The Human Face of Leadership in Social Care: FREE networking event for graduates of IPC’s Welsh leadership courses

Fiona leads the IPC team as Director. She is a very experienced consultant who leads applied research and evaluations, service improvement projects and training and development programmes for national and local government, health organisations, care providers and the voluntary and community sector.

Dr Caroline Dowson has over thirty years’ experience in children’s services within local authorities in both strategic and operational roles. Her expertise ranges from early help services through to safeguarding systems as well as managing an early year’s special educational needs team.

Richard is a highly experienced leader with over 35 years of knowledge working in a range of disciplines including adult social care, human resource management, workforce development and organisational development.

Joanne Llewellyn has over twenty years’ experience in children’s services within local authorities in both strategic and operational roles. Her expertise ranges from team manager of child protection and fostering services to Head of Children Services for Merthyr Tydfil. Joanne undertook both TMDP and MMDP as part of her qualification and management journey.

Bex Steen is a Leadership Development Manager at Social Care Wales, where she champions stronger, more compassionate leadership across the social care sector. With over 20 years of experience in social care leadership, she brings a wealth of knowledge alongside genuine, real-world experience. Bex is now focused on embedding compassionate leadership into everyday practice and organisational culture. She is passionate about helping others lead with empathy, courage and authenticity - supporting people to not just lead well, but to lead in ways that truly make a difference.

Maggie is a Team Manager and also works as a Home First Manager within a regional team covering all five Local Authorities across the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport and the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran. A key part of her role is working collaboratively with health colleagues and partner organisations, alongside supporting teams to navigate demand, risk and system pressures while maintaining person-centred care.
Maggie completed the IPC Team Manager Development Programme in early 2026 which she believes strengthened her focus on compassionate leadership, developing psychologically safe teams, and leading within complexity.

Louise is a Team Manager with the Blaenau Gwent & Caerphilly Youth Offending Service. She brings 16 years of experience supporting children involved in antisocial and criminal behaviour, with a strong commitment to child‑first approaches grounded in trauma‑informed practice. Throughout her career, Louise has demonstrated a deep passion for improving outcomes for children and victims, ensuring their voices remain central to decision‑making. She has completed the TMDP, AMMP, and most recently the MMDP programme, all of which she considers invaluable in shaping her development and confidence as a manager.

Elaine Jones is Head of Leadership at Academi Wales, where she leads programmes and interventions that support leaders across the Welsh public and third sectors. With experience spanning UK public services, she has led through complex challenges and now works with leaders to build confidence, capability, and impact at local, regional, and national level. Passionate about the power of development, Elaine is committed to helping others grow and thrive in leadership.