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 chairperson of the National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA) and was previously on secondment to the Department for Education and Skills (now DIUS). Jayne also contributes to CPAG’s Student Support and Benefits Handbook.

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.

Tony Bowman is a welfare rights adviser at Reading Community Welfare Rights Unit and also works as a freelance trainer and writer. Tony contributes regularly to the Disability Alliance's Disability Rights Handbook.

Sarah Clarke is the solicitor in CPAG's Citizens' Rights Office. She has previously worked at Balham and Tooting CAB and in private practice. She contributes to CPAG's 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 also is a freelance trainer for Citizens Advice specialising in welfare benefits and tax credits training.

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 and contributes to UKCOSA’s manual for overseas students. She has over 10 years' experience of representing claimants before the Social Security Commissioners. Pamela received formal tutor training from Citizens Advice and has been visiting lecturer at the London Metropolitan University. She currently lectures on the MA programme at King’s College, London.

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 more than 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.

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.

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 the 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.

Michelle Jones 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.

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 six years as a legal adviser and trainer at Working Families where she gives advice to working parents on employment law and benefits. She previously worked in private practice.

Celia Minoughan manages Newham Council Social Regeneration Unit's benefit take-up team. She has organised benefit take-up campaigns for local authorities and voluntary sector organisations since 1983 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 15 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) and 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 CPAG's Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook and contributor to the Welfare Rights Bulletin.

Judith Paterson is a welfare rights co-ordinator for CPAG in Scotland. She was previously editor of the 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 Money Advice Association. 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 an author of the Migration and Social Security Handbook.

Louise Shepherd is a freelance training consultant. She was formerly a welfare rights trainer for the London Borough of Lewisham and training manager for a large London-based Housing Association. Louise works exclusively in the public sector and recent clients include the 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 providing advice, training and policy work on benefit issues and worked providing advice services at LASA.

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 Istanbul, 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 ais 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 as 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 26 years. She worked for Birmingham Tribunal Unit, coordinating a team of volunteer tribunal representatives, and then for NACAB in a London-based welfare rights unit which provided training and support for CAB workers. Lynn is currently Service Manager for Warwickshire Welfare Rights Service. She has been an author of CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook and editor of 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 welfare benefits advisor at Notting Hill Housing, having previously worked in LASA’s appeals team and as a welfare rights advisor for Citizens Advice.

Louise Whitfield qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and joined Public Law Project (PLP) in 2003. She carries out casework and provides advice on public law issues to other advisers via PLP’s specialist support line. Louise also develops and delivers training and is involved in the Project’s policy work on a number of issues.