The Team at Children's Law Centre
Trása Canavan
Trása Canavan is the Senior Policy & Public Affairs Lead for Barnardo’s NI. Trása works closely with the wide range of services delivered by Barnardo’s NI, to understand the realities facing children in Northern Ireland and uses this evidence to shape policy to achieve the best outcomes for children.
Sarah Elliott
Sarah Elliott is an Associate Partner at Worthingtons Solicitors. She trained, qualified and practiced as a family law solicitor within Worthingtons for around 5 years, specialising in both public sector and private sector children’s law applications under the Children’s (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 along with other matrimonial and financial matters. Over the past few years Sarah then moved into an Associate role within Worthingtons healthcare litigation department, specialising in medical negligence claims both in the private and public sector for actions on behalf of children and adults, specialising in maternal injury, birth injury and cerebral palsy cases sustained as a result of child birth. Sarah is therefore very familiar as to the range of challenges children meet as a result of the many forms of civil litigation and aims as a member of the CLC Board to apply her experience and knowledge of legal actions taken both in relation to or on behalf of children in order to assist the Centre.
Jerome Finnegan
Jerome is the Policy and Practice Impact Adviser at Save the Children. He has worked on a wide range of issues, from early education to climate change to poverty, and experience of working with children and families to campaign for change.Jerome is committed to human rights and working collaboratively with others to achieve positive social change.
Chris Haugh
Chris Haugh is a Chartered Accountant, currently working as Claims Team Manager within Invest Northern Ireland. He has more than 10 years post qualification experience working within finance, audit, risk and governance roles in a wide variety of organisations in the public, private and third sector. As a member of the CLC Board and Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, Chris applies his financial skills to assist in the effective governance of the Centre.
Eόin Millar
Eóin is a Bar Student at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Queen’s University Belfast. He has served on the boards of several youth and community focused charities. He has a commitment to youth voice and participation, and a strong interest in the rights and wellbeing of children and young people.
Amanda Stewart
Amanda is part of the Senior Management Team at Northern Ireland Youth Forum. She leads on projects that are mainly focussed on housing, homelessness and mental health, ensuring that young people have their voices heard and are involved in decisions that affect their lives. Amanda is currently studying to become a psychotherapist as well as being a mummy to three amazing and lively boys! In her very limited spare time she likes to run (a little bit) and does yoga.
Alicia Toal
Alicia is the Chief Executive of Voice of Young People In Care (VOYPIC) a children’s charity that promotes the rights and voice of children in care, aiming to ensure that every child has a safe, stable, and positive experience of care and is involved in decisions about their life.