Consultants

Abd Al-Rahman Senior Consultant

Abd Al-Rahman has worked in the substance misuse and communities sector since 1991 starting in Newham, London. He has been trained in Counselling and Intercultural Therapy, studying this subject at Goldsmiths University of London and an accomplished trainer, particularly in the area’s of Diversity and Identity and difference.

While working as Equalities Officer/consultant at In-volve in 1998 Abd Al-Rahman played a key role in a consultancy project that was a springboard for the development and success of Nafas, an innovative Tower Hamlets based culturally specific treatment service. He also played a key role during the formative years of the RAW service as a Development Worker. Past roles include working for DrugScope as a QUADs (Quality in Alcohol and Drug Services) Consultant and various secondments to develop pilot services for specific communities.

While employed by The Federation from 2004, a national consultancy/training organisation, he pioneered Diversity focused work within 6 London Prisons as the Drugs and Diversity Advisor and has sought to assist the process of developing services that are more appropriate to diverse communities. He  currently sits on the The National Centre for Diversity’s National Quality Board and represents In-volve and The Federation at GLADA

Abd Al-Rahman is the lead consultant for the parenting aspect of In-volve’s work.

Example of previous written work:

Commissioned by Metropolitan Housing Partnership
It takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child - Viv Ahmun, Wen Ahmun, Abd Al Rahman, Patsy O’Hagan, Tracey Reynolds, Rob Wood (2008) Click here to download the document


Dr Teresa Pointing  Clinical Director

Teresa has championed access to healthcare and quality treatment for marginalised people in our communities, over 20 years, in the NHS: working in HIV clinics, as a GP for 12 years, and specialising in substance misuse since 1999.

As Lead GP for Bath and NE Somerset PCT, she set up services for substance users across GP surgeries and opened a new city centre clinic to provide treatment for homeless people and others with difficult access. A GP Specialist she became Clinical Director of the Community Drug and Alcohol Service, training GPs and other health professionals through postgraduate and CPD programmes, RCGP Certificate parts 1 and 2, and national workshops.

Teresa joined In-volve from the NHS in June 2007. She oversees clinical governance and leads on clinical service development for adults and young people, believing that services can and should respond more effectively to those in need through innovation and partnership.


Dinah Senior Senior Consultant

Dinah is a marketing communications professional who worked in the financial services industry for ten year. She is a trained psychotherapist and an experienced trainer in the communications field. Dinah manages strategic projects for In-volve in four different boroughs, successfully designing and delivering innovative services meeting the needs of socially excluded and highly creative young people. Dinah specialises in the delivery of training for professionals in the social care and criminal justice field, she has a unique style of delivery that is non-judgemental and challenging, drawing on her personal commitment to truth and integrity.


Sarah Graham Senior Consultant, Communications and Media
 
Sarah won the Guardian/NUS Broadcaster Award, whilst studying communications and anthropology at Goldsmiths’ College. Between 1992 and 2001, she worked  for BBC radio and TV, Channel 4 and MTV - as a successful TV director, producer and journalist.

Sarah's poly drug use and multiple addictions forced her to seek help in 2001 and  she was fortunate to be able to undergo eight months of residential treatment.

After a year as a post woman she retrained in addiction therapy with Priory Healthcare - at their world-renowned treatment facility, Farm Place in Surrey. She holds the Priory’s Professional Advanced Diploma in Addiction Therapy and is experienced in working with all chemical and behavioral addictions.

Sarah worked with teenagers, at In-volve’s Surrey Young People’s Service, before moving across to In-volve’s adult drug treatment service, in Surrey, where she helped set up and run a successful, holistic, stimulant drugs service.
 
As well as being a counsellor, Sarah is a NADA qualified auricular acupuncturist. Her specialist area of expertise is stimulant drugs and she sits on the ACPO Meth and Precursors Working Group.

Sarah is an “expert commentator” for  Frank (government drugs campaign) and appears regularly on TV and radio; and writes for national newspapers and magazines.

Part of In-volve’s Senior Consultancy team, she is using her unique knowledge and experience of both media, addictions and treatment modalities to help take the organisation to the next level.

Sarah hopes to raise In-volve’s profile, promote the holistic models In-volve pioneered and continues to develop and help the organisation to communicate successfully on all levels.


Pauline Haughian Senior Consultant Workforce Development
 
Pauline started her career as a Police Office in London in the 1980’s.  During that time, she trained with the Home Office to deliver national training programmes to Police Officers across England & Wales.
 
She has substantial experience as a Manager of Services, spanning Drug and Alcohol Residential Family Units, Training and Resettlement programmes for Young Offenders, Community drug services for Young People  and managing Supported Accommodation Units for homeless young people and adults; including a mother and baby unit for homeless teenage and pregnant young mothers- which was hailed as a model of good practice by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit in Suffolk.
 
Pauline joined In-volve in January 2006 as Service Manager for Surrey Young People’s Service, one of In-volve’s Tier 3 holistic treatment services for Young People under 19. Delivering and implementing a ‘whole family’ approach to drug treatment for young people.
 
