Who we are

Linda has worked in local government for some 40 years , qualifying as a social worker (CQSW / MA applied social studies ) at Warwick University in 1981.

Following being a practitioner and manager spanning Children’s and adults services she held statutory Strategic / Corporate Director roles in the West Midlands & London , across Children’s, Adults , Housing and various community services for close to fifteen years.
Her most recent post (Jan 2015 to August 2017 )was Strategic Director People for the City of Wolverhampton where the service achieved a Good Ofsted Children’s Services inspection outcome in early 2017 as well as MJ Council of the year & Senior Leadership team of the year.
Her portfolio now involves chairing a safeguarding children’s and adults board and 2 Non Exec Director roles.

She is passionate about the role of high quality social work to help change lives and is looking forward to contributing to the future success of The Sandwell Children’s Trust in transforming & improving the lives of children and families .

Stephen has been Director of Impact & Learning at Barnardo's since August 2016, with responsibility for key components of our 10 year strategy, including Diversity, Learning and ensuring strategic impact in tackling our biggest priorities: Child Sexual Abuse, Children In and Leaving Care, and Mental Health and WellBeing.

Before then, Stephen had a number of roles in Whitehall - culminating as Director General for Crime & Policing at the Home Office for 5 years until 2013 - but always got more satisfaction from leadership roles closer to the "real world": as the Governor of Gartree and Wandsworth prisons; on the executive Board of the Metropolitan Police; and in working across the West Midlands local authorities, police and partner agencies to bring focus and coherence to their work in Preventing Violence against Vulnerable People. Helping to make a real difference to vulnerable children and communities - and making life as difficult as possible for those who seek to do them harm - is what really fires him up.

Stephen was awarded a CB in 2013 and has been a Non-Executive Director of Sandwell Children’s Trust since 2017.

Jane is a Chartered Accountant with more than 30 years’ experience advising charities, pension schemes and corporate clients. She was a partner at Baker Tilly (now RSM) for 20 years where she held various roles including Head of Audit and Regional Managing Partner for the Midlands and Central regions. She sat on the firm’s National Management Team and main board where she had responsibility for quality, diversity, and partner development. She also chaired the Baker Tilly Group Ethics Panel.

Jane is now a consultant advising a range of businesses and social enterprises on strategy, change management and governance. She was the interim COO and FD at Dartington Hall Trust, a multi-faceted charity incorporating Research in Practice, supporting evidence-informed practice with children and families, young people, and adults.

She is a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee at Bletchley Park, home of the codebreakers during WWII, and sits on the Advisory Board of Altruist Enterprises, a social enterprise providing training to help organisations tackle stress within workplaces and raise awareness of mental health issues.

Councillor Randhawa has experience of working in primary schools supporting vulnerable families with issues around homes, social welfare and emergency provision. Councillor Randhawa became a Fostering Panel member to ensure that all children in Sandwell have the right to be loved and to live with a caring family to help them to achieve their full potential regardless of their background. Councillor Randhawa is passionate about diversity and social deprivation and how it can limit life chances. She is a good listener, mediator, problem solver, networker and a community activist who makes a difference. Having lived in Sandwell for nearly 30 years Councillor Randhawa has been involved in voluntary work with several local charities which have a key focus to improve lives through encouraging communities to have greater aspirations and better themselves.

Nigel is the Assistant Director for Housing Management at Sandwell Council, he has nearly 30 years-experience of leading service development and transformation within Local Authorities and Housing Associations.

Nigel is passionate about providing communities with opportunities to thrive and ensuring the most vulnerable citizens are safeguarded and risk of harm mitigated at times of need.

Nigel has a strong background of working as part of Community Safety and other Partnerships and has also driven effective and pro-active collaboration between the Childrens Trust and Sandwell Housing Services adding value to our Corporate Parent offer and maximising housing options for young people in Sandwell.

Emma Taylor is an experienced leader with a proven track record of delivering good and outstanding Children’s Services. As a qualified social worker and natural collaborator with a relentless focus on improving outcomes, Emma has nurtured meaningful partnerships on a local, regional and national level.

Emma has managed a range of services across a number of different local authorities and brings this extensive experience to Sandwell.

Steven has a wide range of social work and management experience within local authorities and the voluntary sector.

Steven has previously worked for Ofsted as Her Majesty’s Social Care Inspector, since leaving Ofsted Steven has utilised this experience and worked with several local authorities leading on performance management initiatives driving organisational development, service improvement and change.

Previously Steven has been responsible for children and family social work teams in senior positions and has also worked for a national children’s charity. His experience includes child-protection and safeguarding, intervention and prevention and looked after children.

This is a pivotal time for Sandwell, I’m looking forward to working together to improve services and deliver good outcomes for children and young people.

With over 20 years’ experience of delivering change in the public and voluntary sector, Tara is an innovative and dynamic leader. Passionate about making a difference, she has led high performing teams across a range of disciplines.

As Director of Resources, Tara is committed to improving the lives of children and young people in Sandwell. Through effective collaboration and partnership, Tara will build an environment where the child comes first and excellent social work can flourish.

As Director of Practice, Quality & Partnerships Teo will bring the experience and insight she gained as she supported two previous Local Authority Children’s Services through their improvement journey. Teo is committed to the outcomes of all children and young people, and as a qualified social worker is a great believer in supporting our most vulnerable through high quality social work. Teo is a passionate advocate for the child, promoting participation at every opportunity and encouraging the co-design of the services which will impact their lives.