About us

Having recently taken over as CEO I am excited to be leading YouTurn Futures into a new innovative chapter in its delivery of excellent client focused services. My vision for YouTurn is to become the leading provider of support services to the most marginalised and disenfranchised children in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes. While maintaining our national standing as the innovative forerunner in the delivery of Integrated Offender Management in England and Wales.

Building on my previous role as Deputy Director of YouTurn for 5 years, working with our trustees to embed our core values, setting the strategy for the charity and inspiring staff and volunteers to achieve impactful results of all our services and commissioned work. I particularly value strong stakeholder relationships and ensure that the charity has as sound financial footing.

After completing a BA Honours degree in 1986, I joined Bedfordshire Police and completed 31 years’ service. Within the Police, I strategically led for the Force on Community Safety, Criminal Justice and Offender Management. I have completed several Senior Management qualifications at the College of Policing as well as achieving operational accreditation and credibility as a Tactical Firearms Commander.

My strategic work within the Police has created a deep knowledge of partnership working and, as a Local Policing Commander, a close understanding of the issues affecting the diverse communities across the Eastern Region.

Neill enjoys gardening and spending time with his young family.

Lisa holds the role of Director of Operations, providing strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure the delivery of high-quality, safe, and effective services for children and young people. Lisa has over 20 years’ professional experience across Social Care, Mental Health, and Drugs and Alcohol services, with specialist expertise in Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Sexual Abuse. She is a Safeguarding expert, qualified as a professional trainer to deliver Safeguarding training, Child Exploitation training and provide Safeguarding Supervision. Lisa has provided strategic leadership across partnerships and organised and delivered multi agency events and conferences across local partnerships, supporting effective partnership working and systemwide safeguarding responses.

Lisa is the Menopause Wellness Coach for YouTurn Futures and brings her knowledge and a strong focus on fitness, self-care, and sustainable lifestyle practices to support women’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

This year marks Lisa’s 10th year at You Turn Futures, where she has progressed through several senior roles, including Child Sexual Exploitation Coordinator, Exploitation Lead, Safeguarding Lead and Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit Manager.

Abbie joined YouTurn at its launch in 2014, bringing extensive experience in research and analytics from Bedfordshire Police, where she worked as a Performance Analyst within a multi-agency team. She holds a BSc in Psychology and Criminology and is passionate about using research and evidence-informed practice to drive positive change.

Leading YouTurn’s analytical team, Abbie applies data and evidence to shape strategic planning, enhance service delivery, and monitor performance. She also leads on our reporting and impact assessments, ensuring the charity achieves meaningful outcomes for the communities it supports. Having been with the charity for over ten years, she is deeply committed to its success and ensuring it continues to make a difference.

A subject expert, designing evidenced based services and innovative solutions to complex issues arising from crime, vulnerabilities and social harms. This includes, fundraising, bid writing and partnership working. Formerly CEO of The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity working with those concerned about their own sexual thoughts and/or behaviour or the sexual behaviour of another person. Delivering interventions and supporting anyone with a concern about child sexual abuse and its prevention. This followed a career as a probation officer in the community and in the prison service Elaine was the Operational Director of Hertfordshire probation service, specialising in public protection, risk management, service delivery, personality disorders and commissioning.

Interests include long walks on the beach with dogs, ukulele playing and film.

Olivia is qualified in Level 2 Youth work and Level 2 Peer Mentor in the Criminal Justice Setting.

Olivia is currently supporting young people on the School Navigator programme, working alongside probation to support those on IOM and on the PI Scheme, Olivia is passionate about helping those and will go the extra mile whilst showing empathy and respect, also supporting people on the pubwatch scheme for Bedford pubs and clubs to help the night time economy be a safer place for those in Bedford town centre. Olivia has a lot of experience of working with adults, children and young people who have been affected by Domestic Abuse, Substance misuse, and mental health issues.

Olivia’s interests include travelling and self-care.

General operational role, working in Bedfordshire, to provide support and guidance to adults facing life challenges to help them to build resilience and move on to achieve their goals. Sharon has been involved in projects related to the criminal justice system for over 20 years, and her previous role was managing a vocational qualifications contract for the Ministry of Justice working with the prison service in England and Wales. Previous roles focused on the employability and the adult literacy and numeracy agenda, creating collaborative networks to address workplace adult skills. Early career was spent in industrial marketing communications, working in the UK, Europe, and the USA. Interests include travel, gardening, and history.

Antonella is a highly experienced, dedicated and L3 qualified Youth Worker with over 30 years of expertise supporting children and young people. She currently works with at-risk youth across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, delivering tailored interventions to prevent exploitation, reduce gang involvement, and improve academic attendance and achievement.

