children with complex needs and is dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families through education, prevention, and early intervention
Panelist
Luci Coffey
Luci began her working career in finance and banking before moving to the technology sector working in anti fraud and identity authentication systems.
Luci began working in the charity sector by volunteering with We Stand (previously Mosac) in 2008. She became an advocate working with the charity full time in 2010. Through her journey supporting others, it became clear that the majority of clients were struggling to access legal advice for family law. As a result of client need and a passion for the difficulties clients faced, Luci requalified as a family solicitor and now provides pro bono family law advice to parents and carers of sexually abused children through the charity We Stand. She has also been campaigning for legal change.
NOTA CYMRU 2025 TIMETABLE
