Ben Byrne

Ben Byrne is the Director of LIIA. He has worked as a social worker, youth offending team manager and probation officer in London and the South East of England and has led services for young people, families and early help. Ben is focused on developing integrated, restorative and relational ways of working with adolescents. Ben leads on the Adolescent Safeguarding Priority.

Outside of LIIA, Ben is a trustee of the National Association for Youth Justice and served as a member of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales from 2018-2021 where he led on the development of the ‘child first’ principle. 

Ben is also a published author and has published works in relation to youth justice and safeguarding young people. In 2022 he released his debut novel ‘Hidden harm’, which draws on his significant experience in social work. A percentage of the proceeds from this book will be donated to charities working to end domestic abuse and violence against women.

ben.byrne@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Rula is Head of Delivery for LIIA and also leads the ALDCS workforce programme. With her LIIA programme hat on she maintains oversight of the LIIA programme, acting as Ben’s right-hand woman as the portfolio of work grows. As the workforce lead, Rula is responsible for developing and managing an ambitious programme of pan-London collaborative activity focused on improving the experience of the children’s workforce and enabling them to individually and collectively thrive, in order to provide the best services for children and young people in London.

Rula has a background in recruitment and consultancy, with an extensive background providing specialist services to the public sector and delivering a bespoke consultancy model to organisations in London and across the UK. One of her proudest achievements has been designing and growing a national employability social value programme leading local, regional and even international workshops and seminars for students, young people, NEET and adults seeking employment and careers advice. Rula has also worked in the education sector and worked as a trustee and volunteer for several charities over the last 10 years, all of which focus on supporting vulnerable children and young people in education and employment.

Rula has a BSc in Criminology and Sociology from the University of Portsmouth and has since studied Public Policy with LSE. She swam competitively for 12 years and in her spare time volunteers as a swimming instructor for little ones, hits the gym or spends time with her family and friends

Contact: rula.tripolitaki@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Nafisa joined the LIIA team in December 2022. She works as a Project Administrator for LIIA, supporting individual projects and the wider programme. 

Nafisa graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with a degree in History, Politics and International Relations and she has an interest in Children’s Services.

In her free time, Nafisa enjoys swimming and going for walks.

nafisa.abdiresak@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Sherian Bateson is an Intelligence Analyst for LIIA. She assists in the delivery of a portfolio of data products that inform strategy and practice across children’s services in London.  Sherian works closely with London’s Local Authorities in developing datasets and products that support the work of LIIA on behalf of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services. 

Sherian has a background in finance and completed a PGCE at the Institute of Education to start a teaching career in Computer Science. She taught for 13 years in a London secondary school and has an MA in Teaching from the University of London.

Sherian enjoys spending time with her family and dog. She has been developing her kayaking skills while exploring the many beautiful waterways of England.

sherian.bateson@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Stephen Carter is an Intelligence Analyst for LIIA. He assists the team with development of data products that inform strategy and practice across children’s services in London. His current projects include the Child Level Data project and Workforce Development analysis.

Prior to joining LIIA in March 2023, Stephen’s has spent his career working in local government. He has many years of experience working on data analysis and report development within Children’s services and is passionate about drawing out insights from the data in an informative and engaging way.

When not doing that, in his free time he can be found browsing one of the many bookshops or museums that London has to offer. He also enjoys following the latest developments in science and technology and has an interest in astronomy.

Stephen.Carter@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Bethan Evans is a Principal Programme Officer at LIIA, working on the LIIA SEND programme, and also providing support to the wider LIIA programme.

Beth has a background in policy and project support, joining LIIA from the London Environment Directors’ Network where she supported London’s Directors of Environment and national partners on policy, advocacy and delivery. During this time, she completed a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Policy and Project Management — becoming LIIA’s first apprentice. This experience strengthened her commitment to improving outcomes for young people, particularly in supporting access to early career opportunities.

Since joining LIIA in October 2023 as a Project Support Officer for the SEND and Resources & Commissioning programmes, Beth has developed a strong understanding of London’s children’s services landscape. She enjoys connecting people, sharing insight and promoting effective practice across boroughs, and values working at a pan-London level to support collaboration.

In July 2025, Beth progressed to Principal Programme Delivery Officer for the SEND Programme. She now leads on coordination and delivery for the ALDCS SEND Programme, alongside policy and programme delivery, reporting, communications, and the planning & delivery of key events including the ALDCS SEND Summit.

Outside of work, Beth brings the same energy and curiosity to her spare time, always on the lookout for her next challenge. Whether it’s running, hiking, yoga, Pilates or Hyrox, she enjoys staying active and trying new activities.

bethan.evans@londoncouncils.gov.uk

David works in the Resources and Commissioning Team, leading particularly on the Commissioning for ASD/SEMH programme and the recommissioning of the London Accommodation Pathfinder.

He has a background in Social Work and Commissioning across a number of London Boroughs, particularly focusing on placements and homes for Children Looked After and Care Leavers, and has worked jointly across Local Authorities and the NHS.

Outside of LIIA, he Chairs the Steering Group for a small VCS organisation in East London focusing on supporting children and families in the local community. He also occasionally helps some friends out by recording and producing their podcast, and does a bunch of musical things with varying levels of volume and success!

David.Garland@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Karla Goodman

Karla Goodman is the Director of Practice for LIIA and leads on the Adolescent Safeguarding priority strand for LIIA, including the Safeguarding Adolescents in London digital resource. This role includes leading on the Your Choice Programme with Isabelle Gregory, with responsibility for implementation, oversight, coordination and quality assurance of the Your Choice programme.

Karla is a Forensic Psychologist with a Doctorate from University of Nottingham, with a background in practice working within Youth Justice in both London and the South East. Karla is passionate about providing accessible, evidence based interventions that meet those in need where they are at.

She has a desire to contribute to creating a more compassionate world, where individuals are able to contribute to and are embraced within their communities, helping them discover their own purpose.

In her personal life, Karla is very active and is always hiking, running, climbing or skiing, often fundraising for causes close to her heart.

karla.goodman@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Isabelle Gregory

Isabelle Gregory is responsible for managing the rollout of the Your Choice Programme alongside Karla Goodman. She supports the delivery of other programmes such as Peer Review and the London Accommodation Pathfinder as well as helping to promote LIIA’s work more broadly through her extensive network and expertise and collaborative working.

As a senior management professional with Director-level experience (Executive and non-executive), Isabelle is a highly regarded specialist in the development of social investment and social impact bonds and is a passionate advocate for transforming public expenditure away from cost of failure to investment in success.

Isabelle is committed to helping young people flourish, and her expertise and unwavering energy has established her as a critical member of the team both generally and in delivering the Your Choice programme, which she personally named.

Isabelle does much outside of LIIA to push the agenda for children and young people and personally takes great joy from young people’s energy and creativity, holding a strong belief that young people will make the world a better place. She is also an active netball player and a proud and longstanding member of a South London team.

isabelle.gregory@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Andy is the SEND Inclusion and Learning Programme Manager at LIIA. Developing, facilitating, and enhancing inclusive systems across children’s services ensuring positive opportunities for young people pan-London. 

He has previously been in education for twenty years, including time as a Headteacher of a SEND provision whilst also working on the SEND & AP Change Programme prior to joining LIIA. 

Outside of work, Andy enjoys sports, travel and History.