The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety today announced that the Minister, Michael McGimpsey, has appointed the following non-executive members to the Northern Ireland Social Care Council with effect from 1 October 2007.
Mr Joseph Blake
Mrs Geraldine Campbell
Mrs Julie Erskine
Mr Glenn Houston
Ms Miriam Karp
Mrs Ruth Lavery
Mrs Gillian McGaughey
Mr Brendan McKeever
Mrs Maire McMahon
Mr James Perry
Dr Trevor Spratt
Mrs Eleanor Taggart
Membership of the council brings with it substantial responsibilities. The aim of the council is to protect the public through improving safeguards to vulnerable people, raising the standards of social care practice and strengthening the professionalism of the workforce. The composition of the council reflects the widest range of key interests which will enable the council to successfully discharge its functions.
Notes to Editors:
- The overall aim of the NISCC is to regulate the social work profession and other social care workers by promoting high standards of conduct and practice among social care workers and high standards in their training, and maintaining a register of those who can practice within a social care context. It is responsible for improving the quality of personal social services by raising standards in the workforce. The NISCC has a duty to secure the interests and welfare of service users and to strengthen public protection and confidence.
- The NISCC was established on 1 October 2001 under the Health & Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 and following reconstitution from 1 October 2007 will be managed by a board consisting of a non-executive chair and 12 non-executive members.
- Non-executive members of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council will receive annual remuneration of £6,000.
- The usual term of office is four years, however, to avoid wholesale changeover at the end of September 2011, the terms of appointment have been staggered for periods of two, three and four years. All of the appointments are effective from 1 October 2007.
- Appointments to the NISCC are made with the approval of the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. There are no specific qualifications for appointment. Each person is appointed to act in a personal capacity and not as a representative of any organisation, but because of the personal skills and experience they possess.
- The overall membership of NISCC has been appropriately balanced so that no one interest predominates. Membership reflects a wide range of interests in the field of social care and includes:-
- Lay Members – people who have direct experience as users of social care services or as carers or experience of voluntary work.
- Stakeholder Members – people who have direct involvement in commissioning or delivery of social care services or in the delivery of education or training in social care, or as a representative of a trade union, professional or other regulatory body concerned with health and social care, or someone from the legal profession.
- Registrant Members - people who must be social care workers.
- The appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. A selection panel, which included an independent assessor, as required under the Commissioner’s Code, considered the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on the appointments rested with the Minister.
- All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for the political activity of appointees (if any declared) to be published. Mr Blake, Mrs Campbell, Mrs Erskine, Mr Houston, Ms Karp, Mrs McGaughey, Mr McKeever, Mrs McMahon, Mr Perry, Dr Spratt and Mrs Taggart declared they had not engaged in any political activity in the last five years. Mrs Lavery declared she had engaged in some political activity in the last five years.
Appointments
Mr Joe Blake CQSW lives in Belfast. Mr Blake is a self-employed Training and Evaluation consultant and has carried out inspection work in the statutory and voluntary sectors on behalf of the Department’s Social Services Inspectorate, Comic Relief and Co-operation Ireland among others. Mr Blake holds no other public appointments and h
as not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mrs Geraldine Campbell lives in Belfast and is currently setting up business as a Charity consultant. She is the former Chief Executive of the Belfast HIV Support Centre and was also a Consumer Services manager at Northern HSS Board headquarters. Mrs Campbell is a trustee with both the National AIDS Trust and Belfast Citizens Advice Bureau. Mrs Campbell holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mrs Julie Erskine MSc BA FCIPD lives in Carrickfergus. Mrs Erskine has worked in the healthcare service industry for over 25 years. Until recently she was the Operations Director of a Belfast-based private healthcare company, having also worked as Support Services Director for the same company. Mrs Erskine was previously an Operations Manager with the WAVE Trauma Centre in Belfast. Mrs Erskine holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mr Glenn Houston BA CQSW lives in Holywood. In March of this year, he was appointed Executive Director of Social Work and Director of Women’s & Children’s Services in the Northern HSC Trust. Prior to this, Mr Houston was Chief Executive of Craigavon & Banbridge HSS Trust. He has previously worked in Homefirst Community HSS Trust, initially as Director of Planning & Information and then as Director of Mental Health. Mr Houston holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Ms Miriam Karp MSc BA (hons) lives in Belfast. Ms Karp is Director of her own consultancy firm, working extensively in training and consultancy in the public, private and community sectors. She is also a Management Lecturer and a Standard’s Monitor with the Open University. She set up and established the Sexual Health Training Team for the Eastern HSS Board and North and West Belfast HSS Trust and also set up the Aids Education Team for the Eastern HSS Board. Ms Karp is a parent volunteer member of the Down’s Syndrome Association and SALTO, a Special Needs Gymnastics Club. She is a member of the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland for which she receives travel and expenses. Ms Karp has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mrs Ruth Lavery BCL (Oxon) LLB BL lives in Lisburn. A former Senior Lecturer in Law at Queen’s University Belfast, Mrs Lavery is currently a panel Chair of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. She is also a former non-executive board member of both the Western HSS Board and Down Lisburn HSS Trust. Mrs Lavery served as an Equality Commissioner for six years until 2005. She holds no other public appointments and has been engaged in political activity for the Ulster Unionist Party in the last five years.
Mrs Gillian McGaughey BL LLB lives in Belfast. Mrs McGaughey is a Barrister specialising in Family & Child Law and lectures at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, QUB. She is also a Legal Assessor for the Nursing & Midwifery Council, London, a panel Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal and a review panel member of the NI Legal Services Commission. Mrs McGaughey was a Stakeholder member of the NI Social Care Council prior to its reconstitution on 1 October 2007. She holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mr Brendan McKeever BSc lives in Derry. Mr McKeever is a facilitator with the Family Information Group in Derry, having worked previously for the Library Service of the Western Education & Library Board. He was a Lay Member of the NI Social Care Council prior to its reconstitution on 1 October 2007. Mr McKeever holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mrs Maire McMahon CCETSW lives in Greenisland. Mrs McMahon retired last year from her post as Assistant Chief Inspector of Social Services with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. She currently works part-time as a self-employed consultant. Mrs McMahon is a committee member of the Carrickfergus branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society. She holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mr James Perry MSc FCA lives in Ballymena. Mr Perry is a Chartered Accountant and is currently self-employed, with an interest in a small family business. He is also an Associate with the Centre for Competitiveness, and was previously employed as Corporate Services Director with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Mr Perry worked for nearly 20 years as a Senior Manager with Viridian Group PLC. He is currently a Director of Ballymena Business Centre, Chair of the Board of Governors of Ballymena Academy and a member of the Board of Studies at the School of Management & Economics at QUB. Mr Perry holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Dr Trevor Spratt lives in Belfast and is presently a Senior Lecturer and Course Director of Social Work at QUB. He was previously a Lecturer in Social Work at Queen’s University, Belfast and the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. Dr Spratt holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mrs Eleanor Taggart lives in Newtownabbey. Mrs Taggart has worked in social work, education and training and management for 37 years primarily in the Northern HSS Board area. She has been involved with a wide range of voluntary organisations particularly in the area of services for people with disabilities. Mrs Taggart was a Stakeholder Member of the NI Social Care Council prior to its reconstitution on I October 2007. She holds no other public appointments and has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
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