Meet the Team

Gemma Sciré

Chief Executive Officer since October 2015

I am currently CEO at Basis Yorkshire, who have been working with sex working women, sexual exploitation survivors, and sexually exploited children for nearly 30 years. Basis is a GSK Kings Fund Award winning organisation for its positive impact on community health. In my current role, I lead for the third sector on the ‘Managed Approach’ to sex work in Leeds and the response to child sexual exploitation. 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.

Moya Woolven

Operations Manager since 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.

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.

Melanie Bold

Administrator and Finance Assistant since May 2018

My job is to ensure the smooth running of the office and to assist my colleagues as and when required. This can mean anything from answering the phone, responding to online queries and ordering office supplies, to dealing with suppliers, preparing training packs and booking training sessions, hotels and train tickets, right through to assisting with the recruitment process and producing reports necessary for monitoring and evaluation purposes. I also work with our accountant helping with the financial administration of the organisation, which ranges from raising sales invoices for the services or resources we provide, to allocating payments to the correct invoices and dealing with payroll enquiries. I am also a Fire Warden.

Sarah Horton

Marketing & Sales Assistant since September 2019

I support the Business Development & Marketing Manager with the organisation and coordination of Basis Training & Education, as well as the comms for the wider charity. I enable the development and delivery of training, conferences & events, venue hire, educational resources, campaigns, fundraising and merchandising for Basis Yorkshire and Training. I also develop and coordinate content on top of our various social media accounts, create promotional materials, or support the building of our marketing strategy. I also take part in street outreach.

Melissa Turner

Project and Outreach Assistant since Sept 2019

I support the delivery of the projects here at Basis through a mixture of admin work and direct work with service users through drop-in sessions. On a normal day you will find me in the office working on all kinds of varied tasks for different parts of the organisation.

Nicky Pickup

Housing First Support Worker

My role involves working with a small caseload of six women, where women with complex and multiple needs are offered a stable and suitable home, along with unconditional intensive support that is needs-based and client-led, in an area where they choose to live. The service provided by Basis is one of the only sex worker specific projects in the country and has met significant needs for women who were previously falling through the gaps of existing services. After a very successful pilot project in 2017 we have now secured further funding for three years to be able to continue to offer the Housing First scheme in collaboration with Turning Lives Around.

Caz Field

Housing First Support Worker since Feb 2020

My role involves supporting a small caseload of women with complex and multiple needs, using the Housing First approach to find them a safe and stable home in an area of their choice. In collaboration with Turning Lives Around, we offer unconditional, intensive support from a person-centred approach to women who may otherwise be missed by other existing services.

Gillian Collingwood

Outreach Worker since September 2018

I work with street and indoor workers with specific focus on the running of the New Futures group for any women looking for more choice and control in their lives.

Gail Lewis

CLLD Outreach Worker since Feb 2020

I’m the Adult Outreach Worker CLLD with a particular focus on group and 1:1 work with women who are looking towards their future. We’ll be looking at goal setting, self esteem, confidence building as well as the more practical tools needed when thinking about entering employment, training and volunteering, like CV writing, IT skills and how to job search and make applications. We’ll be fitting in some activities like yoga, exercise sessions, arts and crafts and cooking on a budget with an emphasis on self care and wellness.

Izzy Kynoch

Inclusion & Participation Worker Since Feb 2020

I work with sexworkers to ensure their voices are included in policy, strategy and practice development as part of Womens' Lives Leeds.

Nicola Hardman

Mental Health Outreach Worker since May 2019

I am the Mental Health Outreach Worker within the Adult Team. I work 1:1 with women experiencing mental health issues in order to provide emotional and practical support. Together we prioritise issues to enable the women to stay safe and make informed positive choices.

Helina Majid

Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA)

My role as an ISVA is focused around working with clients who have experienced sexual violence. In this role I can provide emotional and practical support, including exploring options regarding reporting if this is something the client wants to do. If the case is taken to court I can support throughout the process and act as a single point of contact when liaising with police and relevant organisations.

Kayleigh Wilson

Young Person's Outreach Worker since July 2019

As a Young Person's Outreach Worker I work 1:1 with girls and young women who are being sexually exploited 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.

Stacey Maher

Young Person's Outreach Worker since July 2018

I am the young person’s outreach worker specifically for boys and young men at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation, in Leeds and Bradford. My role involves working 1:1 with boys and young men aged 11-18 offering them support on emotional wellbeing, healthy relationships, staying safe, minimising risk and empowering them to move forward positively in their lives.

Rebekah Vickers

STAGE worker since September 2019

The aim of my project is to support women overcome trauma from grooming and exploitation through 1:1 work that aims to build resilience, self-esteem and that supports them move forward from their past experiences. I will also be running some peer support groups and drop in sessions for women who want a safe place to build relationships

Carwen Jones

Young Person's Outreach Worker since March 2014

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.

Basis Yorkshire Team Member Devin

Devin Kelly

Young Person's 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.

Karen Chapman

Associate Trainer

Currently I am a freelance trainer specialising in CSE, Trauma and Attachment, Safeguarding and Improving Wellbeing In The Work Place. I am extremely passionate about training and increasing people’s knowledge and I ensure that my training is informative, real, whilst also enjoyable. I have my own private counselling practice in North Yorkshire, specialising in Trauma, Abuse, Loss and Couple Relationships. I also work in local schools providing a safe environment for young people aged 11 to 16 to explore their thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Sarah Hutchinson

Associate Trainer

I specialise in relationship and sexual health work - classroom management, behavioral problems, CSE/grooming and domestic violence work. I am currently a team leader in a therapeutic residential children’s home and also a CSE trainer.

Michelle Stoops

Associate Trainer

I’m the service lead for the Red Umbrella @Changing Lives in Merseyside. The service works with anyone in the Sex/Adult industries who has been a victim of a crime because of their work. I manage a small team of staff and volunteers including a SWISVA (Sex Work ISVA) and a Migrancy worker. We are passionate advocates for our clients and work hard to ensure justice for them. I also am a trainer and love this part of my work.

Adele Gladman

Associate Trainer

I am an established independent safeguarding children trainer and consultant. My areas of expertise include Safeguarding Children, Child Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence and Abuse, Neglect, and practice standards. My current work includes working with the Children’s Commissioner regarding a new online app for young people wanting advice on potential safeguarding issues; and work with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Judith Staff

Associate Trainer

I am a teacher with a background in early years, safeguarding and child trauma. I teach part-time, and deliver training across various sectors including education, police, social care and the voluntary sector. I deliver a range of Protective Behaviours courses, Voice of the Child training, basic safeguarding refreshers (for schools), and various conference workshops.

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