Meet the Team
The Fathers Plus team brings together leading experts in father and male inclusion from the fields of early years, learning and health.
If you would like to talk to any of the team about how we can support your service to be more inclusive then send us a message or phone 0845 130 7225.
Eileen Botterill
Eileen joined Fathers Plus in January 2005 and has since worked within a variety of Children North East projects.
As Marketing Support Worker for Fathers Plus, she is responsible for managing and maintaining information systems for the service as well as promoting Fathers Plus exclusive resources and training packages.
Eileen’s experience and training includes Housing Management, IT, Database and Website Management, and she has a Business and Finance background. She spent a number of years doing voluntary work in a primary school setting and has a particular interest in deaf studies and deaf awareness issues.
Charlotte Dack
Charlotte joined Fathers Plus in 2007 with a degree in education and training and a ten year practitioner background in family learning within schools, libraries, museums and children centres.
As Workforce Development Coordinator she has been instrumental in developing the Fathers Plus training packages, men friendly resources, practitioner networks and conferences.
She recently set up the popular Family Man Schools Outreach Programme and delivers the sessions to men and their children in schools across the North East.
Charlotte is now one of the lead trainers for Fathers Plus, specialising in education and learning.
Heather Harkin
Heather Harkin worked for Fathers Plus for several years in a local sure start programme, as a Father Support Worker, engaging large numbers of men into the project.
She then became a Parent Support Adviser for two years and has now rejoined the team as a Senior Project Worker.
Heather has delivered training to a number of practitioners and organisations around the country and her background is in sales, education and youth work.
David Van der Velde
David joined Fathers Plus in January 2005 and has been instrumental in developing the service and setting up the Including Men Networks across the country.
David is a trained counsellor and has delivered play therapy in a primary school setting, couple counselling with Relate and therapeutic work with families and children in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. David has a background in IT and continues to direct a technology company set up under the E-Business foundation programme providing information management to not for profit and civil society organisations.
David is the father of four lovely children aged 4 to 17
Sylvia Copley
Sylvia is responsible for the direction, development, management and quality of all Fathers Plus services.
Lesley Hutchinson
Lesley currently manages the Families and Parenting Service, which includes both the Families Plus and Fathers Plus teams.
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