The VRN Team
Meet the Team:
Grace Strong
Grace Strong
Strategic Director
Grace works on behalf of the core membership of the VRN and its Strategic Partnership Board, which comprises of the statutory services such as local authorities, health and police as well as representation from the voluntary and community sector. She is responsible for the strategic leadership and development of the Network. She also has overall responsibility for VRN central team and delivery of the strategy and annual plan.
Millie Gant
Programme Manager
Millie ensures that the VRN programme operates efficiently. Working closely with the VRN team and key stakeholders, Millie oversees the delivery of the Network's projects and monitors their implementation and progress.
Bethany Grewcock
Strategic Data and Insights
Manager
Beth's role is dedicated to improving our understanding of serious violence in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland through the sharing, analysis, and use of data. She is responsible for the VRN’s annual strategic needs assessment, performance monitoring of the work of the VRN partnership and interventions, and ensuring local responses to violence prevention are evidence-informed and data-led.
Sophie Boardman
Communications and Engagement Officer
Sophie's role entails all things communications for the Violence Reduction Network. To creating VRN documents and newsletters to managing the website and social media platforms to ensure partners and the public can see all the work the team produce.
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Megan Spinks
Prevention and Diversion Manager
Megan is responsible for developing and implementing prevention and diversion initiatives for children and young people. She also supports community based organisations to build competence and capacity to work with vulnerability.
Yahye Abdi
Youth Development Co-ordinator
Lisa Wilkinson
Community and Young People Involvement Manager
Lisa champions communities and young people and ensures they are centre stage in everything we do across the VRN partnership. Lisa ensures we are working with communities as partners, investing in relationships and providing relevant information, tools and resources to empower them to play their role in preventing violence.
Kulsum Patel
Business Support Officer
Kulsum's role is integral to the smooth running of the VRN. She works closely with the Programme Manager and our Provider Network as well as the central VRN team and wider partnership helping to co-ordinate, support and facilitate all that we do.
Rahma Begum
Project Support Officer
Rahma works across many different strands of the VRN team and provides support to the programme ensuring high quality delivery and engagement throughout our area.
Ethan Street
Data Analyst
Ethan provides the VRN and partners with the latest police data, as well as monitoring the impact of the VRN’s projects and interventions, creating dashboards, and working on the VRN’s yearly Strategic Needs Assessment.
The VRN partnership has invested in a multi-disciplinary central team to drive the planning and delivery of the VRN's mission and programme of work. The role of the VRN team is to:
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Lead the development of data sharing and analysis to inform strategic planning and operations.
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Champion the VRN's vision, principles and methodology, and support partners to apply these in the development of organisations and sectors responses to serious violence.
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Lead the delivery of the Serious Violence Prevention Strategy.
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Ensure young people and communities are fully involved in all aspects of the VRN's work.
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Coordinate and promote strategic messaging and campaigns around serious violence.
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Design, test and evaluate evidence-informed strategies to prevent violence.
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Generate and cascade learning across the Network.