The LRG is supported by Leeds Involving People (leedsinvolvingpeople.org.uk)
“The reference group allows you to explore better ways to progress forward with CSA concerns/outcomes that impact daily life”.
“The Visible Reference Group is about improving the outcomes for people with CSA. How can you improve the outcomes if you don’t know what the difficulties are? We need to explore the difficulties and the realities in a safe place.”
“In making sexual violence culturally ‘Visible’ we open up the possibilities for individual and systems growth beyond the injuries such crimes inflict on both survivors and our society”.
Visible’s Strategic Steering Group (SSG) oversees – and provides directional guidance to – our pioneering partnership. The group meets every two months and supports effective joint working at a strategic level between different agencies.
The SSG is made up of senior staff from key stakeholder sectors and organisations, Leeds Involving People’s Involvement Coordinator, and representatives from the Leadership Reference Group. Decision-making lies with this group, which is chaired by the Commissioning Programme Leader at Leeds City Council, Sinéad Cregan.
Decision-making lies with this group, which is chaired by Michelle Van Toop, Associate Director of Partnership Relationship Management at the Leeds Office of the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
Senior leaders within the group represent the following directorates and organisations:
- NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group
- Leeds City Council
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust
- Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner West Yorkshire
- Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust
- Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
- PSI Volition/ part of Forum Central
- Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service
- Basis
- Forward Leeds
- Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service
- Leeds Involving People
- SARSVL
- Survivors West Yorkshire
The Visible Director is employed to drive the Visible agenda forward. Through networking, influencing and empowering others, the Director offers strategic oversight and planning in Leeds – anything required to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Funded through the Leeds Office of the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, the creation of this post demonstrates a commitment in Leeds to addressing social injustice. Building on the fantastic work done in the early years of the Visible Project, the Director is able to bring together various trauma-informed initiatives in the city; influence policy-makers; offer strategic leadership; and work towards ‘changing the narrative’ around childhood sexual abuse – raising awareness of its prevalence, nature and impact; empowering survivors; and making things much more VISIBLE.
Contact theVisible Director via email on richardbarber@visibleproject.org.uk
‘It’s an honour and a privilege to lead this work. Adults who’ve experienced childhood sexual abuse have been marginalised, ignored and left unsupported for far too long. It’s time for some meaningful change’