Trainers
CPAG is committed to ensuring that all the trainers who teach on our courses are experts in their areas of work. Most are experienced welfare rights workers.

Jayne Aldridge is currently Head of Student Services at Thames Valley University. She is the former Chair of National Association of Student Money advisers (NASMA) and was previously on secondment to the Department for Education and Skills (now DIUS). Jayne contributes to CPAG’s Student Support and Benefits Handbook.

Barbara Alexander has worked in the advice sector for 10 years.  She is CIPD trained and was training development officer for North Herts and District CAB before joining the Money Advice Unit, Hertfordshire County Council in April 2005 to set up the HB outreach project.  The aim of the project was to work strategically with HB Managers, voluntary and statutory agencies to increase the benefit take-up for the elderly. She now works in a ground breaking partnership with Hertfordshire Probation giving debt and benefit advice to offenders.

Jane Ballantyne is a qualified solicitor and experienced freelance trainer.  Jane has contributed to publications including the Welfare Benefits Resource Pack and Rights Guide for Homeowners.

Ellie Bergin has worked as a welfare rights worker since 1991 and currently works for Islington Council. She previously worked as a trainer and an appeals representative for London Advice Services Alliance, and was a rights worker at Disability Alliance and at Merseyside Welfare Rights.

Tony Bowman has been a welfare rights adviser since 1996. He is currently employed at Reading Community Welfare Rights Unit and also works as a freelance trainer and writer.

Michelle Büyükertaş is an experienced welfare rights adviser and trainer. She currently works in the Money Advice Unit at Hertfordshire County Council, having previously spent a number of years working for Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Sarah Clarke is the solicitor in CPAG’s Citizens’ Rights Office. She has previously worked at Tooting and Balham CAB and in private practice. She carries out test case work in social security law at CPAG and she contributes to the Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.

Tahnyet Faroqui is an advice worker at Camden CAB and has 20 years experience in welfare benefits advice work and representation at Social Security Appeal Tribunals and Employment Tribunals.  She has also provided training in welfare benefits, including tax credits and skills based courses for CABx.

Lindsey Fidler is Research and Development Manager for Youth at Risk. She was formerly Director of Campaigns and Communications for the National Union of Students, where she oversaw information and policy work on students support and benefits.

Pamela Fitzpatrick is a welfare rights worker in CPAG’s Citizens’ Rights Office and is an author of the Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook and the Migration and Social Security Handbook.  She has over 10 years' experience of representing claimants before the Social Security Commissioners. She received formal tutor training from Citizens Advice and has been a visiting lecturer at the London Metropolitan University, currently a visiting lecturer on the MA Child Studies programme at King’s College.

Marian Gell has worked in welfare rights for 18 years. She currently works for Contact a Family providing advice to parents and carers of children with additional needs.

Carolyn George is a freelance writer and trainer and has worked in the welfare rights field for over 25 years. She has worked in the Citizens’ Rights Office at CPAG and with other organisations, including as a part-time lecturer in Law. She is an author of CPAG’s Housing Benefit and Council Tax Legislation and Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook and has contributed to a number of other publications.

Edward Graham is a welfare rights worker in CPAG’s Citizens Rights Office and has 15 years experience in benefits advice.  He has extensive experience of providing training, advice and casework support as part of CPAG’s specialist support service. 

Rachel Hadwen is a Rights Adviser on the Working Families helpline, and a freelance writer and trainer.   She has worked with organisations including One Parent Families/Gingerbread and CLS Direct.

Conrad Haley is the former director of the Public Law Project, which specialises in social welfare judicial reviews. He has written and lectured in social security and public law, and has litigated on behalf of claimants in many areas of social welfare law. He has been appointed to the public law peer review panel by the Legal Services Commission, and is a part time Tribunal Judge hearing social security appeals.

Daphne Hall has worked in welfare rights for many years and is currently a welfare rights adviser with Bristol City Council and also a freelance trainer. She is a contributor to Disability Alliance's Disability Rights Handbook and to CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.

Steve Johnson manages Walthamstow CAB. He is also a freelance welfare rights trainer to those working in the voluntary sector, lawyers, housing associations and local authorities.

Beth Lakhani is a welfare rights worker in CPAG’s Citizens’ Rights Office and contributes to CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook. Beth also represents CPAG at HMRC’s national consultation meetings on tax credits.

Stephanie McKeon is a solicitor and has worked for the last 7 years as a legal adviser and trainer at Working Families where she gives employment law and benefits advice to working parents. She previously worked in private practice.

Celia Minoughan manages Energy Advice South West. She has 25 years experience of organising benefit take-up campaigns for local authorities and voluntary sector organisations and is an experienced welfare rights trainer.

