Shaun Kelly is the Safeguarding Manager for NCH, and has strategic responsibility for safeguarding across the organisation. He has worked in welfare services for children and young people since 1981, in residential care, field social work, family centres and as chair of child protection conferences. NCH is one of the largest children’s charities in the UK – it is the largest provider of children’s services in the UK today delivering services across this country and abroad. They work with over 160,000 children and young people, some of the most vulnerable in our society, through nearly 500 projects, which include Children’s Centres, fostering and adoption services, work with care leavers and homeless young people, short breaks for disabled children, residential schools and many other support of welfare services to children, young people and their families.

Shaun’s role includes developing policy and practise for both direct services to children and young people, and support services including training and selction and recruitment practice. Whilst working for NCH Shaun has had a number of functions regarding safeguarding: this has included being strategic lead for work relating to adults abused as children whilst in residential care. Before working for NCH Shaun has had considerable experience of work in local authority social work, both in practise, management and in a consultative role.
 
Shaun has an interest in the development of cultures that prevent children and young people being abused by professionals or volunteers involved in their care. This would include wanting to ensure that childtren and young people have safe and equitable access to the internet and new technologies, and other leisure and educational services. Shaun has been involved in government consultation groups on a wide variety of issues relating to sex offending against children, including consultations on the sex offensives, vetting and barring schemes, vulnerable witnnesses and more recently protecting children from sex offenders. He also offers consultation and advice about safeguarding issues to the Methodist Church, which included policy development on the inclusion of sex offenders in the life of the church.