Steering Committee Membership

• Chair – Professor David Bamford, University of Ulster
  David Bamford is Professor of Social Work at the University of Ulster.  He is also Head of the School of Sociology and Applied Social Studies, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Transylvania in Brasov, Romania.  He is Chair of the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health (NIAMH) and also of Cruse Bereavement Care, Belfast.
  
  
• Deputy Chair - Professor Roy McClelland, Queen’s University, Belfast
  Roy McClelland is Professor of Mental Health and Assistant Head of the School of Medicine at Queen’s University, Belfast.  He is a Consultant Psychiatrist, who is currently Chairman of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Informatics Committee.
  
  
• Martha McClelland, Mind Yourself
  Mind Yourself is a voluntary organisation based in Londonderry, which is managed and staffed by users of mental health services.  Its main focus is to train and provide advocates, but it also provides a confidential and independent information service.  While operating largely in the North West, the organisation’s work is region-wide.
  
  Martha McClelland is the Chief Executive.
  
  
• Martin Daly, LAMP
  LAMP is an independent, user-led voluntary organisation.  It was established a few years ago with the support of the North West Belfast HSS Trust, in whose area the organisation primarily operates.  The group’s role is to provide input to the planning and delivery of mental health services in North and West Belfast, but it also provides advocacy and listening ear services for those with a mental health problem.  As a member of the Irish Advocacy Network, LAMP is able to handle enquiries from throughout N Ireland.
  
  Martin Daly is LAMP’s Co-ordinator.
  
  
• Marie Crossin, CAUSE
  CAUSE (Carers and Users Support Enterprise) is a voluntary organisation, which operates throughout N Ireland, providing support for the carers and families of people suffering from a serious mental illness.  This support includes a Helpline, support groups, carers’ advocacy and training courses for volunteers, all of whom have experience of mental illness.
  
  Marie Crossin is the Chief Officer.
  
  
• Winston McCartney, N Ireland Association for Mental Health (NIAMH)
  Winston McCartney has broad experience of mental health services, is well known locally and has contacts with the Chairs of the mental health reviews conducted in England and Scotland.  He is also Secretary to the All Party Assembly Group on Mental Health.
  
  
• Reverend Trevor Williams
  Until recently Director of Corrymeela, Trevor Williams is a Minister in North Belfast.
  
  
• Dr David Cameron, Threshold
  Threshold, one of the foremost voluntary organisations in the mental health field in N Ireland, promotes the benefits of a therapeutic community approach in enabling people recovering from mental illness to live full and independent lives.  The organisation stresses the benefits of training, and has introduced in partnership with the School of Psychology at Queen’s University, Belfast, a postgraduate course in psychotherapy.
  
  
• Dr Paschal McKeown, MENCAP
  MENCAP aims to promote, in partnership with those concerned, the well-being of people with a learning disability, and to support their families.  MENCAP also provides a range of services for people with a learning disability.
  
  Dr McKeown is the Policy and Information Manager of the organisation, and is also currently Chair of LEAD (the N Ireland Coalition on Learning Disability) an umbrella organisation of learning disability groups, which, in conjunction with the Department, conducted a pilot consultation exercise in 2001 to develop best practice on how to consult with people with a learning disability.
  
  
• Dr Fred Browne, Chair, NI Section, Royal College of Psychiatrists
  Dr Browne is a Consultant in Forensic Psychiatry at Knockbracken Healthcare Park and in the N Ireland prisons.  He has been heavily involved in the development of a range of mental health services and in the use of mental health legislation.  He is currently Chair of the N Ireland Section of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
  
  
• Dr Oliver Shanks
  Dr Shanks is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Learning Disability who recently retired from North and West Belfast HSS Trust.  He is a Mental Health Commissioner and a Life Sentence Review Commissioner.  He has an interest in the relationship between the criminal justice system and people with a learning disability.  He is involved with the voluntary sector, and has a good knowledge of services for children and adults.  He also has extensive experience of mental health legislation.
  
  
• Eileen Sherrard, Down Lisburn HSS Trust
  Mrs Sherrard, Head of Psychology Services in the Trust, brings a learning disability and psychology perspective to the Committee.  Her specialist area of clinical expertise is in diagnosis and intervention for people with autistic spectrum disorders, and she conducts extensive training in this area.  A founder member of PAPA (Parents and Professionals and Autism), she is also a member of the Mental Health Commission, and has presented papers on behalf of the Special Advisory Committee for Psychology to the DHSSPS on the development of services for autism and on services for people with a learning disability who have severely challenging behaviour.
  
  
• Maureen Dodd, EHSS Board
  Maureen Dodd is Assistant Director of Nursing in the Eastern Board, with a particular responsibility for mental health and learning disability.  She has had wide and varied experience working at strategic and professional levels regionally and nationally, and is highly respected on a multi-professional basis.
  
  
• Mary O’Boyle, Holywell Hospital
  Mary O’ Boyle is an Assistant Director at Holywell, with responsibility for all social work input to the care of patients.  She is currently involved in setting up an assertive outreach and crisis response programme, and she continues with some out-of-hours social work as an Approved Social Worker.  She is Vice-Chair of the Mental Health Commission.
  
  
• Patrick Convery, Gransha Hospital
  Patrick Convery is the Occupational Therapy Manager at Gransha.
  
  
• Leslie Frew, DHSSPS
  Leslie Frew is Director of the Child and Community Care Directorate in DHSSPS.
  
