About UKAFN
The United Kingdom Association of Forensic Nurses (UKAFN) was initially devised in 2004 by Jo Delaforce. The driving force behind the group was made up of three Clinical Nurse Specialists from the Havens: Jo Delaforce, Annika Stenvall and Sharon McCabe.
A steering group made up of representatives from Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCS) and Custody Nurses from around the United Kingdom was soon established to provide direction for the UKAFN. It was clear from the onset there was enthusiasm to meet the need for an association in the UK. The steering group felt it was paramount for a body of professionals not only to provide a continuum of best practise but also to raise standards and to facilitate access for learning and educational needs.
The aims of UKAFN
The aims of UKAFN are to lay foundations for best practice countrywide and to enable the delivery of quality care to individuals, also to provide accessible resources, including a knowledge base in forensic nursing
Jennette Arnold OBE - UKAFN Patron
After a career in nursing, senior roles with the Royal College of Nursing and working as a training and
development consultant, Jennette found her natural home as a campaigner within political and public life.
She was a councillor in Islington for 8 years, including a term as Deputy Mayor, and then was elected to the
Greater London Authority as a London-wide Assembly Member in 2000. Since 2004 she has represented
North East London and in 2008/09 served a term as Chair of the London Assembly.
Jennette is a relentless campaigner and has consistently linked her political roles to her campaigning work to bring about changes for Londoners. Through her involvement with the Metropolitan Police Authority she has successfully overseen the establishment of Community Safety Boards in her constituency. She has been an active supporter of the Justice4Jamie campaign highlighting the devastating effects of knife crime, and has supported BLUNT 1 and 2 policing initiatives to tackle this problem London-wide.
Jennette has been a constant supporter of women’s rights, she is particularly involved in highlighting issues of domestic violence across all of London’s communities. At the moment she is lobbying the Mayor to stand by his pledge to establish 4 Rape Crisis Centres across London.
Jennette is a Champion of young people and finds time to mentor and encourage a number of young Londoners as they carve out their own careers in a variety of sectors across the UK.
In 2009 Jennette was awarded an OBE for her services to Local Government and London. In April 2008 Jennette was appointed by the Prime Minister as a Trustee to the Board of the Museum of London. In October 2008 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of East London for her services to East London. Jennette is currently a council member of the Royal Court Theatre, Governor of Sadler’s Wells Theatre Foundation and patron of the Victoria Climbie Foundation.
Meet the UKAFN team
Jo Delaforce - President
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) at the Haven Camberwell since 2000.
Jo Delaforce has spent many years working in a variety of acute medical and surgical specialties including sexual health and eight years in a busy South London A&E department. Jo is now a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Haven Camberwell a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) and has been involved in its development and growth to achieve the title “Centre of Excellence” in providing care for victims of sexual violence. Jo’s roles have evolved from Practice Development Nurse to her present position, which include many roles including staff training in sexual health and A&E departments in south London. She is a speaker on the Haven Adult Sexual Assault Examination and Aftercare course and has presently been invited to partake in the working group for Developments of Standards for SARCs with the DOH.
Jo has received a Commendation by the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police for “Outstanding dedication and commitment to improving the service of victims of serious sexual assault” in 2004. Jo obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Forensic Sexology at the University of Central Lancashire in 2005 and completed the sexual assault nurse examiners course in California USA.
Jo was also instrumental in producing the new assailant relationship categories, which are included in the Home Office new data set. She was also heavily involved in the “Care and Evidence” awareness training DVD. As well as the, “Clinical Guidance for Forensic Examination Following Sexual Assault.” DVD, Jo has been awarded the Nursing Standard Sexual Health Nurse of the year 2007.
Finally, Jo highlighted the importance and the need for the UKAFN and has been the main driving force behind the creation of the United Kingdom Association of Forensic Nurses. Launched in 2007, it is now a recognised forensic association for nurses and specialists working in the field of forensic and custody care and is supported by the RCN.
Jennie Smith - Vice President
Since July 2008 I have been the Forensic Nurse
Team Leader for Merseyside Police. The team consists of 7 Forensic Nurse Practitioners who cover the three busiest
custody suites in Merseyside. The team has been in place since Sept 2008 and is a pilot project for 2 years,
when it will be reviewed.
