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Meet the Team
Who We Are
At SENse Support, our strength lies in the people behind our services. Our team brings together an exceptional breadth of professional expertise, specialist knowledge and lived experience, united by a shared commitment to ensuring children and young people feel understood, respected and able to access the support and education they deserve.
Collectively, our team has decades of experience across mainstream and specialist education, SEND leadership, headship, SENCO practice, Local Authority services, social care, safeguarding, youth justice, complex mental health provision, statutory SEND processes and advocacy. This means we understand SEND from many different perspectives – from developing and implementing policy and navigating EHCP processes, to delivering provision in the classroom and supporting children and families in their everyday lives.
Our educational expertise spans Primary through to GCSE, with experienced teachers and practitioners who have worked across mainstream schools, specialist SEND settings and alternative provision. Within our wider team are former and current Headteachers, SENCOs, Local Authority SEND professionals and leaders with extensive experience supporting children and young people with autism, ADHD, SEMH needs, complex mental health needs and barriers to accessing education.
Our advocacy team brings an equally diverse range of expertise. With experience spanning Local Authority policy and statutory decision-making, school leadership, SENCO practice, social work, youth justice, EHCP casework, tribunals and complex multi-agency working, our advocates understand both how SEND systems operate and how provision needs to work in practice. This breadth of knowledge enables us to support families with compassion while providing informed, robust advocacy.
Safeguarding, wellbeing and relational practice are embedded throughout SENse Support. Our team includes professionals with extensive experience in safeguarding and risk management, trauma-informed practice, children's social care, mental health provision and supporting Looked After Children. We recognise that behaviour, attendance and engagement cannot be understood in isolation, and that safety, trust and meaningful relationships are fundamental to learning and progress.
Just as importantly, professional expertise is complemented by lived experience. Several members of our team are neurodivergent themselves, are parents of neurodivergent children, have personal experience of children's social care, or first came to SENse Support as families seeking support themselves. These experiences help keep the realities faced by children and families at the heart of how our services develop and how we work.
Although our individual backgrounds are varied, our approach is shared. We are neuroaffirming, trauma-informed and relational, and we believe in looking beyond labels or perceived limitations to understand the individual child or young person in front of us.
Across our Senior Leadership, Hub and Advocacy teams, we combine professional expertise with curiosity, compassion and lived understanding – working collaboratively with children, young people, families, schools, Local Authorities and other professionals to help create meaningful, lasting outcomes.
Meet the individual members of our Senior Leadership, Hub Team and Advocacy Team to find out more about the experience, knowledge and passion they bring to SENse Support.
Claire Daniels
Founder & Director
Claire is the founder and Director of SENse Support, where she leads the strategic growth and development of all services, including the alternative provision, multi-disciplinary assessments of needs and our advocacy service. With over 20 years of experience working with disabled children and their families - spanning legal, educational, and therapeutic contexts - Claire brings a uniquely comprehensive perspective to the world of special educational needs.
Claire’s expertise is deeply rooted in lived experience. She is a neurodivergent former looked after child, as well as the mother of neurodivergent children, and understands first-hand the barriers faced by families navigating complex systems. This drives her passion for creating inclusive, neuroaffirming, and trauma-informed services that are responsive to real-world need.
Originally working as a litigation executive in complex paediatric brain injury cases, Claire transitioned into education in 2011 and is a qualified SENCO with First Class Honours in both Education and Special Educational Needs. She is widely recognised by professionals and families across the country for her integrity, drive, and unwavering advocacy for children who have been misunderstood, excluded, or overlooked.
In addition to her leadership role within SENse, Claire also provides professional supervision to a range of professionals working within the field of SEND, supporting the development of reflective, resilient, and neuro-affirming practice across the SEN sector.
Barry Daniels
Director of Governance and Compliance
Barry serves as SENse Support’s Director of Governance & Compliance, providing strategic leadership, oversight, and assurance across safeguarding, compliance, risk, health and safety, data protection, and organisational governance. His work ensures that SENse Support operates safely, ethically, and fully in line with statutory expectations and best practice.
Barry brings a distinguished background to the organisation, shaped by more than 20 years of aviation experience, including an 18-year military career as an RAF pilot. During this time, he flew a range of aircraft and undertook complex operational responsibilities in high-intensity environments. Alongside his flying duties, Barry held the position of Pilot Safety Officer, a role that required exceptional precision, analysis, and leadership in managing safety-critical systems.
In this capacity, Barry was responsible for:
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Overseeing fleet-level Safety Management Systems
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Conducting incident and accident reviews
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Leading risk assessments and mitigation planning
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Monitoring compliance with regulatory standards
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Supporting a Just Culture of reflection, accountability, and continuous learning
His aviation work demands a disciplined approach to risk, governance, and decision-making — skills which translate directly into his role at SENse Support.
Barry originally completed a Law degree, providing a strong grounding in statutory interpretation, accountability frameworks, and organisational duty of care. He further strengthened this expertise by obtaining a Level 3 qualification in SEN Law, deepening his understanding of the legal frameworks surrounding special educational needs, local authority duties, and the rights of children and families. He has also undertaken training in neuro-affirming practice in education, ensuring that governance decisions at SENse Support balance statutory responsibilities with a deep respect for neurodivergent identities, student voice, and trauma-informed relational practice.
At SENse Support, Barry brings:
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Expert oversight of safeguarding and compliance systems
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Robust governance challenge and scrutiny
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Specialist insight into risk management and safety culture
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A disciplined, integrity-driven approach to accountability
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Strong capability in auditing, reviewing, and improving organisational systems
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A clear understanding of SEND legislation and its practical application
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A governance approach grounded in neuro-affirming and trauma-informed principles
Barry’s unique blend of legal training, SEN law expertise, military aviation experience, safety governance, and neuro-affirming educational practice provides SENse Support with a highly skilled and balanced governance perspective. His leadership helps ensure that the organisation continually strengthens its compliance frameworks, embeds best practice, and upholds the highest standards of safety, dignity, and transparency for the children, families, and staff we serve.
Mahe Gladdon
Director of Development and Operations
Mahé’s journey with SENse Support began in 2023, when she became one of the organisation’s very first advocacy clients. With their guidance, she successfully secured an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for her eldest son, an empowering experience that sparked a deep connection to SENse Support’s mission and values. Inspired to give back, Mahé joined the team in 2024 as an administrator, where her dedication and capabilities quickly became evident.
Now serving as Director of Development and Operations, Mahé leads the organisation’s business development, strategic partnerships, and the day-to-day coordination of its educational and advocacy services. She is the key point of contact for local authority commissioners, securing placements and contracts that contribute to SENse Support’s growth and long-term impact. Mahé also oversees internal systems, manages administrative and IT teams, and supports the delivery of high-quality advocacy. She plays a vital role in cultivating community links, and shaping the organisation’s strategic direction as part of the senior leadership team.
With professional experience in the Short Breaks sector and lived experience as a parent to two neurodivergent boys, Mahé brings compassion, authenticity, and a deep understanding to her work. She finds immense reward in supporting the SEND community and is proud to be part of a team that champions progress, inclusion, and every small milestone. At The Hub, Mahé’s favourite moments are spent unwinding with students in the Sensory Room, creating space for calm connection and meaningful relationships. Outside of work, she’s a devoted mum, and when time permits, a passionate sleeper!
