Intermediaries Working with Vulnerable People in Fitness to Practise Proceedings

IfJ CPD Courses

Course Facilitator(s)

Dr. Catherine O'Neill & Susan Stewart

Course Facilitator(s) Bio

Dr Catherine O'Neill

Dr Catherine O’Neill is a Registered Intermediary in the Justice System, a Speech and Language Therapist and an Arts Psychological Therapist. As a therapist she has worked with adults and children with Communication Needs and Mental Health issues, in a variety of settings including palliative care, acute mental health wards and day hospitals, schools and clinics. She has worked on hundreds of cases involving vulnerable witnesses and defendants, in the Criminal, Family and Tribunal courts. She completed PhD on: The knowledge and experience of Trauma Informed Practice in the Justice System. Catherine is currently Chair of IfJ and has a firm belief in equality of access to justice for all. She is also a member of the Intermediary Cooperative TIC working with defendants family courts and immigration tribunals. Catherine currently runs trainings for the police on communication to Achieve Best Evidence and on Trauma Informed Practice. 

Susan Stewart

Susan is a Registered Intermediary and Speech and Language Therapist who has worked as an RI for 9 years. She has over 20 years experience in working with children, young people and adults communication needs. Susan volunteers to organise the IfJ CPD programme. She has also created published resources for vulnerable witnesses and youth defendants.

 

SPEAKERS

Louise Geldart

Louise Geldart is a Paralegal Manager in the GMC Legal Team, with a decade of experience in Fitness to Practise and supporting witneses through regulatory processes.

Agnes de Biase

Agnes de Biase works as a Hearings Case Manager at Social Work England. She has extensive experience in managing complex hearings and developing processes and procedures to implement more efficient ways of working. She is passionate about removing barriers for hearing participants and is committed to embedding strategies and knowledge in her team to improve stakeholders’ experiences in the fitness to practise process.

Jason Rowbottom

Jason has worked in professional regulation since 2009 where he began his career as a Hearings Officer facilitating hearings and supporting participants to understand and engage in fitness to practise processes. In 2019 he began his role at Social Work England as a Hearings Operations Manager.

Jennifer Beaumont (Registered Intermediary, Court Appointed Intermediary and Occupational Therapist)

Jennifer is an experienced accredited Registered Intermediary (RI) with the Ministry of Justice and an independent approved court appointed intermediary service provider (ASP) for HMCTS. Her professional dual training as an Occupational Therapist, provides her with the skills to work with vulnerable people with physical disability, learning disability and mental disorder. She has facilitated communication with vulnerable people ranging from age 15 years to 102 years old. Jennifer trained as an RI as an RI in 2007 and has worked as an intermediary with more than 700 vulnerable people both nationally and internationally. She regularly facilitates communication with witnesses and defendants at police interviews, Family, Magistrates, Youth Crown Courts and Tribunals. She has been involved in training a range of professionals including police officers, barristers and solicitors and was a guest speaker at the Humber Local Family Justice Board Conference. Due to Jennifer's depth of experience she is a mentor for newly qualified RI's and has participated in the recruitment of RI's in both England and Northern Ireland. In 2020, she was appointed as the Regional coordinator for RI's in the North of England and North Wales, a post she held for 2 years.

Professor Louise Wallace

Professor Louise Wallace is Emerita Professor of Psychology & Health at The Open University.  A Clinical Psychologist, her research includes patient safety, service improvement, behaviour change, and the experience of the public in professional fitness to practise (FtP) proceedings. She has lay tribunal/panel member experience of FtP in the dentistry, social work, social care, teaching and accountancy regulators. 

 Dr Annie Sorbie

Dr Annie Sorbie is a Senior Lecturer in Health, Medical Law and Ethics at Edinburgh Law School (University of Edinburgh) with a research and teaching portfolio. Prior to her career in academia, she had over 14 years’ experience of legal practice in the health, social care and regulatory sector (September 2001 – December 2015, Partner from 2009).  Her research focuses on the regulation of health and social care professionals and a key theme is patient safety and voice. Her research has most recently been funded by Wellcome, NIHR, The Royal Society of Edinburgh and The Royal Irish Academy.

Dr John Taggert

Dr John Taggart is a Lecturer in Law and Director of the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Queens' University, Belfast. John is also a qualified barrister in Northern Ireland and England and Wales and has practised criminal law in both jurisdictions. His research focuses on the criminal process, criminal justice and socio-legal approaches to criminal law. In particular, John's research looks at special measures in criminal courts and the role of the intermediary as a communication specialist for vulnerable court users.