Alan Murdie is director of McKenzie Friends Zacchaeus 2000 Trust and is a barrister with extensive experience in representation in local taxation cases over the last 17 years. He was the co-founder the Poll Tax Legal Group in 1990 and is co-author of Council Tax: A Guide to Appeals (1994) and the Enforcement of Local Taxation (2000) published by the Legal Action Group; editor of CPAG’s Council Tax Handbook and Fuel Rights Handbook.

Simon Osborne is a welfare rights worker in CPAG’s Citizens’ Rights Office and was previously a rights worker with the Disability Alliance. He is a consultant editor and an author of the Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook and contributor to the Welfare Rights Bulletin.

Judith Paterson is welfare rights co-ordinator for CPAG in Scotland. She was previously editor of Disability Alliance’s Disability Rights Handbook. Judith is an author of CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook and Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook.

Jane Phipps works for Citizens Advice as a Specialist Support Officer. She has specialised in debt advice for 20 years working for the London Borough of Lambeth, Oxford CAB and Citizens Advice. She also delivers training for the Money Advice Trust and the Institute of Money Advisers. She has published a book and various articles about debt, the county court and money advice.

Fiona Ripley has worked as an asylum and immigration solicitor for 20 years, initially in private practice and currently at Southwark Law Centre. She is a peer reviewer; an asylum support adjudicator and also an author of the Migration and Social Security Handbook.

Louise Shepherd is a freelance training consultant.  Louise was formerly a welfare rights trainer for the London Borough of Lewisham and training manager for a large London based Housing Association. She works exclusively in the public sector and recent clients include NSPCC, the National Trust, Imperial College and many local authorities and housing associations.

Aida Shoush is an experienced welfare rights adviser and trainer. She is currently working as an adviser at St Christopher’s Hospice in South London as part of a team providing advice services to patients of the Hospice and their families, as well as those who are newly bereaved. She has been an adviser in both the CAB service and other parts of the independent advice sector. She has also worked in a local authority welfare rights service and worked providing advice services at LASA.

David Simmons is a welfare rights worker in CPAG’s Citizens’ Rights Office. He has more than 20 years experience of providing welfare rights advice and training and has written extensively for CPAG and other publications. He currently provides specialist advice and casework support to welfare rights workers and lawyers as part of CPAG’s specialist support service.

Judy Stenger works for Neath Mind and has many years’ experience of mental health welfare rights work, campaigning and policy development and training. She is the author of the annual Big Book of Benefits and Mental Health and produces the monthly ‘Welfare Writes’ column for Mental Health Today magazine.

David Stickland is a freelance welfare rights trainer and Welfare Rights Officer for the London Borough of Greenwich. He delivers training for various voluntary organisations and acts as a consultant/trainer for several large housing associations and disability organisations. David represents the Local Government Association at HMRC’s national consultation meetings on tax credits. Before becoming a benefits adviser for Citizens Advice, David worked as an English language teacher in Turkey where he developed an interactive training style which strives to be engaging, informative and enjoyable.

Paula Twigg is the manager of CPAG’s Citizens’ Rights Office. She is an author of CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook and Debt Advice Handbook. She previously worked at Edmonton CAB.

Gary Vaux is the Head of Advice (Benefits & Work) at Hertfordshire County Council and an experienced welfare benefits adviser, writer and trainer. Gary also writes a benefits column for Community Care magazine

Rebecca Walker is an experienced freelance trainer and is currently a welfare benefits caseworker at Pitsmoor CAB in Sheffield.  She has previously worked as a welfare rights adviser for Refugee Outreach and Advice Partnership and the Terrence Higgins Trust, and a trainer at London Advice Services Alliance. Rebecca contributes to the Disability Alliance’s Disability Rights Handbook.

Lynn Webster has been in the welfare rights field for 27 years.  She worked for Birmingham Tribunal Unit, co-ordinating a team of volunteer tribunal representatives and then for Citizens Advice in a London based welfare rights unit, which provided training and support for CAB workers. She was Service Manager of Warwickshire Welfare Rights Service, an independent charity, and now works for a Local Authority welfare rights service. She has been an author of CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook and editor of the Adviser magazine and a contributor to the Paying for Care Handbook.

Ros White has worked as a welfare rights adviser and trainer for many years.  She currently works as the benefits adviser for Notting Hill Housing, having previously worked in LASA’s appeal team and as a welfare rights adviser for Citizens Advice.

Martin Williams is a welfare rights worker in CPAG’s Citizens’ Rights Office. He is widely experienced in representing claimants at appeals and before the Social Security Commissioners having worked in the LASA appeals team from 2001 until 2008. He has also worked as a Local Authority Welfare Rights officer and in an independent advice centre.