Meet The Team
Sarah Murray
Director
Sarah Murray brings over 20 years of experience working with children in both local authority and privately run homes. During that time, she has seen the difference thoughtful, nurturing care can make to a child’s life. She has also witnessed care that fell short of what children deserved, strengthening her determination to do things differently.
That determination led Sarah to co-found Safe Haven ACG: a company built around her belief that children should feel loved, supported and given every opportunity to thrive.
Sarah is committed to maintaining high standards of care and building a team who share that belief. She looks for people who bring warmth, patience and consistency to their work, and who can put Safe Haven’s Lovin’ Care ethos into practice every day.
Paul Beaumont
Director
Paul Beaumont is our Financial Director and co-founded Safe Haven ACG with Sarah Murray, shortly before the challenges of the COVID pandemic.
Paul brings extensive experience in business and management, having run his own businesses and spent over 19 years as a Company Director. His career also includes working as National Sales Manager for a large public limited company, reporting directly to its CEO and board of directors.
At Safe Haven, Paul uses that experience to support the organisation’s development and provide a stable foundation for our homes. He also delivers our in-house Team Teach training alongside Kirsty, taking an active role in supporting our teams’ learning and development.
Working alongside Sarah and the wider team, Paul wants growth to strengthen the care we provide while protecting the personal involvement and relationships that matter in a family-run company. His vision is straightforward: for Safe Haven to be “big enough to matter, yet small enough to care,” with children remaining at the heart of its future.
Debbie Newton
Service Manager
Debbie Newton is our Service Manager and brings over 23 years of experience in children’s services. A qualified social worker, she has supported families in the community, but her heart has always been in children’s homes. She began as a support worker before progressing to Deputy Manager, Registered Manager and Area Manager.
Alongside her practical experience, Debbie holds a Level 3 qualification in Children’s Workforce and Level 5 and Level 7 qualifications in Leadership and Management. She has helped open new homes and supported teams through training, guidance and hands-on involvement.
At Safe Haven ACG, Debbie works closely with our managers and teams to strengthen their practice and keep children’s care at the centre of their work. She particularly values spending time with the children, getting to know their hopes and helping them work towards what matters to them. Our Lovin’ Care approach reflects her belief that children should feel genuinely cared about by the adults around them.
Vanessa Moutrey
Responsible Individual
Vanessa brings nearly 40 years of experience in social care, including roles as a Registered Manager and Head of Operations. Throughout her career, her focus has been on making sure children receive safe, nurturing care from adults who understand their needs.
As a Registered Manager, Vanessa led a team that achieved two Outstanding judgements from Ofsted. She has also overseen several children’s homes, supporting managers to develop their teams and improve the care they provide.
Vanessa takes a visible, supportive approach to leadership. She enjoys helping managers build their confidence and skills, while keeping clear expectations and children’s wellbeing at the centre of decisions. She believes good care comes from teams who feel supported, take pride in their work and are always willing to learn.
Kirsty Havenhand
HR & Recruitment
Kirsty works in HR and Recruitment at Safe Haven ACG, bringing over six years of recruitment experience alongside a varied background in care and education.
Kirsty began working in elderly care at 17, before moving into senior support roles with adults with learning disabilities and later a management role in a school supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. Kirsty holds qualifications in Health and Social Care, Residential Childcare, teaching and assessing, and is keen to develop further in Learning and Development.
Kirsty joined Safe Haven because our Lovin’ Care ethos reflects her own values. She believes recruitment is about getting to know the person behind the application: their compassion, commitment and understanding of what caring for children involves.
Kirsty takes pride in helping build teams who bring warmth, patience and consistency to our homes, so children feel valued, supported and loved.
Iain McDonald
Business Development Manager
Iain has been involved with Safe Haven since its inception and has seen the company grow and change over the years. His role covers a wide range behind the scenes, from business development and working with Local Authorities, data protection, systems and supporting the wider running of the company.
Much of Iain's role is focused on looking at how things are done, what could be improved and finding ways to make things simpler, safer and more effective.
What Iain values most about Safe Haven is that the company never wants to stand still. There is always a willingness to learn, adapt and improve, while keeping the children and the care they receive at the centre of everything.
He is proud to be part of a company that genuinely cares about the young people it supports, and equally about the people who support them every day.
