Specialist Team

Our specialist team of advisors work across all divisions of the Keys group and report into our Clinical Director. Here is a brief overview of who’s who and their areas of expertise.

Helen Stewart

Helen has a registered manager’s award which is equivalent to a foundation degree. Helen has extensive experience as a registered home manager and has worked successfully with extremely challenging children and young people since 2001. In 2011, Helen used her experience to take on the role of specialist adviser in Behaviour Management and self injuries behaviour. Helen’s role within the organisation involves training and developing staff teams, visiting homes and offering advice and strategies to managers, staff teams, and young people.

Gayle Bradbury

Gayle has a degree in Criminal Justice and a masters degree in Social Work. She qualified as a Social Worker in 1999 and has experience in child protection, leaving care and more recently youth justice. Gayle was a Youth Offending Team Manager for 12 years prior to working for Keys Group. Her areas of expertise include working with child sexual exploitation, harmful sexual behaviour and risk management. Gayle was the Director of a training company for five years, specialising in training Foster Carers in a wide range of Safeguarding courses, and she also the Deputy Chair of a Local Authority foster panel.

Steve Challinor

Steve has a degree in Criminal Justice and retired from the police in 2012 having served as a police officer for 30 years. The majority of Steve’s police service was as a detective and he has spent periods managing CID teams, child protection teams and major investigation teams at various times. He has also operated as a member of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, where he provided advice and guidance to senior police officers in respect of major crime investigation. After retirement, Steve went to work for North Wales Police as an advisor to police command teams in respect of missing children and child sexual exploitation before moving to work for Keys as the Specialist Advisor for Police Liaison. Steve works closely with homes, helping them build positive relationships with their local police force and is actively working to reduce incidents of police involvement with the young people. He provides advice and support to Keys managers, headteachers and police forces and takes part in strategy and professionals’ meetings.

Fran Gracie

Fran’s background in the substance misuse field began in 2003 when she started work in adult drugs and alcohol rehabilitation, initially as a qualified Counsellor and Deputy Manager. During this time, she completed a BSc in Counselling at Leeds University, Counselling Supervision qualification and Registered Managers Award. Fran also ran a private counselling practice on a part time basis. In 2007, Fran worked with young people and families in a specialist substance misuse service covering Manchester. During this time, Fran re-trained to become a Systemic Family Therapist at Leeds University; she implemented the first substance misuse family therapy team in the UK and developed a Supervision Model for the Lifeline Group. She later secured a post as an Operations Manager for a young person’s substance service covering five districts of East Lancashire. Fran remains passionate about substance services and is a trustee for a Charity that offers resettlement to people in recovery from substance addiction.

In 2016, Fran secured the role at Keys as a National Specialist Advisor for substance misuse, covering all the Keys Group services in the UK. Fran offers advice and support to staff working with all service users that use substances and delivers specialist training to all staff within the organisation. Fran also provides the organisation with latest intel on new and emerging substances which increases staff awareness of the types of substances in circulation.

Occasionally, Fran will deliver direct evidence based, care planned psychosocial interventions and harm reduction advice to young people, ensuring that all presenting needs are identified and safeguarding concerns are responded to. Fran is qualified to deliver Acupressure and Acupuncture treatment which she will offer as an intervention to any young people using substances with consent from their lead professional.