Jon Needham

Jon originally trained as a registered nurse specialising in adolescent health care (life limiting illness) before moving to an advisor to a strategic health authority. From there he worked as a young people’s health service commissioner with a specific portfolio for mental health, sexual health and paediatric care.

He worked briefly as a specialist advisor on two World Health Organisation projects before becoming the lead for early help provision and multi-agency working in a large local authority overseeing the support offered to 1/3 million children and young people. He became an education safeguarding advisor 13 years ago managing the safeguarding support offered to 530 schools. For the last five years has worked as the National Director of Safeguarding and Wellbeing for Oasis Community Learning, a large international charity, the United Kingdom arm of which has 54 schools (primary, secondary and all-through), 36 community hubs and 9 churches.

In his spare time, he is a voluntary youth worker, and independent listener in a specialist boarding school and is studying for his Doctorate in Psychology. When (if) he ever relaxes he is a keen fan of Korean drama (though has to use subtitles).