SafeLives' practice team

The practice team in SafeLives bring together a wealth of domestic abuse and multi-agency experience including housing, health, social care, safeguarding and youth work. We use our knowledge, experience, and research capabilities to support and advise areas in developing a whole family, systems wide approach in preventing and responding to domestic abuse. Key to the success of our work is embedding the voice of survivors and taking an evidenced based approach. We build what we do in areas by understanding in depth what is happening, through both qualitative and quantitative data; identifying opportunities and strengths; then co-creating with key stakeholders’ solutions which are based on what works.

Pauline Deakin, Head of Practice

Paul has been working in the field for almost 2 decades. She joined SafeLives in 2008 as a Trainer and assessor for Idva and Marac. She worked as a Marac Quality Assurance Assessor before Managing the Marac Development Programme. For the past 5 years Paul has been the lead for SafeLives’ Beacon Sites, piloting and implementing Whole Family Integrated Services. Prior to working for SafeLives, Paul was an Idva based in a hospital (primarily covering A&E and Maternity departments) and has frontline knowledge and experience of supporting domestic abuse victims and working with multi agency partners.

Nikki Kelly, Head of Practice

A Director and experienced Practitioner working within the public, private and voluntary sector across the UK and internationally for over 25 years. Nikki passionately believes in the whole picture strategy and transforming the multi-agency response to domestic abuse.  Within a changing national landscape Nikki has worked within emerging integrated care systems, system leadership and development, organisation performance and governance, and developing approaches for citizen engagement.

Melonie Senior, Senior Practice Consultant 

Melonie will provide operational oversight of the project. She has worked in the voluntary and statutory sector for over 25 years in a number of roles with children, young people and families. Melonie has significant experience of safeguarding vulnerable adults and children, and risk management in family contexts. Most recently she worked for Respect, piloting a systems change approach in South Wales. This involved having operational oversight within a large PCC area, whilst developing an early intervention perpetrator programme and training package for non-statutory professionals. 

Melonie has worked with Barnardo’s and Action for Children as a Service Manager as well as within local authorities. Melonie has led on the development of an integrated domestic abuse service that supported survivors, children and perpetrators of domestic abuse. She has experience of quality assurance and all things relating to practice management. Melonie has also managed a CSE, Young Carers and Family Support service and has experience of multi-disciplinary teams working systemically with families. 

Chris Hobbs, Practice Consultant 

Chris is steeped in Whole Family Practice as a way of working. He has worked with young people and families for 20 years across a range of settings including Children’s Social Care, Youth Offending teams, Prison’s and Young Offenders Institutes, Children’s Homes and Youth, Family and Community Centres. Chris has embedded the underpinning values of Trauma Informed Approaches into his practice, and has a background in supporting families with domestic abuse, gang crime, criminal and sexual exploitation, substance misuse, mental health, and dual diagnosis, as well as facilitating training in these areas of expertise, alongside his practice. Chris’ most recent work centred around a DFE funded pilot reducing the number of young people becoming LAC in Liverpool, using a combination of Social Pedagogical responses and Trauma Informed Practice, working with domestic abuse, gun and gang crime, exploited and missing children as priority families. Chris also worked alongside Interface Enterprises facilitating training on a yearlong DFE funded culture change within Cheshire LA to embed Trauma Informed Practice and Motivational Interviewing strategies in their response to local practice across all partnerships.  

Dan Ryan, Practice Consultant 

Dan has worked in the social care sector for almost 20 years. He is the operational Lead for SafeLives’ Beacon Sites. This involves implementing Whole Family Integrated Services into local authorities as well as advising on strategies and local domestic abuse responses and supporting areas to develop their governance and authentic voice offers.   

Prior to working for SafeLives, Dan managed Young People’s Domestic Abuse Services, Family Intervention Projects and has been the CEO of a local charity working with vulnerable families.  

Lauren Fleckney, Practice Consultant 

Lauren has 12 years’ experience working within the housing sector. During this time Lauren was a front-line housing officer specialising in Adult and Child Safeguarding, Community Safety and Domestic Abuse and is experienced in working in partnership with a wide range of agencies.  

Lauren has been a Designated Safeguarding Lead and worked on a number or projects including the development of a new anti-social behaviour system and creating of policies and procedures for Domestic Abuse.  

Lauren was also the lead for a Complex Cases pilot developing new ways of working with the most high-risk customers.   
Lauren is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.  

Lucy Giles, Practice Consultant 

Lucy has worked for SafeLives since 2010 as part of the team delivering the Marac implementation programme, later becoming Marac development officer for the South West and Wales. Her work also includes delivering bespoke work such as developing work around older people and domestic abuse, consultancy work and training. She is currently Programme Lead for Wales for SafeLives and lead for Marac. Before joining SafeLives Lucy set up and managed/directed substance misuse organisations and complex needs services. Lucy brings over 30 years of experience in the social welfare sector, primarily in mental health, homelessness/housing, substance misuse, complex needs and domestic abuse and was previously Chair of the board of trustees for Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Services (SARSAS). Lucy was part of the implementation and set up of this service which was the largest SV service in the West. Lucy also has a MA in ethics of Social welfare.  

Rhiannon Griffiths, Practice Consultant

Rhiannon has worked in the voluntary and statutory sector for over 15 years, primarily in the violence against women and girls, and children and young people sectors. She has worked directly with front-line domestic abuse support services, and as strategic lead for domestic and sexual violence within a local authority. Rhiannon has extensive commissioning and procurement experience, has managed large-scale change and improvement projects, and has experience of supporting local systems to improve integrated working and embed evidence into practice. Rhiannon has also volunteered on a rape and sexual abuse helpline and was a trustee for her local Law Centre for 5 years.