Staff & Trustees

PLIAS’ team is made up of paid and volunteer staff. We were founded by volunteers, who have gone on to become Director’s of the charity today.

Meet our staff team…

Norma Hoyte | Director
normah@plias.co.uk

Norma is a is a founding member of PLIAS Resettlement. Norma has played a significant and prominent role in the strategic development and growth of the organisation.

Norma has over 20 years’ experience of working in local government bringing together experience from a broad spectrum of areas, with particular emphasis of actively promoting measures which reduces inequalities between sections of the local community. She has worked closely with the voluntary and community sector and has developed and coordinated various activities, working closely from Government offices to ensure that BAME voluntary organisations are included in participation, representation and consultation.

Norma worked for various local authorities which includes Brent, Waltham Forest and Watford.  She was a member of the Baroness Young and David Lammy Reviews and a member of the Ministry of Justice Advisory Board on Female Offenders. She served as a Board Member of Clinks an  infrastructure organisation which represents and campaigns for the voluntary sector working with offenders and  worked on Clinks’ Race for Justice Campaign to comprehensively help ex-offenders and ex-prisoners become active and legal participants in society.

Norma has a First-Class BA (Hons) Degree in Criminology and was awarded The Tony Rhodes award by the Health and Social Sciences Faculty for the best overall performance in Community Management – University of Bedfordshire

Tom Chandler | Director
tchandler@plias.co.uk

Tom played a significant role in the operational development and growth of the organisation. He worked jointly with Norma in the  area of policy and funding and has jointly written policies and procedures to ensure that the organisation meet its legal and statutory obligation.

Tom was elected as a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) representative for the voluntary and community sector and sits on the Crime Prevention thematic group. The aim of his appointment was to represent the views and ideas of the wider local community and voluntary sector on issues pertaining to crime and crime prevention at a strategic level.

Tom  is experienced in project and business management, marketing and training and has worked in both the private and voluntary sector. Tom has a BA Honours degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice and a member of the British Society of Criminology.

Meet our trustees

Mr David Truswell (Chair)

David has worked in adult community based mental health services for over thirty years in the UK in a career spanning the voluntary sector, local authority services and the NHS.

David worked with  Central and North West London Mental Health Trust since 2000.  As a Service Manager for the Residential and Supporting People Service, a unique multi-agency service managed by Brent Mental Health services for people with complex need and enduring mental health problems.

David was the Equalities Lead for the mental health services in Brent from 2000 to 2005.  From 2005 he led a Trust wide Delivering Race Equality initiative, the Focused Implementation Site (FIS) Project and worked with PLIAS Resettlement during this time securing funding for research into service provision of BAME ex-offenders with mental health problems.

Mrs Noreen Muir (Treasurer)

Noreen has extensive experience in working across various departments in the NHS and has supported those affected by poverty, mental health and those with cross cutting complex needs, particularly individuals from the Criminal Justice System.

Noreen Muir has worked in the private, public and voluntary sector over many years.  Noreen has extensive experience in working across various departments in the NHS and has worked in a wide variety of teams, usually in a multi-professional and multi-agency mental health setting and has supported those affected by poverty, mental health and those with cross cutting complex needs, particularly individuals from the Criminal Justice System.

Noreen has experience in project management, HR, business development, and diversity and volunteers for a number of local charities.  She has a good knowledge of the sector and supported PLIAS during its early development

Mr Michael Lazarus (Trustee)

Michael has extensive experience in working in both the voluntary and statutory sector. He has an in-depth understanding and knowledge of both legal and financial affairs including insolvency law. He regularly attends court and makes legal representation.

Michael was employed at the Insolvency Service as a Deputy Official Receiver and managed a team of professional and administrative staff who deal with the affairs of insolvent businesses and individuals.

Michael  provides business advice to both large and small companies and organisations to ensure they remain up to date with procedural and legal changes. He has supported many charitable organisations around governance and staff development and volunteer for many of these organisations. He holds a law degree and provides support to management and trustees of PLIAS in relation to governance issues.  Michael also sits on a number of boards and this support is also extended to these organisations.

Mrs Carol Harrison Read

Carol has extensive experience of overseeing work in Mental Health Trusts and with mental health service users who were involved in the Criminal Justice System and led on many leading initiatives to address the barriers and disadvantages faced by users from BAME communities.

Carol has worked for Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust for many years.  She managed a team of Community Mental Health staff and has experience of staff development, budgets and engaging with commissioners and other agencies.

She has developed many local forums and partnerships to bring  local BAME organisations together to support ex-offenders from the BAME community to improve their health and social care outcomes.

Carol was involved in the original research by the University of Portsmouth which lead to the Lord Bradley’s review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system, which lead to the development of Court Liaison and Diversion Services which Carol supported.

Mr Tajean Hutton

Tajean is the Strategic Director of the Trevor Hutton Community Football Federation (CFF) which was set up to bring grassroots football to a new peak to give men and women and young people of all ages an honest opportunity in society using football as a tool to steer them away from crime and criminal activity and as a springboard to support the development of an inclusive community for all.

Tajean managed the Kick It Out’s Grassroots team and is responsible for the implementation and delivery of Kick It Out’s work in grassroots football. Tajean oversees the delivery of Kick It Out’s Grassroots Activity Fund, which offers financial and logistical support to applicants running events or initiatives that facilitate diversity and equality in football. Tajean works closely with the local community and engages with residents and local Councillors to get the best outcomes for young people. He provides support to young people who often find themselves at the margins of society.