John is the theme lead for the 'Vulnerable Accused' as part of the British Society of Criminology Vulnerability Research Network. He co-convenes the 'Vulnerable Suspects and Defendants work-in-progress forum' and has recently been appointed to the Advocate's Gateway Management Committee. John is a regular adviser to the Department of Justice (Northern Ireland) and has trained intermediary cohorts in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

John's current research project focuses on the conceptualisation of the right to 'effective participation' in police custody. As part of this project, John is collaborating with the Department of Justice (Northern Ireland), the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland (PPS). John’s first monograph, ‘The Intermediary in the Criminal Justice System’ was published by Routledge in 2025.

Danielle Walsh

Danielle Walsh is Head of Legal Service Operations at the General Medical Council.She leads a range of teams that support fitness to practise processes including the paralegal team, usually the main point of contact for witnesses. She is currently leading a project to improve witness experience, which includes expanding the use of intermediaries. Danielle has worked at the GMC for 11 years in a range of fitness to practise roles including Professional Support Lawyer and Head of Office for the Director & General Counsel. Prior to that she worked as a regulatory solicitor. 

Louise Evans (Registered Intermediary and Court Appointed Intermediary)

Lou is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist with 23 years experience in the NHS.  Her specialism in this field is adults with acquired neurological disorders.  She has a particular interest in Parkinson’s Disease.

In 2016 she gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy and used this qualification to help people with communication impairments access counselling techniques.

In 2019 she qualified as a Registered Intermediary with The Ministry of Justice. She has worked under the Witness Intermediary Scheme since qualifying and takes cases involving witnesses with acquired neurological impairments and mental health difficulties in addition to neuro-diverse witnesses.

Lou joined TIC in 2023 and began working in family courts and with defendants. She is also now a Director of TIC.

Since qualifying as an Intermediary, Lou has undertaken further training for working in family courts,  working with suspects and with defendants.

In addition to this, she has gained specific training on working with people with mental health difficulties within the criminal justice system.

Course Requirements

For intermediaries wishing to work within Fitness to Practise proceedings or Fitness to Practise professionals wishing to learn about how intermediaries can help vulnerable people. Nb It is not for intermediaries undergoing an investigation of their practice.

Who is this course for?

1. Qualified Intermediaries who would like to understand more about the subject to expand their work with vulnerable people into Fitness to Practise proceedings. At any level of experience, from newly registered onwards. 2. Other criminal justice professionals

Description

Presentations:

Dr Louise Wallace: (1hrs)

‘The experience of the public and colleagues who raise concerns and become witness in regulatory fitness to practise processes. Practical insights from the Witness to Harm project.’

The presentation will briefly set the scene of the research: People who experience harm from a registrant are crucial to a case being brought against a registrant to protect the public and uphold professional standards.  Yet, they may not come forward, often for years, and may then disengage in the processes, or struggle to give their best evidence due to the distressing and in some cases retraumatising effects of the process. We will showcase (audio/video) real people’s experiences- and some of the ways these can be improved, highlighting where an intermediary could be part of better witness care. See . https://wels.open.ac.uk/research/projects/witness-harm-holding-account/resources  

 

Dr Annie Sorbie: (20 Mins)

‘A holistic approach to witness vulnerability at fitness to practise hearings: insights for intermediaries.’

This presentation will draw on research conducted in the context of the regulation of social work and social care professionals and calls for a holistic approach to witness / complainant vulnerability, where different types of vulnerabilities are recognised in fitness to practise processes and addressed by regulators. In doing so it draws out the practical and policy implications of this research and insights for intermediaries.

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Course Content: 

•   Slide pack
• Case studies
• Potential interactive element tbc

Course Aims/Objectives: 

1. To provide a general overview of Fitness to Practise, including investigation and hearing processes
2. To explain the work of the GMC and SWE and interactions that would benefit from intermediary support
3. To explore how those organisations are working to engage intermediaries, exploring opportunities and any barriers 
4. To consider some case studies which illustrate the role of intermediaries in those processes
5. To provide practical advice and information for those wishing to work in this area
6. To explore witness experiences during the FtP journey
7. Suggest where an intermediary could improve witness care 
8. To propose a more holistic understanding of witness vulnerability
9. To consider how this can be promoted throughout the fitness to practise journey

 

Course Method:

The workshop is run in the form of a small group training. The presenters will present information and will invite high levels of participation and sharing of knowledge and ideas. Prepared slides/handouts guide the process rather than impart information.

The following materials are provided:

• Timetable for the day
• Glossary of terms
• Guidance for further reading-Bibliography
• Slide pack
• Case studies
• Potential interactive element tbc

- Participants to log on 15 minutes prior to start of each session. - It is required that all participants keep their cameras on throughout the workshop. - Participants to complete online feedback form post workshop.

Cancellation Policy

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