Gemma Sciré

Chief Executive Officer since October 2015

I lead the organisation, ensuring that we continue to deliver the best possible services for the women and young people we work with. My role involves work with staff and service users, partners and our Board of Trustees to promote the safety and wellbeing of the people we work with, tackling stigma and discrimination.

I am committed to challenging violence, harm and abuse of women and young people and empowering those we work with.

Amber Wilson

Business Development and Marketing Manager since 2014

My role is to identify new opportunities to further meet the needs of our service users and source funding for these, either on our own or through partnerships, raise awareness of and funds in the community for our work as well as advocate for our service users through social media, our website, newsletters etc. I also coordinate and promote our training and awareness raising program.

Emily Turner

Outreach & Support Worker since February 2013 - On Maternity Leave

I support 400 indoor and street working women around safety and sexual health. I co-ordinate the Ugly Mugs scheme. I am ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) trained and support women through the court process following serious sexual assaults.

Helina Majid

Support & Options Worker on the New Futures Project since May 2014

I work with women that wish to make positive change in their lives, offering intensive support around areas such as substance abuse, access to education, training or going into volunteering or employment or if they wish to leave sexwork.

Carwen Jones

Young Persons Outreach Worker since March 2014

I work with girls who are being sexually exploited or at significant risk thereof. I work on a 1:1 basis, meeting the girls either in school, our offices or elsewhere in the community. After a period of developing a trusted relationship we go through a series or offering personalised weekly sessions , covering topics such as healthy relationships, risk and internet grooming. I also support the work of the Peer Support Group (Lionesses).

Taylor Austin Little

Independent Sexual & Domestic Violence Adviser (Joined Basis since 2011)

I support women from the Basis Sex Work Project that have experience sexual and domestic violence in specialist support capacity. This can range from supporting their access to other related services to supporting them through a criminal justice process. My role also involves liaising with other professionals and organisations that provide similar services to different groups of women or who provide related services to sex workers in Leeds as well as raising awareness about this service across services in Leeds.

Ruth Shepherd

Project and Outreach Assistant since September 2017

I support the delivery of the projects through a mixture of admin work and direct work with service users through drop in sessions and street outreach.

Devin Kelly

Young Persons Outreach Worker since July 2015

As a Young Person's Outreach Worker I work 1:1 with girls and young women who are being sexually epxloited or significant risk thereof - building their trust, establishing a relationship, raising their awareness of the risks they are facing and how to reduce these through talking to them about CSE and related issues such as online safety, health relationships, sexual health etc. I also deliver training to other professionals in Leeds and elsewhere to other professionals and deliver awareness sessions in schools about CSE, online safety and consent.

Nicky Pickup

My name is Nicky and I work on the adult team at Basis Yorkshire as a Health Support & Advocacy Worker. My role is to provide holistic health related information, advice, advocacy and support to female sex workers in Leeds South and East locality, by providing health promotion interventions and intensive support on an outreach and case management basis. This helps to reduce the barriers faced by sex workers in accessing health services.

Brenda Hattersley

Finance Manager since 2014

I'm responsible for Financial Management of the organisation which ranges from making payments and sending out invoices for the services or resources we provide, managing salaries, to updating our financial records and accounts , producing financial reports for current projects and helping prepare financial budgets for new proposals.

Moya Woolven

Operations Manager (Joined March 2016)

My role is to manage both Basis Sex Work and Basis Young People team and support them with regular supervision, safeguarding, organisational policies (health and safety, safegaurding etc.) managing external partnerships and monitoring the operational activities of the organisation. This means I'm in a lot of meetings but I also do regular indoor and street outreach.

Kinga Scott

Administrator - On Maternity Leave

I work in both the Leeds and York offices and my job is to ensure the smooth running of the offices and to assist my colleagues as and when required. This can mean anything from answering the phone and responding to online queries, to ordering office supplies, to minute taking; through to dealing with suppliers, booking training sessions, hotels, train tickets, and preparing training packs; to assisting with the recruitment process and producing reports necessary for monitoring and evaluation purposes. I am also a Fire Warden and a First Aider.

Joan Coulton

Joan Coulton - Housing First Outreach Worker

I will be working with women who are housed through the new Housing First Project. Housing First is an innovative and exciting scheme which has been successfully used in the USA and more recently in Britain to offer secure housing and intensive support to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Basis are setting up the first HF project specifically for sex working women and I am proud to be a part of it.

Karen Chapman

Project Coordinator Time 2 since Jan 2016

I am the Project Coordinator for the Time 2…project, managing all aspect of business development for the project - including liaising with project partners, strategic stakeholders and working groups in the county and beyond as well as funders. I carry a small case load of high risk CSE clients, manage training delivery and staff delivery. I also coordinate the evaluation by the University of Bedfordshire.

Laura Green

Young Person's Outreach Worker since Jan 2016

My role as a Young Person's Outreach Worker involves working 1:1 with young people aged 11 - 18 on topics including healthy relationships, staying safe online, emotional wellbeing, reducing risk in relationships and making informed decisions.

Ali Longley

Young Person's Outreach Worker since Feb 2016

I 'm the outreach worker covering York and Selby, working 1 to 1 with individuals aged 11 - 18 in a person-centred approach, offering support in keeping safe, healthy relationships, minimising risk, emotional well-being, reducing risk in relationships and making informed decisions.

Rob Miller

Young Person's Outreach Worker - since March 2016

I'm the Time 2 Project Worker for Scarborough and Ryedale. I work with young people at medium to high risk of sexual exploitation, through bespoke one to one support. Our sessions cover a wide range of subject areas, from recognising and managing risk to making informed and safe choices about relationships and staying safe online and emotional wellbeing.

Fiona Meth

Sessional Outreach Worker

I am a member of the adult team and deliver street outreach once a week. This includes providing information and support to street sex workers in Leeds.

Nicola Hardman

Historical CSE/A Support Worker

I support women who have experienced childhood sexual exploitation and/ or abuse. I work 1:1 with the women I support using a women centred approach. Sessions are led by the women themselves. The women I support are able to talk about historical and/ or current issues that are effecting their lives. I can also support with issues such as; housing and benefits, family relationships, confidence and self esteem, sexual health and abusive relationships. I provide information, advocacy and support for women to help them keep themselves safe and make informed choices enabling them to have a more positive future.

Melissa Connolly

Student Young Person's Outreach Worker (social work placement)

I am a social work student in my final year. I support the Young Person's team at Basis and have a case load where I work 1:1 with young people who are at risk of or are experiencing CSE.

Hannah Ryder

Marketing and Sales Administrative Assistant since September 2017

I support the delivery of all training offered by Basis. I work to ensure Basis Training runs smoothly – from the creation of training, to the marketing, bookings, and eventual day. My role involves liaising with any potential clients of Basis training, in all capacities. If you buy a Basis Training resource or book onto one of our training days, you’ll most likely be introduced to me! I look to develop opportunities and relationships that enable Basis to offer greater training opportunities for everyone.

Gillian Collingwood

Sexual Health Outreach Worker - Maternity cover for Emily Turner

I am covering Emily Turner's role whilst she is on maternity leave. I support 400 indoor and street working women around safety and sexual health as well as co-coordinating the Ugly Mugs scheme.