Teresa HUGHES is a former police detective who worked in the Paedophile Online Investigation Team. Teresa has extensive experience in safeguarding/child protection, sex offender management and online safety issues gained through law enforcement, and working across industry and the charity sector.

Teresa coordinated the first Stop It Now! UK & Ireland project funded by the UK Home Office for the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity working to reduce the risk of children being sexually abused. Throughout the project Teresa provided information and training to teachers, social workers, probation officers, foster carers and parents/carers through a multi-agency approach to the prevention of child sexual abuse. This was achieved by teaching about sex offender behaviour in order to help identify worrying behaviour of adults, including children/young people displaying sexually problematic behaviour.

With particular expertise in the use of preventative and interventionist approaches in lowering the risk of child sexual abuse, Teresa also developed and delivered two major projects: a sex education and child abuse prevention initiative for Key Stage 2 children (Hedgehogs, which was funded by the E.U. DAPHNE III programme); and a child sexual abuse prevention programme for the Somali community in London.

Currently as the co-Director of a small company, Teresa supports more than 300 national and international schools, organisations, charities and companies with the delivery of their safeguarding/child protection training both on and offline and supports organisations in creating online awareness strategy, policy and process. The training includes school inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate, school pupils of all ages, staff and their parents.

Together with Sharon GIRLING, they also conduct safeguarding assessments and evaluations for schools and organisations.