Our Team

Our team

Robin Brierley, Executive Director

Robin is an Independent consultant on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Robin joined Thames Valley Police in 1990, and went on to work for the National Crime Squad, the Anti Corruption Command within the Metropolitan Police, and the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

He worked within the Enforcement Directorate as an SIO, and later within the Intelligence Directorate working on organised immigration crime. Robin was later seconded to the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) before leaving SOCA to set up his own company in 2011.

Robin is currently the Chair of the West Midlands Regional Anti Slavery Network and is also the Director and Coordinator. Together with Tatiana Jardan of the Human Trafficking Foundation he founded and Co Chairs and Coordinates the National Network Coordinators Forum set up to bring together the coordinators of Modern Slavery networks throughout the UK.

Robin is very much victim focused and endorses the view that partnerships are essential to identify and rescue victims and should also contribute to an increase in investigations, prosecutions and convictions in line with National Strategy.

Twitter: @robinbrierley

Donna Pryor: Business Support Manager

Donna has worked for the West Midlands Anti Slavery Network for nearly 3 years and before that she worked for several years at Adavu and the Regional Anti Trafficking Network.

She has a background in charity administration having previously worked as Executive Assistant and Clerk to the Trustees of Y Care International in London. In more recent times Donna has worked as an ESOL further education tutor and a Community Champion for a co-operative of 6 primary schools in the West Midlands Area.

She has combined her role with the West Midlands Anti Slavery Network with employment at The Queen’s Foundation where she has been responsible for international partnerships and fundraising as well as working with students with disabilities enabling access to the further education system. She is passionate about the work of WMASN and it’s ongoing development.

Amber Cagney
Development Manager

Amber has been employed by the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network since April 2019. Amber has set up a Big Lottery funded ‘place of safety’ for identified male survivors of modern slavery and will be working on developing a resource and information centre for survivors at any stage of recovery from modern slavery and identifying future opportunities for the network. Amber has recently been accepted onto a multi-agency assurance panel of independent professionals who have experience and expertise in working with victims of modern slavery will add an additional layer of scrutiny to all negative ‘conclusive grounds’ decisions across the UK.

Amber previously worked for a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) subcontractor of the Salvation Army in various roles from caseworker to accommodation manager. Amber has directly supported survivors of modern slavery to access their rights and entitlements under the Article 12 of The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking of Human Beings and the Salvation Army care contract for a number of years and developed and managed safe houses and their staff teams with an ambition for improving survivor support.

Amber is passionate about having a survivor focused approach to all that we do and working to improve the challenges that survivors face throughout the identification to recovery journey.

Davina Woollery:
Advice and Advocacy Coordinator

Davina joined the West Midlands Anti Slavery Network in August 2019 as a health and wellbeing specialist in our SafePlace^WM ‘place of safety’ project. Davina’s role is to provide support to adult male survivors of Modern Slavery and Human trafficking whilst addressing and promoting their health and wellbeing needs. Her focus is creating a welcoming atmosphere and a safe environment for survivors to be able to freely express themselves by providing wellbeing activities. Davina will be helping survivors to navigate and make informed decisions about their future and signposting to the relevant agencies that can assist with the survivors needs.

Davina was previously the Hate Crime Awareness coordinator for Centre for Diversity and Equality, with tasks varying from casework with service users to awareness for the Borough of Dudley.

Davina is extremely passionate about supporting survivors who feel invisible and aims to help shine a light onto those kept in the dark.

Nick Walton

Victim Safeguarding Pathways Coordinator

Nick joined West Midlands Police in 1995. During his career he worked in Birmingham, the Black Country and Coventry, where he undertook a number of uniform and detective roles. He eventually rose to the role of Detective Superintendent within the Force Public Protection department. From 2015-20, He was the Force Lead for Sex Work, Sexual Offences and Slavery/Trafficking, managing a large department of detectives, and developing the force Slavery/Trafficking Hub.

Nick retired from policing in August 2020 and took up the role of Adult Victim Safeguarding Pathways Coordinator with the WMASN. His role is funded by the OPCC and looks to develop a model to improve the response to safeguarding adult victims of slavery. The model (Slavery Adult Safeguarding Case Conference) is due to be launched in January 2021 and is similar to the MARAC model that currently supports victims of domestic abuse.

Hebe Lawson

SafePlace Manager

Hebe is one of two coordinators at the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network’s SafePlace project: a pre-NRM supported accommodation for adult male survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery in the West Midlands. Hebe manages the day to day activities of the SafePlace, coordinating each survivor’s support plan. This includes offering advice and advocacy for service users in areas such as: housing, the National Referral Mechanism, access to legal advice, police matters, access to health and drug and alcohol dependency services.

Before joining the SafePlace team Hebe had worked in a prevention-based and awareness-raising anti-human trafficking role in Mexico. She has also worked providing housing and benefit advice and signposting to other services in a foodbank in the UK.

