Strategic Director

Maria Heffernan is a chartered educational psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is registered with the Health Professions Council as a practitioner psychologist. From 1988 until 2008, as Chief Educational Psychologist, she led and managed Manchester City Council’s Educational Psychology Service. She now works in a range of capacities as an independent consultant educational psychologist. She is a highly experienced professional with proven skills from strategic to operational levels within complex, multi-agency, urban environments. Her lifelong personal and professional commitment has been to promoting the learning, development and overall well-being of children and young people, aged 0 – 19 years, through direct work with children and young people, their parents and carers, and multi-disciplinary working with staff in Health, Education, Social Care and the Voluntary Sector.

Maria’s specialist knowledge and interests include social and emotional development with particular focus on children’s safety and resilience, prevention and recovery from trauma, parenting, attachment and bonding.  She is an experienced and current member of Adoption and Fostering Panels in the North West.