NISCC Council Members

The Council is made up of a Chair and 12 non-executive members. The members represent a wide range of interests in the field of social care. Membership is split equally between:

  • Lay members - people who have direct experience as users of services, carers or voluntary workers
  • Stakeholder members - people involved in service delivery/commissioning, trade unions, education/training, professional bodies, or allied professions
  • Registrant members - people who are employed as social care workers

NISCC Chair

Mrs Elizabeth Kerr (Lily) was appointed as Chair to the NISCC by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland for a four year term from 13 December 2010.

Mrs Kerr was employed by UNISON, Northern Ireland, from 1983 to June 201. She held a Senior Management position in the Union and had responsibility for a team of full time officials. She was formerly employed as Regional Officer with the Union until 2004 and had responsibility for organisation within a number of Branches and across a number Public and Private Sector Employers. It was her role to build a strong Union organisation at local level to represent members up to and including Industrial Tribunals and Professional Hearings and to negotiate with Employers. Mrs Kerr is currently appointed as a Trade Union Representative Member of the Health and Social Care Board and is also a member of the Education and Library Board Staff Commission. She will bring to her role as Chair of the Council her extensive knowledge of the Health and Social Care system across Northern Ireland covering the Statutory, Independent and Voluntary Sectors. In addition, Mrs Kerr has championed Regulation across the entire Social Care family since the establishment of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council and has organised and negotiated on behalf of all grades of Social Care staff.

NISCC Council Members

James Perry
Mr James Perry (MSc FCA) is a Chartered Accountant and is currently self-employed, with an interest in a small family business. He is also an Associate with the Centre for Competitiveness, and was previously employed as Corporate Services Director with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Mr Perry worked for nearly 20 years as a Senior Manager with Viridian Group PLC. He is currently a Director of Ballymena Business Centre, Chair of the Board of Governors of Ballymena Academy and a member of the Board of Studies at the School of Management & Economics at QUB.

 

Joseph Blake
Mr Joseph Blake (CQSW) is a self-employed Training and Evaluation consultant and has carried out inspection work in the statutory and voluntary sectors on behalf of the Department’s Social Services Inspectorate, Comic Relief and Co-operation Ireland among others.

 

Geraldine Campbell
Mrs Geraldine Campbell is the Chair of the NISCC's Participation Group of users and carers and a member of the Business Management Committee. She has a particular interest in the service user/consumer agenda and how it can lead to better decision-making and as such she advises organisations on how to take these issues forward. She currently holds a number of other positions including Consumer Engagement Advisor to the Food Standards Agency, London, a Council member of the General Osteopathic Council, London; a member of the Northern Ireland Committee of the Big Lottery and a Lay Chair and Convenor in Health and Social Care complaints for the EHSSB and SHSSB. She is a Trustee of Citizen's Advice Belfast and has previously held positions in the voluntary sector (as a Chief Executive), the statutory sector (taking forward the user/carer involvement agenda and service performance and development) and in the private sector (business development and marketing).

 

Julie Erskine
Mrs Julie Erskine (MSc, Chartered FCIPD, BA (Hons)) has worked in the healthcare service industry for over 25 years. She held the position of Operations Director within a Belfast-based private healthcare company, having also worked as Support Services Director for the same company. Mrs Erskine was previously an Operations Manager with the WAVE Trauma Centre in Belfast.

Miriam Karp
Ms Miriam Karp (MSc BA (hons)) is Director of her own consultancy firm, working extensively in training and consultancy in the public, private and community sectors. She also works as an associate for Arthritis Care, the National Cancer Screening Programme, Ireland and Social and Market Research. She is a Management Lecturer and a Standards Monitor with the Open University. She set up and established the Sexual Health Training Team for the Eastern HSS Board and also set up the Aids Education Team for the Eastern HSS Board. She is a member of the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland, sitting on the Policy and Professional Education Committee, for which she receives travel and expenses, a member of the Fitness to Practice Committee of the NI Pharmaceutical Society and a School Governor. Miriam is one of NISCC’s representative’s on SCIE’s UK Partners Council and on the Review of Public Administration Group establishing the new Patient and Client Council in Northern Ireland. Ms Karp has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years. Ms Karp is a parent volunteer member of the Down’s syndrome Association, Bobosh a Special Needs drama group and SALTO, a Special Needs Gymnastics Club.

Ruth Lavery
Mrs Ruth Lavery (BCL (Oxon) LLB BL) was formerly a Senior Lecturer in Law at Queen’s University Belfast, Mrs Lavery is currently a panel Chair of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. She is also a former non-executive board member of both the Western HSS Board and Down Lisburn HSS Trust. Mrs Lavery served as an Equality Commissioner for six years until 2005. She is the Chair of the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Gillian McGaughey
Mrs Gillian McGaughey (BL LLB) is a Barrister specialising in Family & Child Law and lectures at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, QUB. She is also a Legal Assessor for the Nursing & Midwifery Council, London, a panel Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal and a member of the NI Legal Services Commission. Mrs McGaughey was a Stakeholder member of the NI Social Care Council prior to its reconstitution on 1 October 2007.

Maire McMahon
Mrs Maire McMahon (CCETSW) retired early 2006 from her post as Assistant Chief Inspector of Social Services with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, where she worked for 10 years. Prior to this Mrs Mc Mahon was employed as the Head of the NHSSB Registration and Inspection Unit and as a social work trainer in the education and training of social workers and social care staff. She currently works part-time as a self-employed consultant and as Independent Professional Social Services Advisor to the Complaints Ombudsman N Ireland. Mrs McMahon is a committee member of the Carrickfergus branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Trevor Spratt
Dr Trevor Spratt lives in Belfast and is presently a Senior Lecturer at QUB. Dr Spratt was previously a Lecturer in Social Work at Queen’s University, Belfast and the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.

Eleanor Taggart
Mrs Eleanor Taggart (CQSW, DipSCM QUB) has worked in social work, education, training and management for 37 years mostly in the statutory sector, primarily in the Northern HSS Board area. In addition, she has been involved with a wide range of voluntary organisations particularly in the area of services for people with disabilities. Mrs Taggart was a NI Rep on CCETSW before becoming a Stakeholder Member of the NI Social Care Council prior to its reconstitution on 1 October 2007.

Council members are appointed by the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. If you are interested in serving on the Board of a public body and are unsure how to go about it the office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister has published an information booklet entitled 'Make Your Mark - A Guide to Public Appointments in Northern Ireland'. This guide explains the different types of public bodies currently in existence and how the appointments process works in practice. Details are available from http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/index/making-government-work/public-appointments.htm or telephone the Central Appointments Unit on: 028 9052 8193.

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