My Services

I work with organisations, leaders and decision-makers who are navigating complexity, where the right next step isn’t always obvious, and where choices have real consequences for children and young people. My role is often to help clarify direction, recognise risk and support thoughtful decisions that are grounded in real practice.

Proven track record: Having worked for charities of all sizes and founded and grown an organisation from inception to a c.£700,000 annual turnover, I understand the challenges of creating and scaling services sustainably. I’m particularly experienced in supporting teams to make realistic decisions about growth that remain grounded in the needs and safety of children and young people.

Wide ranging experience: I have designed and implemented a wide range of services, including:

Residential experiences of all shapes and sizes for children and adults
In-school therapeutic services and after school groups
Food banks and triage systems for community centres
Mentoring programmes and short to long-term youth leadership initiatives
Drop in crisis interventions

Data Management and Security: I have worked extensively with Airtable, a low-code platform, to implement cost-effective, high impact data solutions for charities, improving service effectiveness, securely managing client, staff and volunteer data and enhancing impact measurement.

Rachel understood exactly what we needed. She brings clear analysis and a deep understanding our sector and from that, can generate information which is both strategic and very easy to understand. We’d be very happy to work with Rachel again in the future.

- Michele Farmer, CEO, Go Beyond – the charity giving children breaks that last a lifetime.

Comprehensive support: I can work with you throughout the entire programme lifecycle, from initial concept to evaluation.

My expertise includes:

Creating theories of change and programme design frameworks.
Building successful partnerships.
Training staff and volunteers for programme delivery (I’ve designed and delivered training for individuals up to staff teams of several hundred).
Risk assessment, implementation, and troubleshooting.
Facilitating staff and volunteer reviews and debriefing sessions.
Developing impact measurement frameworks and writing compelling evaluation reports for funders and supporters.

Rachel exemplifies a rare, and very valuable, combination of remarkable cleverness, profound compassion and heightened capability. She has a talent for creating and leading projects, teams and organisations that provide outstanding support (alongside rigorous safeguarding and lots of fun) to children, young people and their families, while ensuring that anyone working alongside her develops in new and often unexpected ways, professionally and personally. She cares deeply about everything she is involved with and leaves no stone unturned in the quest to create positive transformation. A real asset to anyone looking to get stuff done well, done safely, and enjoy the ride along the way.

– Cassie Oakeshott, CEO and Clinical Director, Unlocking Potential

I have 20 years' experience applying safeguarding and risk management principles in dynamic environments for children and adults with complex needs – from community centres and schools to residential settings.

I can help with:

Creating and maintaining organizational risk registers and risk assessments
Developing safeguarding practices for staff and volunteers in their interactions with children, young people and families
Managing risks associated with adventurous activities, volunteer management and lone working

Having spoken directly with many of the young people Rachel has worked with over the years, it’s clear that she has a rare drive and talent for creating strong and productive services which create lasting positive and impactful experiences. She will be invaluable to any team fortunate enough to work with her.

- Dwayne Fields, Chief Scout and Polar Explorer

Tailored solutions to develop effective policies and procedures: I can work with you and your team to understand your specific needs and create practical policies across a wide range of operational areas, including:

Safeguarding and risk management
Human Resources
Data Protection
Practical operations, such as premises management, food hygiene and fleet management

Best practice with flexibility: I ensure that your policies align with best practices whilst keeping the needs of your service users and the realities of your organisation at their heart.

The early stages of setting up and running a charity can be tough, as teams inevitably have knowledge and skills gaps, often relating to organisational development. Rachel has a wealth of experience and wisdom gained from building a small charity into an established and highly impactful organisation. She can bring insights, ideas and expertise to help you to move your organisation forward and to put down strong foundations on which to build.

– Diane Eyre, Founder and Director, Imagine Foundation

Empowering leaders: I provide coaching for new and aspiring senior staff, helping them to navigate the challenges and opportunities of charity leadership roles.

Vision to reality: I support new and aspiring charity founders in translating their vision into a sustainable and impactful organization.

Supporting emotional wellbeing: I guide staff and volunteers working in emotionally demanding situations, helping them manage the impact of trauma and client needs.

Building impactful teams with limited resources: I have extensive experience of recruiting and restructuring teams to ensure effective service delivery within small organisations. I understand the vital importance of every one of a small charity’s hires and have lived and breathed the challenges of getting this right!

I can confidently say that Rachel's guidance has been nothing short of transformative for me over the last 3 years. From our very first interaction, it was evident that she possessed a rare blend of compassion, intelligence, forward-thinking and an in-depth knowledge of the children's charity sector. Rachel took the time to truly understand me, my aspirations, and challenges, and succeeded in creating a supportive environment where I felt safe to explore my career goals openly. Her empathy and warmth made working with her not only effective, but also incredibly enjoyable. With her expertise and guidance, I have secured a role as a CEO and I know I'll be channeling her warm and confident approach whenever I can!

- Bee Whittaker, CEO, Harmony House

Practical training, tailored to your needs: I run training sessions, face to face and online, for teams of all sizes (from 1 person to several hundred) on person-centred approaches to working with vulnerable groups.

I’ve trained experienced staff teams, volunteers, young people, and education professionals on topics including:

Supporting young people with challenging behaviour
Child and adolescent brain development
Practical applications of attachment theory in youth work settings
Dynamic risk assessment
Practical safeguarding

Rachel’s approach to delivering training combines important and serious themes with a genuine sense of fun. It has helped me to develop practical skills for working with children and young people, including: building relationships, managing conflict and exploring and unpicking issues with curiosity. I regularly use these skills in my work with children and families.

- Beth Jenkinson, Children's Social Worker