This seminar will focus on harmful sexual behaviour and best practice on preventative measures and creating a safer culture. Veryan Exelby and Katie Fudakowski will present followed by two case studies for delegates to work through.
Veryan is a senior counsel within the Safeguarding Unit, with a particular focus on safeguarding in schools. Previously she was a partner of the Family team at Farrer & Co. Alongside client work, Veryan runs the firm's annual Governor and DSL Training days as well as events for AGBIS.
Veryan is a Governor of Downe House School, and she is the Safeguarding Governor at St Paul’s School and of a local primary school. She is a Trustee of the Nicola Benedetti Foundation and she volunteers weekly at a family law clinic in West London.
Veryan began training with Farrer & Co in 1997, and was made a partner in 2005. She spent time living in both Tokyo and Hong Kong with her family before returning to the firm in 2016.
Katie’s expertise spans safeguarding, education and employment law. She draws upon a decade of litigation experience in private practice as a barrister and advises schools, education business and sports organisations on all issues involving children, parents and staff.
As Counsel for schools defending serious allegations of whistleblowing detriment, discrimination and unfair dismissal in the Employment and Employment Appeal Tribunals she brings real coal face experience to her advice. In pure education law, she has considerable expertise in applying the Equality Act 2010 to Schools and in special educational needs cases, appearing in the Special Educational Needs Tribunal and the TRA. She also covers the contractual side of education, advising on parental complaints and breach of contract claims.
Through the Farrer & Co Safeguarding Unit she leads on safeguarding crisis management, organisation culture change and thought leadership.
She is a co-author of the Farrer and Co Department for Education endorsed Guidance on Low-Level Concerns, sits of the Council of Europe Sport Division's Pool of international Experts on Safe Sport and is recognised by Legal 500 as a ‘next generation partner’ who is quick and responsive with excellent judgment.
