Founder / Director / Clinical Coordinator & Project Lead

Founder of Reach Rainhill C.I.C., Lead Practitioner for Reach Active

James is a qualified and experienced youth and mental health practitioner with over a decade of frontline work across Merseyside. He has supported young people in a variety of settings including CAMHS, schools, community organisations and outreach teams. He currently works within the NHS as a Senior Mental Health Practitioner in a Mental Health Support Team (MHST), specialising in early intervention, triage, and emotional wellbeing support for children and adolescents.

James founded Reach Rainhill C.I.C. to bring together youth work and mental health support in a practical, responsive and community-led way. He has designed both the Reach IN and Reach OUT projects from lived and professional insight; creating spaces that empower young people to thrive emotionally, socially and creatively.

He brings extensive experience in:
• Clinical risk management and referral pathways (including CAMHS)
• Detached and targeted youth outreach
• Youth-led engagement, participation and co-production
• Coordinating cross-sector partnerships and stakeholder relationships

James believes that young people are experts in their own lives and that by listening and responding to their needs with empathy, accountability and respect, services can create real change. His leadership ensures that every aspect of Reach Rainhill; from frontline delivery to strategic development stays rooted in integrity, inclusion and impact.

Director / Youth Worker & Community Engagement Lead

Delivery Lead for Reach OUT & Core Youth Worker for Reach Active

Ellen is a dedicated youth worker and community practitioner with hands-on experience supporting children and young people in a wide range of environments. She brings a strong background in educational support, residential childcare, and grassroots youth outreach, including delivery at large-scale community events and targeted sessions with vulnerable young people.

As a Director of Reach Rainhill C.I.C., Ellen leads on community engagement and plays a key frontline role across both the Reach OUT and Reach IN projects. She’s known for her ability to build trust quickly and authentically and forming consistent, meaningful relationships that allow young people to feel safe, seen and supported.

Ellen’s approach is grounded in:
• Relational youth work and trauma-informed practice
• Outreach delivery and community visibility
• Safeguarding, de-escalation and emotional regulation support
• Supporting young people to access further services, education or opportunities

She is passionate about making youth services inclusive, approachable and responsive to local need particularly for those who feel excluded or overlooked. Whether meeting young people out in the community or co-designing project activities with them, Ellen champions their voice and helps translate their needs into action.

With a calm and compassionate presence, she helps ensure Reach Rainhill C.I.C. remains youth-led, community-rooted, and always guided by care.

Director / Therapeutic Practice & Creative Engagement Lead

Creative Therapy Lead

Lorna is a qualified and HCPC-registered Creative Arts Psychotherapist with extensive experience supporting children, young people, and families across educational, clinical and community settings. As a Director at Reach Rainhill C.I.C., Lorna leads on embedding therapeutic and creative practices into our work with a particular focus on the Reach IN project.

Her work is rooted in the belief that creativity offers a powerful outlet for emotional expression, healing and self-discovery especially for young people navigating complex challenges. She’s delivered therapy and wellbeing support in schools, CAMHS-linked services, and national organisations, always with a commitment to inclusion, trauma-informed practice, and emotional safety.

Lorna previously collaborated with our founder to co-develop a specialist SEMH (Social, Emotional, and Mental Health) school and brings a rare blend of clinical expertise, educational insight, and lived understanding as a parent. Her work will guide the therapeutic direction of Reach IN, helping us offer young people innovative, accessible and meaningful support from creative sessions and one-to-one interventions to community arts projects and group-based engagement.

Lorna’s calm, grounded approach and creative leadership are central to ensuring our projects remain evidence-informed, compassionate, and young person–centred. Her presence ensures that therapeutic support is not just something we offer; it’s something we live and breathe.

SEND & Inclusion Lead for Reach Rainhill C.I.C.

Charlotte is a highly experienced SEN teacher and inclusive youth practitioner with a strong background in supporting children and young people with additional needs across Merseyside. Her work spans a wide range of educational and community settings, including alternative provision, specialist schools, and inclusive youth facilities.

With a passion for making services more accessible and equitable, Charlotte brings a deep understanding of the challenges faced by young people with SEND, as well as the families and professionals who support them. She has a proven track record of designing and delivering inclusive, person-centred activities that meet the emotional, social and developmental needs of children who are often overlooked by mainstream provision.

Charlotte has previously worked alongside our founder, James Dunn, in specialist youth settings and brings both professional excellence and genuine compassion to everything she does. At Reach Rainhill C.I.C., she will lead on ensuring our projects and delivery are inclusive from the ground up, embedding adjustments, advocacy, and empowerment into the heart of our approach.

Her expertise includes:
• SEN teaching and person-centred planning
• Inclusive youth work and accessible engagement strategies
• Supporting neurodivergent children and young people
• Working closely with families and multi-agency teams

Charlotte’s presence on the board strengthens our commitment to inclusion and ensures that Reach Rainhill C.I.C. can continue growing as a place where every young person is welcomed, supported, and empowered to thrive no matter their needs or starting point.