I have worked in a variety of different areas since qualifying in 1993. A busy Accident and Emergency department in Liverpool city centre and several night clubs in Liverpool.
I have also worked in the Pharmaceutical industry and gained vast knowledge of several areas including HIV, Psychiatry, ITU and Haematology. All of my experiences have been invaluable in the implementation of this new team.
Baroness Stern
Vivien Stern is Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS). She is also Honorary President of Penal Reform International (PRI), a non-governmental organisation promoting penal reform throughout the world which she founded with others in 1989. From 2003 to 2009 she was the Convenor of the Scottish Consortium on Crime and Criminal Justice; she has been a Crossbench Peer since 1999 and was a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights from 2004 to 2008. From 1999 to 2003 she was a member of the House of Lords European Select Committee. In 2010 she became a member of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. She is a member of the Advisory Council of the International Legal Foundation in New York, and a member of the Advisory Council of the Legal Policy Research Centre in Kazakhstan. In September 2009 she was appointed by the UK Government to lead a review of how rape complaints are handled from when a rape is first disclosed until the court reaches a verdict and the Review was published in March 2010.
Her publications include Bricks of Shame: Britain’s Prisons (1987), A Sin Against the Future: Imprisonment in the World (1998), Alternatives to Prison in Developing Countries (1999), Developing Alternatives to Prison in East and Central Europe and Central Asia (2002) and Sentenced to Die? The problem of TB in prisons in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (editor) (1999). Her latest book, Creating Criminals: People and Prisons in a Market Society, was published by Zed Books in May 2006 and in July 2010 was published in Spanish by Ad Hoc Publishers.
She has Honorary degrees from Bristol, Oxford Brookes, Stirling and Edinburgh Universities and is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics.
Margaret Bannerman (formally Cunnion) MSc BSc (Hons) RN Dip (HE) Cert (Med) Ed - Senior Lecturer in Sexual Health
Marg Bannerman (formerly Cunnion) has a nursing background in Gynaecology and Genitourinary Medicine and has been working in academia; initially as a Researcher and then Senior Lecturer in Sexual Health for the past 10 years.
Marg currently sits on the Department of Health (DH) Consultant Nurses Group and is Education Officer for both the United Kingdom Association of Forensic Nurses (UKAFN) and Genitourinary Nurses Association (GUNA). Marg has been involved in a number of national projects such as: the RCN Sexual Health Competencies (RCN, 2004 & 2009), compiling the GUNA Education and Training Database and she was a member of the DH Education and Training Group who developed the Recommended Quality Standards for Sexual Health Training (DH 2005). Marg’s area of research was identifying the sexual Health Needs of Young People in South Staffordshire (HPA 2003).
Marg was co-author of ‘Improving Sexual Health Advice’ (Wakely, Cunnion and Chambers, 2003) and was also a contributing author to Sexual Health (Essential Clinical Skills for Nurses) Edited by Kathy French (2009).
Marg's current area of interest is developing national standards in SH education and training within specific professions in order to develop qualifications within the specialties and her research interests include Negotiated Learning.
Vanessa Webb - Newsletter Editor
Vanessa has a nursing background, originally working in environments including general practice, out of hours and finally as a custody nurse. She carried out this role whilst retraining as a doctor, qualifying in 2007. Since then, working for G4SFMS she has worked as the clinical director, although she has just stood down to resume her clinical career as an FME.
Vanessa has always had an interest in education, clinical governance and improving service delivery for patients - as such she was a founder member of the British Association Of Urology Nurses, has sat on the steering group for the Advanced Nurse Practice MSc at Essex University and in recent years is trying to ensure that working in both custody and sexual offences is supported by high standards, audit and research and educational opportunities. Vanessa has a collection of qualifications (MBBS, RGN, MSc, BSc, DFMS, FMERSA) and remains an advocate of the multidisciplinary team.
Sue Fewkes - Steering Group Member
My name is Sue Fewkes and I have been on the committee for UKAFN since 2004 when we had the first
meeting in London. I am married and have two children. I originally trained as a enrolled nurse at Kings College Hosp in
London in 1979, I worked mainly in ITU and eventually completed the conversion course to become an RGN in 1997.
