Welcome to Gibran UK
More about us...
Meet the team
Gill Hurley - Managing Director
- BA Sociology and Education
- Certificate in Education
Gill is the managing director of the Unlocking Potential Group, which includes the
company GIBRAN (UK) Ltd. She has been successfully securing both European and Lottery
grants since 1996 for the public and private sector as well as for her own group
of companies.
Her main area of interest is working with people who face multiple barriers to employment,
social inclusion and particularly the difficulties faced by women. Gill has considerable
experience and understanding of the issues affecting the resettlement and rehabilitation
of offenders.
Gail Cottrell - Office Manager
Gail joined the Going Home team with 20 years experience working in various administrative
roles. Her experience also includes volunteer work with Marie Curie.
Prior to her appointment, Gail worked within the Water Industry for a number of
years and for the previous five years worked for a local architectural company.
Her experience and skills are invaluable for the smooth operation of a busy office
and the co-ordination of five members of staff working with challenging clients.
Diane Wainewright - Part Time Administrator
Diane worked as a Business Development Manager for Vodafone for 18 years, looking
after Corporate Accounts across the UK.
Through the many years of Diane's career her main focus and drive has been to help
people achieve their potential whether it be professionally or personally. Over
the past few years whilst raising her family Diane has worked with children, this
she feels has been fulfilling and rewarding.
Louise Clark - Associate
Until recently Louise was working for a voluntary sector council on the Compact agreement between public sector and third sector, her previous roles have included management of the Sex Workers in Prison (SWIP) project. Prior to SWIP, she worked at a women's prison for Nacro for 3 years, co-ordinating the Voluntary Sector support services and her previous work has been primarily in developing and delivering new support initiatives for socially excluded groups in the Southwest, including asylum seekers, refugees, young mothers, care leavers and teenage homeless.
Emma Harris - Mentor Manager/Researcher
- MSc Forensic Psychology
- BSc Psychology
- Emma has an interest in research and demonstrating impact
In 2007, Emma graduated from the University of Surrey, Guildford, where she worked
closely with a local police constabulary analysing victim statements to give a professional
opinion to police to aid them in their enquiries. Emma has a keen interest in research
and evaluation and is particularly interested in demonstrating the effects of interventions.
In 2006, Emma graduated from the University of Wales Swansea where she conducted
research into the predictability of criminality, with a focus on 'risk factors'
with the intention of developing early interventions.
Jo Muscat - Support Worker
- MBA Business Administration
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Managers
Jo's has previous experience with Probation, where she co-facilitated anger management
programmes, visited prisoners and supported prisoners families. Jo set up a group
to support of prisoners families. She has a strong background in community development,
and has worked in some of the most disadvantaged areas of South Wales.
Jo has worked on a number projects focused on working with women in support of personal
development, education and employment.
As an Associate to Gibran and a Support Worker to the Going Home Project, Jo brings
a range of practical and supportive skills to women wishing to return to the labour
market.
Jackie James - Key Worker
Jackie heard about the Going Home Project during the two years that she spent volunteering
for Family and Friends of Prisoners (FFOP's). FFOP'S is a Swansea based charity
that supports the family members of people who have been caught up in the Criminal
Justice System. This role inspired Jackie to go back to college and further her
education by doing an access to Social Welfare course at Swansea College. During
the course her enthusiasm for learning more about the Criminal Justice System grew,
along with her passion to work with female offenders.
Jackie joined the Going Home Project as a volunteer in 2008 and subsequently is
now working for the project as a key worker mentoring women. Alongside this Jackie
is studying a degree in Criminology at Swansea University.
Company Structure / Background
The Unlocking Potential Group was incorporated in 2005; which brought
together the several business arms of the company each with its own specialist area:
Education Training and Counselling (ETC Ltd) has for over ten years
successfully worked with a strong portfolio of public, private and third sector
clients that include: HMP Service Wales, Group 4 Securicor, National Probation Trust
SE Wales, Action for Children (formally known as NCH Cymru), Learndirect, Monmouthshire
County Council, NOMS Wales, NAW and Connaught plc.
Gibran UK is a not for profit company which has recently secured
almost £900,000 in funding over five years to help women ex-offenders. The
Managing Director Gill Hurley has successfully written over 25 ESF applications
and has secured in the region of 20million in additional funding to help people
who are socially excluded and therefore helped to 'Unlock their Potential'.
We have a full complement of 5 full-time staff, 1 part-time member of staff and
3 Associates.
News
Read our latest news:
- Press release: Sex Work in Wales - 01/12/2009
- Newsletter 3- 30/11/2009
- New look publicity - 07/03/2009
- Number of referals - 27/02/2009
- Services provided - 23/02/2009
- Success! - 20/02/2009
Archives
Going Home DVD
The European Social Fund and Welsh Assembly Government funded a project called Resettlement of Women Ex-offenders which enabled the research and development of self-help materials for Welsh women serving their prison sentences in England. The primary aim of the project was to empower women prisoners by giving them information, in a format which is easy to access and enable them to understand what support there is available for them on release. A "bottom up approach" was been used; women prisoners were involved at all stages of the production of the DVD, including deciding on the DVD title "Going Home", the women appeared in and filmed the production, as well as designed the cover art work and helped with the final editing.
Previous Experience and Projects
Our previous projects have all been funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) whose overall aim is to increase and improve employment opportunities in areas of social and economic disadvantage.
© Copyright 2008 - 2010 Gibran UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Gibran UK is a company limted by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales, no: 5968980. Registered Office: Parker and Co, Summit House, Gold tops, Newport, NP20 4PG.
