CFAB Staff

CFAB is staffed by professionally qualified social workers with a wide experience in the UK and overseas, and knowledge of the relevant UK and international legislations and Conventions. You can read our staff handbook here.

Andy Elvin, Chief Executive

Andy Elvin joined CFAB as Chief Executive on 6th July 2009. For the last three years he has been the project manager for Children’s Centres and Extended Schools at the London Borough of Richmond, with responsibility for establishing 12 children’s centres bringing together a range of preventative child and family services. Some of the centres have been ‘new build’ and his role has included managing a £20 million capital and revenue budget.

Andy’s first degree was in Media and Cultural Studies. He later travelled to the USA where he worked as a childcare worker and foster parent in Portland, Maine for two years at a school for children with profound emotional and behavioural issues. He then returned to the UK and took a Masters Degree in Social Work before employment in various posts involving, for example, adults with Mental Health issues, autistic children, and as a residential social worker at a family assessment centre. This was followed by three years as a Children and Families Social Worker at two London Boroughs.

In 2001 Andy became the Director of the Soho Family Centre, an NGO that offers a full range of childcare, early education, family support and community projects to the diverse community of Soho . He had full responsibility for staff management, fundraising, legal and financial matters; the work involved liaison and representation with professional and corporate organisations. Andy served for five years in this position before moving to his current post.

Marek Ganther, Senior Project Manager

 

Marek graduated from the LSE in 1973 with a degree in Social Administration, and has been a Qualified Social Worker for more than 30 years. He has been at CFAB for nearly 10 years and is responsible for the Family Reunion and Travel Assistance Projects.

Stuart Barker , Senior Intercountry Social Worker

Stuart graduated with a degree in Politics and History at Bradford University. After this he worked in a number of positions within social care including youth work, children in care and adults with learning disabilities. Stuart completed a Masters in Social Work in 2000 and worked in the field of Youth Justice Social Work across London. This included setting up and developing an innovative and high profile programme for persistent and high-risk offenders and the co-ordination of a Restorative Justice Programme. Following a period of travel in Asia and Australia, that included working within a drug and alcohol withdrawal unit, Stuart returned to the UK and took on a position within a specialist recruitment agency which involved training social workers in court report writing.

Prior to joining CFAB he worked as a Children and Families Social Worker for over three years specialising in Children Looked After and Leaving Care and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children. For the past two years Stuart has been training as a counsellor and hopes to gain a Diploma in Counselling in June 2010.

 

Stefanie Ahlemann, Intercountry Social Worker

Stefanie joined CFAB in December 2009. After graduating from University Stefanie worked in a Safeguarding Team as well as in a Children Looked After Team in Germany before moving to the UK in April 2007. During her studies Stefanie specialised in working with young people in the care system and focusing on fostering and adoption work. Prior to joining CFAB Stefanie worked for the London Borough of Richmond in the Children Looked After Team.

 

 

Heather Solomon-Easton, Intercountry Social Work Advisor

 

Heather started working for CFAB as an Intercountry social worker in November 2009. Having graduated with a degree in social work from the University of Ryerson in Toronto, Heather worked as a community worker in the city for a year. Since moving to the United Kingdom a year ago Heather worked full time for Action for Children in the Respit Unit for children with learning disabilities in Bristol.

 

Prerna Dhingra, Intercountry Social Worker

Prerna joined CFAB as an Intercountry Social Worker in January 2010.She got her Masters in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai, India in 2003 and moved to West Africa as an intern to UNICEF, Ghana. After working in their Child Rights Unit for three months, she joined the Church World Service (CWS) dealing with the Refugee Resettlement Program. She left four years later from their management post to work with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as a consultant in Nepal for Bhutanese Refugees. After the three months consultancy she joined the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) as their professional staff to set up the Refugee Resettlement program in Nepal. Working for one and a half years with IOM handling Refugee issues including being the Information Officer, she moved to London where she did temporary contact work for a local borough. Just before coming to CFAB, Prerna went to Ethiopia on a short team UNHCR contract to handle best interest determination of unaccompanied Refugee minors and doing referrals for third country resettlement. 

Shaziah Wasiuzzaman, Intercountry Social Worker

 

Shaziah graduated with a degree in Social Work and Information and Communications Management from the National University of Singapore in 2003. Following this, she worked as a social worker in Singapore for 4 years dealing mainly with issues relating to children and young people. Shaziah moved to London 3 years ago where she completed her Masters in Development Studies in 2008 and continued her work with children and young people in different capacities, most recently conducting a review on youth homelessness and supported housing for one of the local boroughs in London.

 

 

 

Darren Moses, Events and Fundraising Officer

 

Darren joined CFAB in January 2009 and is responsible for the charity's Fundraising activities and Events, including the annual World Market and our International Child Protection Dinner. Darren previously organised events for Guoman Hotels and Vinopolis.

 

 

Chris Platt, Office Manager

Chris has been with the Charity for 18 years but his association goes back 28 years as a volunteer with the Spring Fair. He is responsible for the administrative function with the support of his vital team of Mark and Christina.

Mark Hunt, Finance and Statistical Officer

Mark has worked at CFAB for 13 years, beginning in 1995 as an Admin Assistant. Mark thoroughly enjoys his work with the Admin team and assisting the Social Work and Fundraising teams as well as giving support to the Director, Chairman and Trustees. Before he came to CFAB Mark worked in the Medical Records Department of Orpington Hospital and as an electrician, as well as obtaining a Business Admin NVQ.

Christina Turner, PA to the CEO

Christina joined CFAB in August 2009 after gaining valuable experience of working in the sector through two previous internships at a research consultancy for not for profit organisations and a professional body for chairty communicators. Christina provides full support to the CEO as well as assisting in Fundraising and Event planning tasks for the charity. Christina lived in Brazil and Spain before settling in London.