About Us 
- Alma Belles
- Jeannette Edwards
- Les Hobbs
- Kate Bentham
- Pete Wynne
- Carole Barnes
- Diane Roberts
- John Alwyine-Mosely
- Anthony Ellison
- Helen Harrison
- Diana Murray
Alma Belles
Alma assists in the development and management of Wrexham Family Information Service (formerly Children’s Information Bureau).
As the first CIS/FIS in Wales, the CIB/WFIS has always been at the forefront of developments in Wales.
Alma makes extensive use of European funding to deliver projects aimed at helping parents into training or employment and projects raising awareness of Work Life Balance issues.
Alma is a project officer for NAFIS, and has for the past 5 years helped deliver a Welsh Assembly Government funded programme supporting CIS/FIS in Wales to meet Minimum Standards and the Childcare Act 2006 Information Duty (Section 27) requirements.
Top of Alma’s wish list for FIS in Wales is a national marketing campaign to raise awareness with parents and carers of the wealth of information that is now available to them in FIS across the country and how FIS can help them to give their children a 'Flying Start' in life.
Alma is learning the Welsh language.
Jeannette Edwards (Treasurer, Finance Sub Committee Lead)
Jeannette is the Manager of the Children & Young People Information Service for South Gloucestershire for the past 6 years. The CYPIS has expanded greatly over the past 3 years to be the first point of contact for parents, carers and professionals for the Department for Children & Young People. We take enquiries for childcare, training, admissions, student support, social care, recruitment and lots more.
Jeannette previously gained 15 years experience as a registered childminder. She was a member of the board for the National Childminding Association for ten years and was Honorary National Treasurer for five of those years.
She was also on the board of Avon Parents Network (an independent FIS) for ten years and was Chair for three of those years. She also chaired the Bristol Early Years and Childcare Partnership as a volunteer for three years before working for South Gloucestershire Council.
Jeannette has joined the board to help share her expertise and to ensure that all FISs have a national voice.
Away from work she is learning to swim and enjoys her home and gardening.
Les Hobbs (Personnel Sub-Committee Lead)
Awaiting information
Kate Bentham
Awaiting information
Pete Wynne
After a 20 year career as a Housing Manager specialising in operational roles, Pete became Manager of the FIS in Flintshire in January, 2009. This coincided with an opportunity to take up a part time lecturing role for distance learning courses in housing and business management at Leicester De Montfort University, so was in the fortunate position of having a career change but still being able to use past experiences and knowledge in both roles, particularly managing a service involving direct contact with the public.
Pete was aware that NAFIS was reconsidering how it wanted to represent its members and how it would operate as a member based organisation in the future, and with an interest in business management and the opportunity to be involved in the process of positive change which NAFIS is undertaking, Pete hopes to be able to contribute to the further development of the organisation.
Carole Barnes (Families First Champion/Panel Member)
Carole is the Families Information Service Manager for Newcastle upon Tyne. Carole joined Newcastle City Council in 1999 after working in the voluntary sector as a Playgroup Manager for five years.
Carole worked as part of a team developing out of school childcare as part of the national childcare strategy and prior to her role a FIS Manager managed the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. As FIS Manager Carole strives to raise the profile of the service as the information hub for parents and carers for Children’s Services. She has also been involved in Newcastle’s Integrated Youth Strategy and is committed to integrated working. Newcastle was one of the first four authorities to achieve the NAFIS Families First Standards Award.
Diane Roberts (Chair, NAFIS representative on FID programme board/FIDy project group/Data Quality Group)
Di has worked in the Early Years and Childcare Service in Surrey since 1999 and has been involved in providing information to families and their communities for 15 years. As a senior officer Di manages a number of teams including the Family Information Service.
Di was a childminder for 11 years, has worked in a secondary school, ran youth groups and developed services for social care teams. Di also managed a multi-agency programme as a community representative.
Di strives to enable parents to make informed choices for their families, making sure that they have real choice, recognising and demanding high quality services.
She joined the board to support the 'national voice' of FIS, helping NAFIS to influence national policy and support for local FIS through training and sharing of best practice.
John Alwyine-Mosely
Awaiting information
Anthony Ellison (Families First Champion/Panel Member)
Anthony Ellison has been FIS Manager at the London Borough of Lewisham since August 2008. Prior to this he gained five years experience in Children's Centres and Sure Start as senior monitoring and evaluation officer for Lewisham.
He also helped re-establish and regularly chairs the London Regional FIS Group and joined the NAFIS board to represent London colleagues within the organisation.
He is a keen advocate of sharing best practice and working with FIS colleagues to enable everyone to move forward in their ability to meet section 12.
Helen Harrison (Vocabularies Editorial Panel)
Helen is the Family Information Service Manager for East Sussex. Helen has been in post since May 2001 and in April 2010 the FIS became the contact centre for Children’s Services in East Sussex. Helen manages a team of 7 staff and as well as all the FIS duties they are the first point of contact for all enquiries for the Children’s Services teams. Helen was elected to the board in September 2007 and has been on the personnel sub committee and finance committee.
East Sussex was the first Local Authority FIS to gain the then NACIS quality award and successfully retain it on 3 occasions. The service was set up as a fully fledged FIS right from the start which gave them an opportunity to develop the service very quickly, with high standards and experienced staff.
Helen is passionate about getting information to families to enable them to make informed choices about how to support their families.
Diana Murray (Communications Sub-Committee Lead)
Awaiting information
