Gael Cochrane

Gael has been developing educational programmes and delivering training to a wide variety of participants for the past 24 years. She started off working in Advocacy and then moved in to working in the field of Risk Taking Behaviours, primarily working with young people, youth workers, families and other professionals working with young people.  It was when working with young people that Gael developed an interest in trauma informed practice and then when managing a Prison Visitors Centre this interest deepened.

Currently, in her role as a Learning, development and innovation Lead she along with her colleagues provides core training to Justice Social Workers and the wider Justice workforce. Gael chairs the National Trainer’s Group for the Stable and Acute Risk Assessment Tools. Gael has been involved in the development and delivery of restorative justice training for the past 6 years to Justice Social Workers, Police Officers, Prison Officers and youth workers. Gael delivers Restorative Justice training on Serious Harm, RJ and Hate Crime as well as Trauma Informed RJ.

Gael is the chair of the Scottish Restorative Justice Practitioners Network and is a member of the Scottish Restorative Justice Forum and the Scottish Restorative Justice Research Network. Gael is the chair of the European Forum of Restorative Justice’s Trainers group and is a member of their Working Group on Gender Based Violence.

Gael worked for 6 years developing and delivering substance use programmes, resources and peer education projects for young people and those working with young people before becoming a national trainer for Youth Workers delivering sessions on substance use, peer education and resilience and self-esteem; as well as delivering 10 week volunteer mental health advocacy training. At this time Gael also worked as a Youth Worker with young people from the Black and Ethnic Minority community in North Edinburgh.

Gael then worked for a period as a freelance trainer/group worker delivering training on Working with Young people on Self-esteem and Resilience, New Psychoactive Substances, Carer Awareness, The Equalities Act, Sexual Health and Relationships (with young people). Gael also was part of Families Outsides Helpline Advisory Group as well as delivering the “Raising Children with Confidence” 8 week course to parents and carers.

Gael then worked for the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership as a Substance Use development officer for Children, Young People and Families, as well as managing the City of Edinburgh Council’s Risk Taking Behaviour team, delivering sessions to S4 pupils in Edinburgh schools. Gael worked at NHS Lothian as a Sexual health Youth worker at the Chalmers Centre and was part of the SHARE (Sexual Health and Relationships Education) trainers group. Gael then went on to manage the Visitor Centre at HMP Addiewell working with families affected by imprisonment.