Pauline took up her current post as Senior Consultant, Workforce Development with In-volve in January 2008. She has responsibility for all of our training delivery including our accredited training programmes with City & Guilds, Open College Network and National College of Further Education.


Ania Chester Consultant
 
Upon completing her Masters in Psychodrama at the Lodz National Film School, Ania moved to the UK.  She began her career at Release where she specialised in legal advice regarding drug use.

She moved onto City Roads Crisis Intervention Centre where she worked for a number of years helping people combat addiction in a residential setting.  Before studying at the LSE for a diploma in Social Work, which also encompassed training as a probation officer, Ania briefly worked for In-volve.  She was responsible for setting up the groundbreaking Vital daycare programme, the UK’s first day care programme for stimulant users.

Following the diploma’s completion, Ania joined In-volve as a permanent staff member with the Newham Community Drugs Team and created the Stimulant Team within the NCDT.  The Stimulant Team delivered specialist services for users catering to their specific needs.

She then joined the consultancy arm of In-volve where she has been delivering training and using her knowledge and expertise to develop and write tenders.


Darren Heslin  National Training Officer

Darren Heslin coordinates and develops In-training, In-volve’s  training delivery programme, both internal and external; across the whole organisation.  He plays an active role, as part of the consultancy team, in developing and marketing all   In-volve’s services.

He  has been with In-volve for six years and prior to becoming In-volve's NTO, he held the role of Training and Activities Officer for HYPE@In-volve,  with responsibility for the planning and delivery of the projects training programmes- including those programmes accredited via the Open College Network.

In September 2002 Darren  graduated from Reading University with a BA(Hons) in Community and Youth Studies.

Outside of his professional life, his interests are many and varied: he’s a keen motorcyclist , enjoys video-gaming, music (particularly  electronica) and has “a growing interest” in classic literature (particularly French), He enjoys political journalism (Noam Chomsky) and science fiction. Also a keen movie buff. As if that wasn’t enough- he’s qualified as a PADI (Professional Association Of Diving Instructors) Open Water Scuba Diver.


Harninder Athwal Consultant

Harninder is the Communications Officer for The Federation and a Consultant with In-volve.

She has worked in the Criminal Justice Sector for the last 6 years, initially with adult offenders, however, she now specialises in Youth Justice. She has a particularly keen focus on equality for young people within the Criminal Justice System.

Harninder is a qualified Probation Officer and her qualifications include a degree in Law (LLB), BA in Community Justice, Diploma in Probation Studies, a Professional Certificate in Effective Practice in Working with Young People and an accredited Certificate in Management Studies (CMI).

Harninder is an accredited facilitator in the Strengthening Families Parenting programme, in facilitating Restorative Justice and delivering offending behaviour programmes.

More recently, Harninder was a founder of Young Women Now- a campaign that serves to advocate on behalf of young women, on issues of concern affecting them, in order to influence positive changes in Government policy.


Tammi Gillett Network Consultant

Tammi Graduated in 1999- from Goldsmith’s College,  University of London- with a degree in Youth and Community work.

She became a full time youth worker for Greenwich Children and Young  People Service and  set up a number of initiatives and events for young people, aged 10-25. Including  specialist projects which successfully engaged those young people , that other services  found “hard to reach”.

Tammi  moved on to work for Peabody Trust to set up projects in Hackney , as a part of the UK government’s  criminal Justice strategy: to tackle anti social behavior amongst young people living in deprived neighborhoods. She set up the first  youth club for young people , living in and around  the Lower Clapton triangle. Building on this success she went on to new developments  of targeted smaller projects and helped facilitate the birth of the Clapton Triangle Youth Forum.

In 2003 Tammi was appointed by  In-volve,  as an  RAW ID worker and became a network consultant for In-volve in 2005.

Tammi was proud to receive the Network Consultant Award, at the  In-volve AGM in 2006; for  her dedication and  achievements.

In 2007 she helped launch a new young women's campaign, Young Women Now-  in partnership with the Federation- to raise awareness and create change for  vulnerable young women.

This year she’s in charge of making YWN’s focus on young women’s career development a resounding success and ensuring that Young Women have a powerful voice at London’s City Hall.


Whitney Iles RAW Music Executive

Whitney passed the Complete Drugs Course in 2004 at TYAP, then went on to complete City & Guild’s Health & Social Care: Children and Young People Level 3. She is now studying two degrees with the Open University in Psychology & Criminology and Law.
Whitney started working as a volunteer for In-volve at 16 and was hired as a Junior Youth Inclusion Project Worker shortly after her 17th Birthday. At 17 she also Chaired Bexley’s Youth Council and was a member of Youth Parliament.

Whitney joined Bexley’s Youth Service in 2005 and worked as a Support Youth Worker for just over a year before she came back to In-volve, this time as an Activities Key Worker for Create, where she began working with young people around their substance misuse.

Whitney received the Outstanding Project Worker of the Year Award at the In-volve AGM in 2005, for her enthusiasm, hard work and dedication.

Whitney still works at Create and is also the Project Coordinator for DNA Mix – Young Fathers Project, as well as working with The Young Women Now Campaign, RAW music UK, Gun, Gangs & Weapons Practitioners Forum and helps to run a magazine outside of work.