Since 2000 I have been with Kent Police as a Forensic Nurses Practitioner and find the role challenging and unpredictable.
As for me in the spare time I do have, I swim, ride a bike and ride horses regularly, I am a helper for a riding for disabled association. My holidays are spent on ski slopes coming down or walking up them in the Lake District with the occasional input of sun holidays in the summer, depending on the Euro!
Clare Rendall - Steering Group Member
I qualified as a RGN in 1994, and have spent time living and working in Australia and New Zealand. I have gained experience in many branches of nursing including General Surgery, MOD, Occupational Health, HMP Service, HDU, Neurosciences and ITU. I gained a degree in Forensic Sciences from Staffordshire University in 2006.
I have been working within the custody environment for the last 4 years, starting with Avon and Somerset Constabulary and moving to Dorset Police in 2008. We have 12 full time nurses covering 3 stations 24/7. I find the variety of my role exciting and challenging.
Kim Crawford, Secretary UKAFN
In February 2006 I was tasked with setting up a Custody Nursing service to compliment the existing Forensic Physician service. We currently have a team of 7 custody nurses and are contracted from NHS Lothian to Lothian & Borders police force until the end of March 2011. My current role is that of Service Contracts Manager so I will be heavily involved in the renegotiating of any future contract with Lothian & Borders police.
I trained as a Registered General Nurse in Edinburgh from 1984-1988 and have experience in both general medical and surgical nursing, latterly working in acute admissions units.
Currently, our nurses do not participate in examinations of those who have been sexually or physically abused. However, I have been developing a training programme relating to the care and examination of victims of sexual assault which has recently been accepted and affiliated with Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. I am hopeful that this programme will provide nurses with the necessary knowledge and skills to assist our Forensic Physician colleagues in medical examinations.
Dee Inott
Dee’s Nursing career spans over 28 years.
She qualified as a Registered General Nurse, working as a ward nurse and Manager in Women’s Health, Gynaecology, Sexual Health and Contraceptive services in Lancashire, West Midlands and London.
She also served with HM Forces in The Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps and served in Aldershot, Northern Ireland between 1985 – 1988.
She served during the first Gulf conflict in 1990 with 32 Field Hospital in Saudi Arabia.
During her career Dee also worked at HMP Pentonville in London as a Prison Healthcare Nurse.
The wide range of management and clinical experience has led Dee to the Lancashire SAFE Centre where she worked as a Crisis worker till taking up the Post in February 2008 as the Forensic Nurse examiner.
Dee sees and examines post pubertal, adult male & female victims of sexual assault rape & domestic violence, offering a complete holistic service to the victims she sees.
She undertakes writing ‘Factual Statements’ for Court if the case proceeds and has been called to Court as a witness and given Evidence in a case she examined. Her role includes assisting in the into the training of Junior to Senior police officers at the Lancashire Constabulary HQ around the function & role of the Lancashire SAFE Centre.
Post Registration training has included a BSc (HONS) Nurse practitioner Degree, PG Cert in Advanced Health Care Practice, course in Forensic Medicine Examination for Rape & Sexual Assault, Certificate in Counselling and she is an Independent Medical Prescriber.
Dee received an award and was highly commended at the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Quality Awards 2010 in the Special Governors category for the development of the role of the FNE at The Lancashire SAFE Centre.
Dee received a Divisional Commanders Commendation for Engagement & multiagency working practice with the Aquamarine Team Blackpool from Lancashire Constabulary June 2010.
Martha Tyson
I am the clinical coordinator for the Essex SARC (Oakwood Place).
As well as the day to day running of the SARC I also provide Forensic Examinations of clients and after care and refer clients to other agencies for follow up. I am also working towards establishing links with partner agencies to ensure our clients receive the full range of care they require.
Sian Lewis
I qualified as A registered General nurse in 1988 and worked in acute medicine for 15 years working as a senior nurse on an acute admissions Ward when I left the NHS. I then spent 3 years working in the commercial sector where I was a wound care representative for a well known wound care company. During this time I also worked as a bank nurse at the local general hospital for one shift a week , covering all departments.
In 2006 I became a forensic nurse covering the South Wales Police Force. I was made Lead Forensic Nurse Practitioner for South Wales in 2009.