Tim Carter
Director of Safeguarding
Tim Carter has over 30 years working across voluntary and public sectors specialising in community development, training, social enterprise, consultancy, statutory social work, setting up preventative services for children, young people and families, strategic planning and project management working with partner agencies from all sectors including national government departments.
Tim has worked in the field of church safeguarding since the mid-1990s and took up the post of Safeguarding Adviser in 2015 following the publication of the Past Cases Review. When a new team of Casework Supervisors was established in 2018, he became the Director of Safeguarding.
Christine Kennedy
Safeguarding Training Lead Officer
Christine has been a member of the Connexional Team since 2018; she works part time as the lead on Safeguarding Training, working in partnership with Regional Officers for Safeguarding (ROS) and colleagues from the Learning Network to update and develop new materials to support good safeguarding practice.
Prior to August 2025, Christine shared the supervision of DSOs across the North West with Chris Lewis. She had responsibility for casework supervision for the DSOs in the Bolton & Rochdale, Cumbria and Lancashire, Liverpool, Manchester & Stockport, Nottingham and Derby, and Isle of Man Districts. Before becoming a Casework Supervisor, Christine was the DSO for Manchester & Stockport for 3 years.
Christine began work as a social worker, eventually focussing on working with adults; and finished her career as the manager of an integrated health and social care service.
Christine volunteers at her local church where she is involved in children’s work and is the Safeguarding Officer. She has been a safeguarding trainer since the ‘Creating Safer Space’ training began in 2008.
Contact Christine via email or call 07817 424 504 / 0207 467 5235
Kate Little
Safeguarding Survivor Lead Officer
Kate Little is the Safeguarding Survivor Lead Officer for the Connexional Safeguarding Team. Her role involves leading on the Methodist Church’s response to victims and survivors of abuse, including coordinating support, advocating for survivors and facilitating the Survivor Engagement Forum and Methodist Survivors Advisory Group.
Kate works part time (21 hours) and has been a member of the Connexional Safeguarding Team since July 2016;
Kate qualified as a social worker in 2006 and spent the next ten years working in various frontline statutory and charity roles with vulnerable adults.
If you want further information about supporting survivors of abuse within the Methodist Church or if you are yourself someone with lived experience and would like to get involved in our survivor engagement work , please get in touch with Kate.
Contact Kate via email or call 07854 247546 / 020 7467 5289
Donald Urquhart
Safeguarding Policy & QA Manager
Donald is the Policy and QA manager, having taken over the Safeguarding Policy Manager role in March 2024. Donald joined the Connexional Safeguarding Team in September 2018, having previously been the District Safeguarding Officer for Scotland and Shetland and the National Safeguarding Adviser for the Scottish Episcopal Church. Donald is a retired police officer, having served more than thirty years in Lothian and Borders Police. He left the police to become Head of Antisocial Behaviour Services for the City of Edinburgh and, more recently, he was the Lead Officer for the Midlothian Child Protection Committee and the Independent Chair of the Glasgow Child Protection Committee.
Donald leads the development of safeguarding policies to assist the Methodist Church in all aspects of protecting of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Donald also leads for the Safeguarding Team on safeguarding standing orders, relationships with Foreign Fellowships, the new Connexional Safeguarding Case Management System and coordinating support for risk assessors.
He is, of course, Scottish, and enjoys cycling, hill-walking and dog walking with Zirka (the cocker spaniel).
Contact Donald via email or call 020 7467 5239
Karen Allen
Regional Safeguarding Manager (RSM) - North East
Karen Allen is the Regional Safeguarding Manager for the North East Region. She has responsibility for managing the Regional Officers for Safeguarding (ROS) aligned to the Darlington, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sheffield, Scotland, Shetland, Yorkshire West & Yorkshire North and East Methodist Districts.
Karen is a qualified Social Worker and Play Therapist and has worked in and managed teams in both the statutory and charity sector.
She is the lead for children and young people and domestic abuse. She works closely with the Global Relationships team to help support them and our overseas partners with safeguarding matters. In addition, Karen helps to lead safeguarding related projects.
Contact Karen via email or call 07969 292581 / 0207 467 5229
Claire Coles
Regional Safeguarding Manager (RSM) - South East
Claire is Regional Safeguarding Manager for the South East Region and has responsibility for managing the Regional Officers for Safeguarding (ROS) aligned to the Beds, Essex and Herts (BEH), East Anglia, Lincolnshire, London Northampton and South East Districts.
Claire has been a member of the Connexional Safeguarding Team since 2025 having previously been the DSO for the South East District
After completing her BSc in Psychology with Criminal Justice and PGDL in Law Claire qualified as a probation officer. During her probation career she gained her MSc in Forensic psychology and specialised in working with high risk offenders. Claire then moved to work as LADO for a number of years before moving into the charity sector, working initially for the Church of England as a Project Manager for their Past Cases Review 2 and delivering training and then in safeguarding for King’s Trust.
Contact Claire via email or call 07792 586067 / 020 7467 5237
Alison Corner
Regional Safeguarding Manager (RSM) - South West
Alison is the Regional Safeguarding Manager (RSM) for the South West Region and is responsible for managing the Regional Officers for Safeguarding (ROS) aligned to the Bristol, Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands, Plymouth & Exeter, Southampton & Wales Synod Cymru Districts. Alison is currently leading on our safeguarding case management system MyConcern.
Alison Corner joined the team in September 2023 as a Safeguarding Casework Supervisor covering the South West and parts of the South East regions.
Following on from her Law Degree, she went on to train as a Probation Officer and qualified in 2010. During these years, Alison has spent time in not only probation work, but also held positions with homelessness charities, housing associations, and young person’s charities. Alison also volunteers as a Parish Councillor.
Contact Alison by email or call 07792 345966 / 020 7467 5227
Chris Lewis
Regional Safeguarding Manager (RSM) - North West
Chris is the Regional Safeguarding Manager for the North West Region and has specific responsibility for managing the Regional Officers for Safeguarding (ROS) aligned to the following districts: Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, Chester & Stoke-on-Trent, North West England District (NWED) & Nottingham and Derby and providing casework supervision for the DSO for the Isle of Man.
Contact Chris via email or call 020 7467 3536
Regional Officers for Safeguarding
Each District or Mission Area now has an aligned Regional Officer for Safeguarding (ROS). On the Contact your Regional Officer for Safeguarding page, you will find contact details for the Regional Officer for Safeguarding aligned to your District (or Mission Area) and links to District safeguarding information