Homes Management
Jade Walker
Interim Manager
Jade is an Interim Manager at Safe Haven and a proud mum of three. She brings over 25 years of experience working with children in foster care, alongside nine years caring for young people in children’s homes. For Jade, caring for children has always been much more than a job.
Jade holds a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare and is working towards Level 5. Jade aims to be a calm, steady presence: someone who listens without judgement and gives children the space to be themselves, knowing they are safe, heard and valued.
What matters most to Jade is helping young people recognise their worth, discover what they want from life and build confidence in themselves. She brings warmth, patience and love to that work, supporting children as they find their own way forward.
Heather Wright
Deputy Manager
Heather has looked after children living in children’s homes for nearly 7 years and has loved every minute, but her passion for doing her part in striving for positive outcomes for children started long before that. Heather’s family have been foster carers for over 60 years and in that time she has seen the impact a safe, trustworthy, reliable adult can have on a child who has experienced harm and is dedicated to being that for the children she cares for. Heather’s goal is to create a homely, comforting environment for children where they feel able to process their trauma and can recognise how truly special they are following the Lovin’ Care approach.
Heather has completed PACE, social pedagogy and therapeutic crisis intervention training and is passionate about continuing her development to be in the best position to support her children.
Heather’s affinity for protecting children who need a safe adult extends to animals too and in her time she has rescued cats, dogs, lizards, rats, fish and even stick insects!
Ellie Dodsworth
Home Manager
With over five years of experience working with looked-after children, Ellie has developed a strong reputation for delivering consistent, high-quality care. From the start of their career, they have worked across homes supporting children with emotional, behavioural, and learning needs, always bringing empathy, structure, and a calm presence to their role.
Their progression within the sector reflects their success in building positive relationships and supporting young people through complex challenges. Ellie has trained in PACE and attachment-informed care and has worked closely with Chrysalis and other clinical professionals to embed therapeutic practice into daily routines.
Ellie is passionate about creating safe, nurturing environments where children feel genuinely cared for and are supported to grow with confidence and self-belief.
Madi Parker
Home Manager
Madison began working in children’s care in 2020 as an agency worker and knew from her first day that it was the work she wanted to do. Since then, she has progressed into management, building relationships with children who have shaped her life as much as she hopes to have made a difference to theirs.
Madison holds a degree in Health and Social Care and a Master’s in Public Policy. She has continued to develop her knowledge through training in PACE, mental health and wellbeing, supporting children who go missing from care, and understanding additional and complex needs.
At her home, Madison wants children to find a calm, nurturing home where they can feel comfortable being themselves. She works with her team to build trusting relationships, giving children time and support to make sense of their experiences. Above all, she wants them to feel safe and genuinely loved by the adults caring for them.
Abbie Jones
Deputy Manager
Abbie is a Deputy Manager at Safe Haven ACG. She holds a degree in Education, Culture and Childhood Experiences and has supported children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans in primary school and college settings. Those experiences showed her how much it matters to have a trusted adult to turn to.
Since joining Safe Haven in 2023, Abbie has progressed from care worker to Deputy Manager, gaining experience in both solo and two-child homes. Her training includes PACE, attachment disorders and social pedagogy, which inform her calm, nurturing approach to care.
Abbie takes time to understand how each child prefers to receive comfort, encouragement and affection. Through everyday conversations and activities, she learns what helps them feel cared about and shares this with the team, so support feels personal and comfortable for the child.
In her role as Deputy Manager, Abbie helps colleagues develop their skills and confidence while keeping children’s needs and relationships at the centre of their work.
Lydia Newborn
Interim Manager
Lydia Newborn is an Interim Home Manager at Safe Haven, bringing six years of experience in residential childcare, including working in local authority children’s homes.
Lydia takes time to build trusting relationships and understand each child’s experiences, needs and hopes for the future. She wants children to feel comfortable sharing their views and confident that the adults around them will listen and take them seriously.
Through everyday care and encouragement, Lydia supports children to grow in confidence, develop practical skills and become more independent at a pace that suits them. She is committed to leading a team who provide warmth, consistency and a safe home where children feel valued and understood.
The Executive Directors
Safe Haven ACG’s Executive Board brings together our two directors and five other members, comprising of senior employees and external consultants. This mix of internal knowledge and independent perspectives helps guide the company’s direction, support thoughtful decisions and challenge us to keep improving. Our focus is on maintaining high standards of care and ensuring that, as Safe Haven develops, children remain at the heart of our decisions.
