Speakers:

Dr Mariya Ali, Director, SACPA

Mariya Ali is Director of SACPA and an internationally recognised safeguarding and child protection expert. With over two decades’ multidisciplinary experience in legal, academic, advisory, and leadership roles, she is strongly committed to advancing child rights and welfare. Formerly Deputy Minister in the Maldives, she led national reforms in child protection policy and legislation. Internationally, she has worked with UNICEF, Save the Children, and Lumos Foundation on child sexual abuse, exploitation, and systems reform across South Asia and beyond. An academic and practitioner, Mariya has published widely and specialises in trauma-informed, survivor-centred, and systems-based safeguarding approaches.

Dr Craig McCann

Craig is a specialist adviser and researcher on the Counter Terrorism Prevent Strategy and associated Channel programme. As a former senior CT police officer having served within the Metropolitan Police Service and the National CT Headquarters, he has extensive experience of the delivery of Prevent across the UK. He has also led the international delivery of research, project delivery and capacity building across a range of operational contexts including the Western Balkans, East Africa and Asia. He is a published author and has a PhD in comparative politics exploring how the Prevent Strategy is applied to right-wing extremism. He currently works as the Investigator within the Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner. 

Fiona Scolding KC

Fiona has practised in the field of public law with an emphasis upon work concerning children and vulnerable adults for 28 years.  She is ranked as a leading education and court of protection barrister in the legal directories.  She has been involved in many cases concerning safeguarding in settings involving children and adults and has led investigations into abuses of power in educational,  health and charitable settings.

Damian Cranny, Fraud Protection Officer, Dorset Police

Damian is a Fraud Protection Officer with Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit and certified NLP Practitioner. He combines traditional policing with psychological insights to combat fraud through innovative education. His 24-lesson secondary school program explores fraud psychology, while his romance fraud awareness campaign achieved a 323% increase in victim reporting within two weeks. Damian develops presentations that merge real-world police experience with NLP techniques, helping educators understand criminal manipulation tactics. At conferences, he focuses on protecting students from fraud targeting and building resilience against social engineering attacks through comprehensive safeguarding approaches.

Karl Hopwood, SACPA Chair

Karl Hopwood is an independent online safety expert and member of the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS), where he sits on several working groups. He serves on the advisory board of the UK Safer Internet Centre and the Roblox Trust and Safety board, and has advised TikTok on harmful challenges. Karl works closely with Internet Matters, Ofcom, and schools across Europe to promote digital literacy and safer online behaviours. A former headteacher, he has consulted for INSAFE for 19 years, coordinating helplines and awareness centres. He currently chairs Childnet International and SACPA, and previously chaired the Marie Collins Foundation.

Christine Kane, Deputy Head (Safeguarding), Marlborough College and Council Member, The Football Association

Christine serves as Senior Non-Executive Director at the Oxfordshire FA and sits on the boards of Nottingham Forest Community Trust and Everyone’s Invited.  With previous roles at SSAFA, the UK Ministry of Defence, and Aston Villa Football Club.

Dale Wilkins, Executive Director, Scotland/Wales and Accredited/Compliance

Dale joined the BSA in 2017 to lead safeguarding, inspection, and compliance across the UK, building on his experience as a course tutor since 1998. He works closely with ISI, Ofsted, and DfE, and oversees the Group’s work in Scotland and Wales. A trainer and consultant for BSA and SACPA, Dale is Vice Chair of SAFCAB. Previously, he was a boarding practitioner for 31 years, including Housemaster and Deputy Head at Old Swinford Hospital. He also trains for the Methodist Church, is a trustee of the National Youth String Orchestra, chairs a performing arts charity, and volunteers in sport and Scouting.

Liz Sale, Head of Safeguarding, Rugby School

Liz has 25 years of teaching experience, where she has worked in a range of settings in the UK and in Australia.  Liz has twice been a Head of Science, but for most of her career has been heavily involved in pastoral care.  Liz has worked for the past 13 years at Rugby School, where she was a boarding Housemistress for ten years and now serves on the senior management team as the Head of Safeguarding.  Liz is currently studying for an MSc in Advanced Child Protection at the University of Birmingham.

Rachel Whitton, Deputy Head Pastoral, DSL, St Teresa’s School

A Fellow of the Institute of Boarding, Rachel Whitton has over twenty years’ experience working in boarding schools. She has served as Deputy Head (Pastoral) in two schools and as Designated Safeguarding Lead in three, working across a range of boroughs. Rachel is proud to be the Vice Chair of the GSA Pastoral and Safeguarding Committee and a Safeguarding Governor at a primary school, reflecting a long-standing commitment to the wellbeing and safety of young people.

Alice Vicary-Stott, Director of Safeguarding, DSL, Senior Mental Health Lead, Eton College

Alice leads all safeguarding and child protection matters at the school, working closely with six Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, including the Lower Master, Deputy Head (Pastoral), Directors of Boarding and Welfare, Deputy Director of Music, and the Safeguarding Co-ordinator. She holds a degree in Social Work and has extensive experience across Children’s Social Care. Before joining Eton, Alice served as the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for Kingston, Richmond, Windsor and Maidenhead, overseeing child protection services and collaborating with schools, police, health, and other agencies. She also chaired the National LADO Network, supporting best practice in safeguarding nationwide.

Toby Watson

Toby specialises in addiction recovery and recovery coaching. His own lived experience provides him with insight into the struggles of the young people he works with, and he believes that he can learn something from each client.

In 2021, he co-founded Hatch Wellness at the age of 18, an organisation that helps schools improve the education and support available for students around addiction and recovery. The goal is to create easily-accessible pathways to recovery by having young people share their own stories.

When he’s not working, Toby writes and performs music – a creative outlet that has been invaluable to him during his own recovery journey. He hopes that the people he works with will be able to rediscover themselves and their passions in the same way that he has.