Meet the team behind the annual online SaFest
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Meeting the SaFest team
Meet Nick!
Nick Meller is the founder and creative drive behind SaFest. He leads the organising group. Nick started SaFest in 2020 with the ambition to create a virtual, free, and accessible safeguarding “festival” for professionals
that work in roles which support children and young people across Devon. SaFest provides valuable access to a range of keynote speeches, workshops, and networking opportunities. Nick is passionate about providing professional development across sectors and SaFest is a win-win for professionals and the children and young people they support.
Nick has been a Social Worker and manager for over 25 years. He has worked with young people and children in a variety of practitioner and management roles in both statutory and third sector organisations. Nick’s specialist area of interest is missing young people, exploitation, and contextual safeguarding. He is passionate about supporting and safeguarding young people, many of whom are our most vulnerable and are often marginalised by society. Nick now manages the Links Team – Devon Children’s Services Specialist Missing and Exploitation Team.
Meet Tina!
Tina Ley joined the SaFest Organisation Planning Group in 2021 and feels proud to be part of an event that has proved to be immensely supportive and beneficial. “SaFest is a valuable opportunity to allow ourselves the opportunity to take some time out to listen and reflect on inspirational presentations on a wide range of safeguarding subjects that can only be of benefit to the children, young people and families we all work alongside and helps us to establish positive relationships with our colleagues”. Tina has worked within DCC Children’s Services for over 25 years in a variety of practitioner and management roles within Youth Justice and Early intervention. Tina has also held roles within Devon’s Family Group Conference Team and currently manages the Turnaround and Behaviour Change Team within Devon’s Youth Justice Team. Tina’s specialist area of interest is in developing healthy relationships and the prevention of Harmful Sexual Behaviour. Tina is passionate about supporting young people to both understand and navigate their life story thus far and empower them to believe they can reach their aspirations whatever they may be. Also helping them and their parents/carers to understand more about the importance of good effective communication within all relationships.
Meet Jackie!
Jackie Colby first collaborated with Nick to help bring the first SaFest to practitioners across the Southwest after working hard and at pace to develop the very first virtual on-line courses and workshop to be delivered by the Devon Children & Families Partnership (DCFP) during Covid when face to face training was not a consideration. Keen to be able to continue to provide high quality learning and development opportunities during this time to Devon County Council staff and our multi-agency partners, Jackie helped co-ordinate and
fine tune the technical side of the weeklong webinar for the presenters and speakers as well as organising the bookings, invites and marketing. Fine tuning of the co-ordination in 2021, meant that over 4,000 people expressed an interest in accessing the recordings and resources with almost 1300 practitioner attending over the course of the week. With a military background of over 15 years in RAF logistics – as a regular and now reservist – Jackie has also worked for 26 years for various statutory and voluntary organisations as an Early Years practitioner and manager, adviser, consultant, and safeguarding lead. For the last 4 years, this has included her role as Safeguarding Workforce Lead for the DCFP and more recently a Practice Development Adviser and Restorative Practice Adviser for the Devon Children's Social Care Academy. Jackie is committed to providing top quality, low cost. continual professional development opportunities for staff and volunteers who work with children, young people and families across Devon which not only help improve their practice but also have a positive impact on the vulnerable children and families they support by enabling practitioners to develop their skills, confidence and knowledge. Jackie has also been a multi-agency trainer and facilitator for over 10 years and so understands the importance of being able to access relevant, interactive, and engaging learning options which are inclusive to all. This is one of the reasons why SaFest is not just for practitioners in Devon but is also open to anyone working with children and young people in the Southwest from Somerset to Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and Channel Islands.