Hebe strongly believes that human trafficking and modern slavery survivor support should empower service users to reclaim their rights and entitlements. Thus, allowing them to make informed choices and decisions about their care and future. Hebe values education, both in the context of informing survivors of their entitlements and care as well as spreading best practice to other professionals working in the field of human trafficking and modern slavery.

Nicole Morris

Anti Slavery and Homelessness Development Officer

Nicole is one of two coordinators at the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network’s SafePlace project: a pre-NRM supported accommodation for adult male survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery in the West Midlands. Nicole manages the day to day activities of the SafePlace, coordinating each survivor’s support plan. This includes offering advice and advocacy for service users in areas such as: housing, the National Referral Mechanism, access to legal advice, police matters, access to health and drug and alcohol dependency services.

Before joining the SafePlace team Nicole had worked in a range of different settings working for one of the biggest homelessness charities in Birmingham, offering crisis intervention through community outreach within the city centre supporting entrenched rough sleepers as well as prevention-based work in the biggest multi agency hub. This role included completing housing assessments alongside statutory services such as Birmingham City Council and Children’s Services. Nicole also has experience from a hospital setting working in A&E, supporting victims of serious youth violence and exploitation providing hospital based youth work to prevent readmissions by providing support around safeguarding, rehousing, education, training and employment, drug and alcohol as well as scaffolding them into the necessary services they require. This role provided the ‘teachable moment’ for them to say, “I want out of this lifestyle and I am ready for change”. Not only serious youth violence, Nicole would support victims of human trafficking and modern slavery from resus, on ward as well as in the community, providing long term assistance, as well as conducting risk assessments and comprehensive support plans.

Nicole strongly believes that human trafficking and modern slavery survivors should be aware, as well as provided the appropriate support that they are entitled to. Nicole is passionate about advocating for those who need a voice the most, ensuring they are encouraged to make informed choices and decisions about their care and future, ensuring professionals are survivor centred from the get-go. Nicole feels strongly about being trauma informed and providing awareness and education to external organisations relating to the importance of the victim care standards and what best practice looks like when encountering survivors.

Morgan Mead

Modern Slavery Coordinator, Birmingham City Council

Morgan has been in post with Birmingham City Council since January 2021, a role which is funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and commissioned out to the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network. This role is focused on ensuring that the local authority not only fulfils its statutory duties with regards modern slavery, but also works towards internal change and best practice, collaborating with partners both regionally and nationally.

Prior to joining WMASN, Morgan worked with the British Red Cross for several years – initially in their emergency response and first aid directorates, and later managing the crisis interventions service within the Refugee Services team in Scotland. She then joined the Anti-Trafficking team to set up the RENEW project in the West Midlands, working directly with women experiencing exploitation and focusing on those who had insecure immigration status and little access to other support services. She has also spent time with the Icelandic Red Cross, and in Greece with a local NGO on sea rescue operations.

In her spare time, Morgan also works for the IFRC and DiploFoundation as a course coordinator on their Humanitarian Diplomacy diploma, which brings together humanitarian practitioners from around the world to develop research that then informs policy and programme operations.

Morgan believes strongly in the critical importance of practical, tangible support for adult survivors, and that this should always take precedence over awareness raising or encouraging public reporting. She is invested in advocating for firewalled support for survivors with insecure immigration status wherever possible, and of the importance of recognising the structural drivers of exploitation in the UK, which include austerity, the hostile immigration environment, and other key pieces of national legislation.

Jasmyn Kaur Sandhu: Health and Wellbeing Specialist

Jasmyn is the health and well-being specialist at the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network’s SafePlace Project: a pre-NRM supported accommodation for adult male survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery in the West Midlands.

Jasmyn’s primary responsibility is managing the day to day physical and mental health and well-being needs of survivors. In her role, Jasmyn offers survivors assistance in accessing appropriate health services such as the GP and drug and alcohol services such as Change Grow and Live (CGL). Jasmyn is also responsible for ensuring that survivors have access to essential toiletries, clothing, and culturally appropriate food.

Before working at SafePlace, Jasmyn was a SafePlace volunteer. In this role, Jasmyn worked alongside the SafePlace team to provide support and safety for male adult survivors of human trafficking post-rescue/before an NRM referral.

Jasmyn believes strongly that pre-NRM care and support is essential to achieve positive outcomes for survivors.

Jasmyn is particularly interested in the gendered dynamics of trafficking in human beings. Jasmyn believes that it is crucial that agencies sensitively engage with survivors and pay particular attention to their gender-specific needs alongside their human rights.

Jasmyn strongly believes that a gender perspective should be integrated into the preparation, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of human trafficking and modern slavery policies, regulatory measures, and spending programmes across the UK.