Mike is an experienced strategic leader both across the children’s workforce and within Higher Education. Before starting his career in Higher Education, Mike held several strategic positions across both local authorities and charity organisations that support children’s rights both in the UK and in Australia. Mike has been a trustee on several boards including London Play. Moving into HE, Mike has worked as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Head of Teaching and Learning. Prior to starting his current role in 2022 at Leeds Trinity University, Mike's previous roles included Director of Higher Education at University Campus Oldham.   

Having undertaken a degree in education, Mike has completed a PGCert in Professional Studies in Children’s Play, PGDE and a MA in Higher Education Mike is a Senior Fellow of Advanced HE. Currently Mike is engaged in research regarding young people and public service career pathways which is in collaboration with Professor Tony Blockley at Leeds Trinity University. 

Mike is interested in children's active participation through adopting creative research methodologies.  He has used critical cartography as a research methodology to examine children's use of space on an adventure playground as a product of relational representation.   

Mike was involved in a twelve-month ethnographic study of play behaviours under the campaign 'Our Place Too'. The study encouraged participants to share their stories of playing when they were children to examine how the freedom to play has changed compared to previous generations. The outcomes of this research were presented at the 50th International Play Association Conference. 

Within the classroom, Mike has researched the utilisation of creative pedagogies in teaching and learning. He has researched the use of rhizomatic learning as a teaching strategy in the development of an undergraduate module focusing on students’ professional practice.  

Amanda Jefferson has a varied role within the Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences Faculty. Ensuring students are confident in their studies and obtaining relevant and interesting experiences from their placements. Having led the Foundation Year programme for a number of years she has now moved on to lead a new degree programme. The new BA (Hons) Education, Mental Health and SEND programme has been introduced to help the growing need for specialists within the education and family support sector.  

Salik worked as a primary school teacher and leader for 10 years in a large three-form entry school in Leeds before making the move into HE to Leeds Trinity University as a Lecturer in Primary Education. Salik has worked across the primary ages but he has particular expertise in the Early Years and Foundation Stages and Key Stage 1. Salik is particularly interested in creative learning within the EYFS and currently leads on the Art and DT on the Primary Education programme.

Edward joined Leeds Trinity University in 2021 and is a Senior Lecturer in Children, Young People, and Families. Edward's research interests concern how contemporary media may (or may not) inform the identity and well-being of young people.
 
For instance, Edward is currently working on projects regarding social media, well-being, and identity amongst sexual minority youth; the effects of watching Love Island on the values, aspirations, and well-being of young people; and the extent to which videogames support adolescents to fulfil their basic psychological needs.
 
Collaborating with international partners is central to Edward's work, and he has recently published articles with colleagues from universities across the world, including KU Leuven, the University of Vienna, and Oklahoma State University.

Edward's work has been published in a range of journals across the disciplines of psychology and media studies, including the Journal of Adolescence; Computers in Human Behaviour; Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking; and Media Psychology. For a comprehensive list of Edward's published work, please see his Google Scholar page: ‪Edward Noon‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬‬‬‪‬
 
Edward is on the editorial board of Emerging Adulthood and has also peer-reviewed for a range of academic journals, including Computers & Education, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Media Psychology. Furthermore, he is also a member of the Faculty of Health, Wellness and Life Sciences ethics and integrity sub-committee.

Edward also teaches on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules within the school of Children, Young People, and Families. Modules tend to include those which align with his expertise, such as contemporary childhoods, child and adolescent development, and research methods. In addition, Edward supervises dissertation students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and is also accepting PhD students.

Before joining Leeds Trinity University as a Senior Lecturer, Edward was a Visiting Lecturer at both Leeds Trinity University and Sheffield Hallam University. 

Jo Wilkinson is a Lecturer in the School of Children, Young People and Families with a primary teaching and leadership background. She taught in a range of primary schools, primarily in areas of socio-economic deprivation, taking on a range of school leadership roles throughout her career. Her teaching and leadership included specialism in improving levels of understanding, support and outcomes for disadvantaged or vulnerable pupils and those with additional needs. Following her 25-year career in primary education, Jo returned to university to pursue further academic study, completing a master's degree in Mental Health of Children and Young People before going on to become a postgraduate researcher with a research focus on how Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field are experienced by disadvantaged pupils in primary schools. She has also contributed to several co-creation programmes.  

Jo teaches programmes primarily focusing on children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, children’s rights, mental health and trauma-informed practice. 

Martin has been fortunate to have had a wide-ranging experience of professional roles, both in the public and private sector that has informed his teaching and management. He was a police officer for over 30 years, reaching the rank of Temporary Chief Inspector (Head of Learning and Development) in the Lancashire Constabulary. During his service, he was responsible for the operational management of a large policing team covering an area of East Lancashire. Martin was a Control Room Commander overseeing the day-to-day management of a busy control room. He also performed roles of a Firearms Commander and Force/National Emergency Support Officer. Throughout his service, Martin was involved in Education and Training roles. This included forming partnerships with a local university (UCLan), developing the first nationally recognised policing qualification (Fd. Policing) in 2007.

Martin went on to work as the support officer for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead for Learning and Development. During this time (2009-2012), he helped to develop policing qualifications and wrote the report that started the development of the formal professionalisation of policing to a degree level. During his time as a police officer, he obtained a 1st BA (Hons) in Education and Training and undertook research on domestic abuse training and its effects on victims. On leaving policing in 2012, Martin continued to work in various roles in both the public and private sectors, managing and delivering training. This included being the Training Director for an international PR and Digital Marketing company, where he developed innovative learning experiences, using art to deliver management training. Martin also designed a mentorship programme for senior leaders. He began working in higher education in 2016. 

An experienced lecturer in CYPF, as well as criminology and policing at undergraduate level, Martin currently leads on two Level 6 modules, including Difficulties Families Face/Therapeutic Interventions and Children, Families and the Justice System, and one level 4 module, Safeguarding and Child Protection. Martin provides guest lectures at Level 3 and Level 5.  Martin has undertaken all aspects of module convenor, dissertation supervisor and personal academic tutor offering academic and pastoral support to students. 

Recently, he co-developed the Professional Policing Degree (PPD) at the University of Huddersfield, launched in September 2023. This involved developing a working relationship with the College of Policing (CoP) the course professional statutory regulatory body and a working relationship with West Yorkshire Police. Martin led the PPD through internal validation and CoP quality standard assurance.  

MArtin was a senior lecturer at York St. John University, where he designed three undergraduate police studies programmes and the Professional Policing Degree (PPD), launched in September 2019. Martin was programme lead for policing programmes at the University. He was also involved in the successful bid to form a partnership with Humberside Police to deliver the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP). These programmes brought in considerable funding. He was responsible for recruitment and retention on policing programmes, and this resulted in strong recruitment numbers. Many of the students recruited to the courses were often ‘first in family’ or from other groups that supported widening participation. Martin was a member of the Higher Education Forum for Policing, a Student Harassment Advisor, and Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS) Champion  

Martin has had articles published in Policing Insight (online) relating to sexism in policing and policing education. He has also been involved in media interviews, both locally and nationally relating to professional policing qualifications, forensic advancements and most recently, the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence.