Authors

Karen Woodall

Karen Woodall is a family counsellor who has worked with vulnerable children and their families since 1991. She is currently the Director of the Centre for Separated Families, a charity working with everyone affected by family separation and is a separated parent herself.Karen is a leading expert in gender mainstreaming and is committed to the development of family services in the UK that meet the diverse needs of families under pressure.

In addition to Putting Children First, she is the author of several publications on children and families and has written for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on lone parents and isolation and for Oxfam on gender analysis. She is currently writing a book for families under pressure with her husband Nick.

Karen has recently been appointed as a Family Commissioner working to explore the big issues surrounding the extended family and the support it needs in the 21st century. The Commission is led by 4Children and chaired by Esther Rantzen CBE.

Nick Woodall

Nick has worked with separated families since 2000 where, in addition to working directly with parents, he has developed and delivered training to other agencies who work with family separation. Nick is a shared care father.

Nick is a respected writer and commentator on issues around family separation and fatherhood and has a particular interest in men's experiences of parenting post separation. He recently appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme "Bringing Up Britain".

In addition to Putting Children First, Nick has written for the Child Maintenance Commission and Dad.info as well as other websites and newspapers. Nick is currently working on a book with the former Manchester United and England goalkeeper, Gary Bailey.

Karen and Nick married in June 2006 and currently live in the north of England.