Bright Path Mediation
  • Home
  • Meet the Team
  • Our Vision
  • Our Services
    • Reintegration Support
    • Life Event Support
    • Parent Support
    • Parent Service Options
    • Mediation Services
  • Our Projects
    • The Next Steps Project
    • Bright Beginnings
  • Fundraising
  • Blogs
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
  • More
    • Home
    • Meet the Team
    • Our Vision
    • Our Services
      • Reintegration Support
      • Life Event Support
      • Parent Support
      • Parent Service Options
      • Mediation Services
    • Our Projects
      • The Next Steps Project
      • Bright Beginnings
    • Fundraising
    • Blogs
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
Bright Path Mediation
  • Home
  • Meet the Team
  • Our Vision
  • Our Services
    • Reintegration Support
    • Life Event Support
    • Parent Support
    • Parent Service Options
    • Mediation Services
  • Our Projects
    • The Next Steps Project
    • Bright Beginnings
  • Fundraising
  • Blogs
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us

Our Leadership Team

I'm Emma Whitehouse, the founder of Bright Path. This project is built from both professional and lived experience. I’m a mum of three and have been a parent in the school system for over 26 years.  I have experienced it at both ends of the scale. My 26 year old complied, parents evenings were glowing and it was a walk in the park.  Then Charlie, now 16 and about to sit his GCSEs after navigating years of misunderstanding in school. I know first-hand how painful it can be to feel like the system doesn’t get your child - and how powerful it is when someone finally does.  I know what its like to be doing everything you can and still have a child facing exclusion, purely because he is creative, energetic, opinionated and strong willed; which I'm so glad he is! 

I’m also the oldest sibling, and played a huge part in raising my younger sisters.  I had my daughter at 19 and was a single mom for many years. That early experience shaped everything, my commitment to care, my sense of responsibility, and my belief that relationships, determination and doing the right thing can carry us through anything.

Professionally, I spent a decade working in family law before training as a Mediator in 2018. Since then, I’ve worked in Local Authority, supporting schools and families when relationships have broken down; often around behaviour, SEN support or exclusion. I’ve been in the meetings where everyone’s in tears, and the answers feel out of reach. That’s why I do this work.

Our Partners

Kerry Tidman - Parent, Deaf Advocate, School Counsellor & Holistic Coach

Kerry brings years of experience supporting neurodiverse and care-experienced young people, and runs inclusive martial arts programmes that build confidence, resilience, and self-regulation.  Bright Path is proud to work in close partnership with Kerry to extend our support through physical wellbeing, discipline, and trusted mentoring. 


The Belonging Dojo delivers trauma-informed therapy and coaching, inclusion

and awareness training, and youth empowerment programmes to create lasting change for individuals, schools and communities.


Through our work, we educate the system, heal the harm caused by discrimination and exclusion, and protect the next generation before the harm begins.

Katie Newell - Parent, Specialist in Domestic Violence, Child Exploitation & SEND

Katie brings frontline experience supporting women and children fleeing domestic abuse, as well as those vulnerable to child criminal exploitation. She has worked directly with children who have witnessed and experienced violence in the home and understands how trauma impacts behaviour, education, and emotional development.


In addition to her safeguarding and trauma-informed practice, Katie is a SEN specialist, with a strong focus on how unmet or undiagnosed needs can lead to school exclusion and disengagement. She also runs a fundraising initiative that supports vulnerable families in the community, providing essential items such as school uniforms, food parcels, and basic necessities to those in crisis.

Sara Phillips – Recruitment Consultant & Parent Advocate

 Sara brings both professional expertise and lived experience. As a recruitment consultant and the parent of a permanently excluded child, she understands the devastating impact exclusion can have—not just on education, but on a young person’s future.


Through her work, Sara bridges the gap between education and employment, helping young people access real-world opportunities such as work experience, training, and mentoring from local employers. Her focus is on building purpose, connection, and future pathways, key protective factors in preventing disengagement and exploitation. Sara’s insight ensures our programmes remain rooted in reality and responsive to the barriers many families face.

Sara Donnelly - Parent, Headteacher & SEN Specialist

We’re proud to partner with Sara, she is a passionate advocate for neurodivergent children and a leading voice in inclusive education. With over 15 years’ experience as a SEN specialist, emotional well-being therapist and former primary Headteacher, Sara brings a powerful blend of professional insight and lived experience.


Her work focuses on early recognition (particularly in autistic girls), neurodiversity-affirming practice, and equipping both parents and educators with practical, accessible tools. Together, we share a commitment to creating inclusive, emotionally safe environments where every child feels seen, heard, and supported. 

Copyright © 2025 Bright Path Mediation - All Rights Reserved.

 Bright Path Mediation is a Community Interest Company registered in England & Wales.
Company Registration No: 16308786
Registered office: 2 Orton Lane, Wombourne, South Staffordshire, WV5 9AW 

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

DeclineAccept