top of page
Parents & Carers
Support Organisation
Meet the PACSO Team
CEO
Emma Drain
Emma started her career at PACSO as a volunteer, 19 years ago. She was a primary school teacher for 10 years and is now our Chief Executive Officer. She leads on the growth, development and direction of our charity.
.jpg)
Play Lead
Mia Day
Mia is the PACSO Play Lead, an integral role at PACSO. She leads the team in planning, delivering and evaluating all of our respite services. Her background is in Special Needs education and she has experience in Speech and Language.
Care Lead & Deputy Play Lead
Harriet Fancourt
Harriet started her PACSO career as a volunteer, and before then had attended PACSO play events as a sibling. She leads on the clinical aspects of PACSO respite, such as tube feeding, emergency care plans and medication.
Little PACSO Leader
Ruth Stewart
Ruth has been involved with PACSO for over 20 years. She has had a variety of roles within our charity and was a foster carer for many years. She now leads all of our 0-5 groups and parent support.
Play Specialist
Gareth Guscott
Gareth has a wealth of experience in working with children in different settings, including nurseries and SEND schools. He has been with PACSO for 8 years and is part of the Play Team who deliver our respite care.
Play Specialist
Abigail Little
Abi started as part of our casual team of playworkers and in June 2025 became one of our full time play specialists. Abi studied Health and Social Care at college, has experience as a Young Leader at Sea Scouts and working as a SEND PA.
Fundraising Manager
Ashley Andrews
Ashley joined our team in September 2023. He leads on all things fundraising. From applications to Trusts and Foundations, to sponsored events, community and corporate fundraising .
Finance & HR Manager
Tania Little
Tania joined our team in September 2022. Her previous experience was leading on finance in a trust of schools throughout the South East. Now she manages PACSO's day to day financials including budgets reforecasts and reporting.
Finance & Office Administrator
Hannah Buckwell
Hannah started her PACSO career in 2012 as a volunteer. Hannah now manages all of PACSO's administration, including bookings, data collection, bookkeeping .and so much more.
Interested in joining our Team? Explore the roles we're hiring for...
Meet the PACSO Trustees
Chair of Trustees
Clare Elkington
Clare was one of the founding members of PACSO back in 1999. She is an occupational therapist and adoptive parent to children with additional needs. Her skills and knowledge have been fundamental to shaping PACSO's growth, development and ethos.
Treasurer
Elaine Doe
Elaine has over 30 years of accounting experience and has been teaching accountancy skills in further education settings for over 10 years. In her trustee role, she supports the PACSO team to ensure that financial processes are strong and transparent.
Trustee
Andrew Finnamore
Andrew is a long standing Chichester resident and business man with a wealth of knowledge and contacts. His background is in property consultancy and he is the former Chairman of Chichester Business Improvement District. Andrew is also parent to a young person with SEND who has used PACSO services.
Health and Safety
Chris Ward
Chris' background is in property development and project management, as well as experience in the charity sector in trustee roles. He now runs his own business that specialises in the management of large buildings and also covers maintenance, landscaping and other facilities.
Vice Chair
Becky Edwards
Becky was one of the founding members of PACSO back in 1999. Her professional background is in teaching, particularly Autistic children. She now works at the University of Chichester lecturing in Early Childhood Studies and has authored books and chapters on SEND, based on her research.
Safeguarding
Caroline Bucksey
Caroline has a wealth of experience in safeguarding children and young people, having worked as an Early Help manager for many years. She supports the PACSO team with ensuring that our safeguarding and child protection procedures are robust. Caroline is also a PACSO parent and a foster carer.
HR Trustee
Ali Grady
Ali joined the board of Trustees in October 2025. She has had a long career in HR, having worked in the private sector, NHS and the BBC. Along with her husband, she now runs her own talent acquisition and people development business with a focus on team wellbeing, in the local area.
bottom of page