Antonella previously spent a decade as a Youth Justice Practitioner with Bedfordshire Youth Offending Service, where she managed cases and provided individualized support to help young people make positive life changes. She also brings five years of experience in alternative education settings, working with Key Stage 3 and 4 students through classroom teaching, targeted interventions, and one-to-one mentoring.

Passionate about empowering young people, Antonella promotes individuality and creativity while striving to make a lasting positive impact. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys keeping fit, running, and exploring theatre and film.

Jade is a qualified Child and Young Person Psychotherapist and brings a strong person-centred approach to her work. She believes that the therapeutic relationship itself is at the heart of healing, and places great importance on creating a space where individuals feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood.

While her sessions are not therapy, they offer a safe, supportive environment for individuals to explore their emotional wellbeing and mental health. Clear, explicit, and transparent boundaries underpin all work, ensuring safety and trust at every stage. She supports people in navigating a wide range of emotional challenges, including anxiety, anger, self-harm, and more, empowering them to better understand themselves and build healthier ways of coping.

Steve is a passionate youth practitioner and criminology graduate with over 30 years’ experience supporting young people facing complex social, emotional, and behavioural challenges. His work is deeply informed by lived experience, having grown up in North London and navigated many of the same barriers faced by the young people he now supports.

Steve has a BA in Criminology and has built an extensive career across education, youth justice, and community settings. He spent over a decade as a Behaviour Support Team Manager within a secondary school, alongside roles as a PSHE teacher and Governor of a Pupil Referral Unit.

Steve is experienced in designing and delivering targeted interventions for at-risk young people, as well as training professionals on gangs and exploitation.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution, Steve received the Jack Petchey Award for Outstanding Service to Young People in 2017. Alongside his professional practice, he is a qualified personal trainer and is passionate about promoting fitness, wellbeing, and positive routines. He regularly engages young people through practical activities such as cooking and physical training, using these as tools to develop confidence, self-discipline, and life skills.

Steve brings together lived experience, professional expertise, and genuine care in everything he does.

Amy is a compassionate and experienced Youth Intervention Specialist with over 10 years of experience supporting young people and young adults to navigate challenges and build brighter futures. She works closely with vulnerable and at-risk individuals, offering consistent, relationship-based support that helps young people feel heard, valued, and empowered.

Amy brings a broad background spanning Youth Offending service, YMCA services, and semi-independent and residential care settings. Throughout her career, she has provided tailored, trauma-informed interventions, one-to-one mentoring, and practical guidance to young people facing exploitation, instability, and complex life circumstances. Her approach is grounded in patience, empathy, and a deep understanding of the realities many young people experience.

Passionate about empowering young people, Amy is especially committed to working with those who are at risk of or affected by exploitation. She believes in supporting young people to recognise their strengths, develop confidence, and make positive choices at their own pace. Known for her warm, non-judgemental style, Amy builds trusting relationships that create space for meaningful and lasting change.

Above all, Amy is driven by a genuine belief that every young person deserves safety, opportunity, and the chance to thrive, and she is committed to walking alongside them as they work towards positive and sustainable futures.

Amy has a passion for travelling and outside of her core role supports other small businesses with social media content creation and engagement.

BSc (Hons) in Applied Psychology, MSc in Clinical Health Psychology, Graduate member of the British Psychological Society.

Prior experience in multiple countries includes working in psychiatric wards and therapy centres, where she has administered psychological assessments, mental state examinations, and other clinical functions. Following on from this Maham worked with individuals who were victims of crime and has also worked with neurodiverse individuals. Maham also brings quantitative and qualitative research skills, with research on topics such as HIV and return migration.

As an emotional wellbeing coach at YouTurn she delivers one to one wellbeing sessions to adults and vulnerable or at-risk youth.

Her work draws on evidence-based interventions inspired by therapeutic models such as cognitive behaviour therapy, acceptance and commitment and is tailored to each individual case alongside providing emotional support.

Outside her role Maham is keen on volunteering and undertaking charitable deployments with a strong passion for helping refugees and other individuals in war-stricken areas.

She is an avid reader, an amateur writer and enjoys spending time with her family.

Alison joined YouTurn in February 2016 from the Integrated Offender Management Team, Probation where she supported the team as a Case Administrator.

With over 25 years’ background in Business Support/Administration gained in the both the public and private sectors, Alison brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to YouTurn.

Alison works closely with Bedfordshire Police, Youth Partnership Service and Bedfordshire Youth Justice Service and other partner agencies, playing a key role in providing Business Support to the Multi-Agency Gang Panel, Serious Youth Violence Panel and Child Exploitation and Missing Group as well as providing Business Support to YouTurn Finance.

Alison is committed to continuing to support multi-agency partners in tackling and reducing serious youth violence, and child exploitation across Bedfordshire.

In her spare time Alison is an avid walker and enjoys reading and live music.