  
• Professor Tony McGleenan, University of Ulster
  Tony McGleenan has recently taken up the Chair of Law at the University of Ulster, having previously been a senior lecturer in Law at Queen’s University, Belfast.  He is a practising Barrister and a member of the Bar in the Republic of Ireland.  With a special interest in legal and ethical issues, he is President of the N Ireland Forum for Healthcare Ethics and Law, a multi-disciplinary group which examines legal and ethical issues in health care.  He was appointed to the Relatives Reference Group of the Human Organs Enquiry in 2001, and sits on the Clinical Ethics Committee of the Royal Group of Hospitals.
  
  
• Brendan Mullen, Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust
  Brendan Mullen is Director of Mental Health and Learning Disability at the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust, with particular responsibility for the North Down and Ards area.  He has wide experience of hospital and community mental health management, with a sound track record of delivering service innovations, including working closely with users.  He is a member of the Mental Health Commission.
  
  
• Professor Alan Ferguson, Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health, (NIAMH)
  In addition to his voluntary sector experience as Chief Executive of NIAMH, Alan Ferguson brings an historical perspective to the Committee, from his membership of the Review which led to the Mental Health (N I) Order 1986.
  
  
• Brian Dornan, SHSS Board
  Brian Dornan is the Director of Social Services at the Southern Board.
  
  
• Mark Timoney, SHSS Board
  Mark Timoney is the Director of Pharmaceutical Services in the Southern Board.  He was previously the Pharmacy Manager at the Mater Hospital, where his responsibilities included medicines management for patients with mental health problems.  He is currently devising a medicines management scheme with Psychiatrists and Community Psychiatric Nurses, which he intends to deliver through Community Pharmacists in the Board’s area.
  
  
• Dr John Owens, Cavan/Monaghan Community Mental Health Project
  Dr Owens, Director of the Cavan/Monaghan Community Mental Health Project, is also Chair of the new Mental Health Commission in the Republic of Ireland.
  
  
• Professor Geoff Shepherd, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
  A Clinical Psychologist, Geoff Shepherd is Director of Partnership and Development in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Partnership.  He was previously involved in developing the National Service Framework.
  
  
• Mr Colin Beck, City of Edinburgh Council
  Colin Beck is a Senior Manager for community care services in the Social Work Department of the Council, where most of his work is in the area of mental health planning and service delivery, including for adults, older people and people with a learning disability.
  
  
• Ms Joanne McDonald, User
  Joanne McDonald has a learning disability.  She is a member of the Buzz Advocacy Group.  Ms McDonald was one of the main speakers at the Fair Chance events in Omagh and at the launch of the report of the consultation.
  
  
• Dr John Hunter, Department of Education
  John Hunter is a Managing Inspector with the Department of Education, responsible for policy and development of special education and alternative education provision.  He also holds specialist lead responsibility for a range of areas including that of autism, emotional and behavioural difficulties.  He is also a Departmental representative on the Regional Strategy Group on Special Education.
  
  
• Master Brian Hall, Master of Care and Protection
  Brian Hall is a Master in the Family Division of the High Court with responsibility for patients’ cases administered under the provisions of Part VIII of the Mental Health Order 1986 and for the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney.  He also deals with children’s’ cases in Wardship and under the Children (NI) Order, the Adoption (NI) Order and the Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985.  Before his present appointment in 1986, Master Hall had acted as Official Solicitor to the Supreme Court.  He is currently studying the improvements produced by new casework practices introduced in the Public Guardianship Office in London, the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland (at Falkirk) and in the Wards of Court Office in Dublin.
  
  
• Ms Siobhan Bogues
  Siobhan Bogues runs an independent organisation, the Care Sector Consultancy, which offers a range of research, training, strategic planning and consultancy services to social care organisations throughout Northern Ireland.  In 1998 she was appointed Northern Ireland Manager (part-time) of ARC, an umbrella organisation that aims to support, promote and develop high quality services for people with learning disabilities.  ARC currently runs training courses for staff throughout Northern Ireland and provides opportunities for people from all sectors to work together on issues of shared concern.
  
  
• Detective Chief Inspector David Wallace, PSNI
  
  
• Nevin Ringland, PRAXIS
  Nevin Ringland is Chief Executive of Praxis Care Group in Northern Ireland, a charity which supports people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, brain injury and older people with and without dementia.  The group employs around 500 staff and delivers care in Northern Ireland, England and Isle of Man.
  
  
• Moira Davren, Royal College of Nursing
  Moira Davren currently works as a Practice Development Fellow in the area of mental health with the Royal College of Nursing.  This has involved many development projects concerning nurse leadership and practice development, which span both to death mental health and illness care issues.  Prior to this, Moria Davren has been involved in the practice area of child and adolescent health for 15 years in both community and residential settings.  She also helped to develop a nursing service within child and adolescent mental health in the Southern Board area.
  
  
• Dr Diana Patterson, Shaftesbury Square Hospital
  Diana Patterson is a consultant Psychiatrist addiction based at Shaftesbury Square Hospital.  She chaired the Northern Ireland Committee on Drug Misuse from 1991 until 2002 and is current chair of the Treatment Working Group of the Drug and Alcohol Strategy team.
  
  
• Marian Nicholas, Carer Representative
  Marian Nicholas is a parent of a 17 year old daughter with a learning disability.  She has been involved in Mencap’s Specialist Services Monitoring Committee.
  
  
• Mr Bill Halliday, Director of the Equality Commission (NI)
  Bill Halliday is currently Director of the Equality Commission's Disability Development Unit, a post which he has held since 3 May 2000.  Before joining the Equality Commission, Bill worked in the Southern Health and Social Services Board, where he was responsible for adult community services including those provided for people with physical disabilities or sensory impairments.
  
  
• Glenn Houston, Craigavon and Banbridge HSS Trust
  Glenn Houston is Chief Executive of Craigavon and Banbridge HSS Trust.