About Us

This website is run jointly by the Children's Trust Unit. 

YorOK!

YorOK is the name of York's Children's Trust arrangements.

Children’s Trusts are local partnerships that bring together all partners and organisations responsible for providing services for children, young people and families, together—focussing on a shared commitment to improving children’s lives.

The aim of a Children’s Trust is to ensure that all children have the support they need to ensure they are healthy, stay safe, enjoy life and achieve well at school and beyond, make a positive contribution to society and achieve economic well being.  

The Children's Trust Unit

YorOK is supported by a small Children’s Trust Unit, which services the YorOK Board and manages a number of key programmes.

The Children’s Trust Unit acts as a resource and central contact point on all aspects of partnership working, early intervention and prevention.

It is also responsible for some of the important mechanisms that make integrated working a reality, such as the Common Assessment Framework and the YorOK Child Index, and for the policies that will make sure all of the staff who work for us are clear about what they need to do and confident that they have the skills and knowledge to do it.

Contact: 01904 554358, ctu@york.gov.uk
For Family Information Service and TDU contacts see below.

Head of Service

• Judy Kent, Children's Trust Unit Manager
• Rebecca Wilkins, Senior Admin Coordinator

Integrated Working Team

Strategic lead on implementing Integrated Working strategy, including Child Index, ContactPoint, CAF and Lead Practitioner.

• Jen Haines, Integrated Working Manager
• Adele Peacock, Integrated Working Project Lead
• Sarah Furness and Chris Shipley, Integrated Working Development Officers
• Tonic Matika, Contact Point Data Manager
• Jon Martin, ICT Project Coordinator

More information about the work of the Integrated Working Team

Early Intervention Team

• Bernie Flanagan, Early Intervention Manager
• Amanda Gaines, Strategic Commissioner, Teenage Pregnancy, Substance Misuse and Risk Behaviours – Develops and commission services for young people to prevent teenage pregnancy and support teenage parents. Provides strategic support for the substance misuse agenda and risky behaviours.

More information about Teenage Pregnancy and Substance Misuse

Family Information Service

Free, impartial information to parents / carers of 0-19 year olds and those looking for a career in childcare. Online service directory to find services and organisations for children, young people, parents, carers and practitioners. Also develops the YorOK website.

• Niall McVicar, Family Information Service Manager
• Andrea Dudding, Information Officer
• Sam Gabb, Outreach Coordinator
• Karen Darley, Recruitment, Retention and Marketing Coordinator
• Jon Martin, ICT Project Coordinator

Contact: 01904 554444
More information about the Family Information Service

Parenting Team

Strategic lead on provision of parenting support. Commissioning services for parents, including those with specific support needs.

• Linda Murphy, Parenting Strategy Manager
• Liz Savage, Parenting Early Intervention Project Manager
• Gaynor Parr-Manly & Rachel Marwood, Parenting Practitioners

More information about parenting support for parents

Information for the workforce about parenting support

Catalyst Family Intervention Project

Working intensively with a small number of families to reduce youth offending, anti social behaviour and child poverty.

• Phil Martin, Family Intervention Project Manager
• Catalyst Key Worker, Mark Bogg
  (Further key workers to be recruited)

More information about the Family Intervention Project

Workforce Development

• Kate Helme, Strategic Workforce Development Officer: Develop and implement children’s trust workforce strategy and common induction standards.
  More information about the YorOK Workforce Strategy.
• Jeannie Freeman, Regional Development Manager: Develop support for Lead Members of Children’s Services across region. Focus on child safeguarding and corporate parenting.

Training & Development Unit

Training and development opportunities for those working with and for children and young people are managed, commissioned and facilitated through the Training and Development Unit. The unit acts as a hub for professional development information for those working for the children's workforce. 

Find out more about the Training & Development Unit team

Contact: 01904 553017