Commissioner For Victims And Survivors Announced

First Minister the Rt. Hon. Peter D Robinson MLA and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, MP, MLA have announced the appointment of Kathryn Stone, OBE, as the new Commissioner for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland.

Kathryn is currently the Chief Executive of VOICE UK, a national learning disability charity, promoting justice and well being for vulnerable victims as well as supporting their parents and carers.

Prior to this she was Principal Inspector for Milton Keynes Council and Head of Inspection for the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Barking & Dagenham, responsible for the regulation of residential, nursing and day care. She also worked as an independent inspector for eight local authorities across the UK.

For the past 11 years Kathryn has been involved with the Registered Intermediary Scheme sitting on the Quality Assurance Board and the Registration Board. She has also been a member of the Home Office Victims Advisory Panel (2006-2010) and a member of Derbyshire police's independent advisory group since 2009, and chair of this group since March 2012.

Kathryn was awarded an OBE in 2007 for her services to people with learning disabilities and was made a Chartered Director by the Institute of Directors in 2008 and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors in 2009.

(CD/GK)