Meet the team

Steven Hughes – Chair of Trustees

Steve is a Community Accountant with extensive financial management knowledge, particularly in relation to the operation of charitable organisations. Steve works in the Sefton area and has an extensive knowledge of the areas Voluntary Community and Faith sector.

Mandy MacDonald – Deputy Chair of Trustees

Mandy is a well established and experienced trainer in the field of adult social care.  Mandy is a qualified nurse and brings extensive knowledge of the needs of people living with a learning disability and/or experiencing mental health problems and their needs.

Janet Hardman – Trustee

Janet is a qualified Teacher working with children who have Special Educational Needs. She is also a qualified in practicing Functional Reflex Therapy and a member of the Association of Reflexologists.  Janet also has personal experience of caring for a close relative with profound learning disabilities.

Tony Gilmore – Trustee

Tony is a retired Auctioneer and Valuer with extensive experience in Company asset appraisal and disposal also specialist in Fine Art. Currently, he is a trustee and Treasurer at Knowsley and Huyton Citizens Advice Bureau also board member of 3tc Ltd.

Steve McDermott – Chief Executive Officer 

Steve joined Expect on an interim basis in July 2012 prior to taking up the post on a permanent basis in December of the same year.  Steve holds BA. MSc, Dip SW, CQSW qualifications and has an extensive background in Mental Health and Children’s Social Work dating back to the 1970’s.  During his career he has held a number of senior management positions with Local Authority Social Work Departments. Prior to joining Expect he ran a successful, independent management consultancy company that advised on service and structural improvements within Local Authority Social Service Departments and Voluntary Charity and Faith Sector providers across North West England and North Wales.

 Margie Binsteed – Head of Central Office Services

Margie is Expect’s Head of Central Office Services and joined the Charity seventeen years ago as a payroll assistant. She was subsequently promoted to the post of Central Support Team Leader and then Finance Director before moving to her current position of responsibility over the Charitys finance and Human Resources department.

Colin Clarke – Head of Operations

Colin started with Expect as a volunteer in 1990 and has since held a number of jobs including working as a Support Worker with our Outreach Service, Special Projects Manager, Quality and Health and Safety Coordinator, Training and Development Manager and more recently Head of Operations. Colin has an extensive array of qualifications including Occupational Health, Safety and Risk Management.

Robert MacDonald – Head of Quality Assurance and Customer Services

Robert joined Expect in 2007 and has over 20 years experience of designing and operating quality assurance systems both in industry and in a Social Care environment. He is qualified in Information Technology and Marketing and is passionate about obtaining, analysing and using the views and opinions of all stakeholders, Service Users, Families and Staff to improve the service.

Laura O’Hare – Head of Innovation and New Business

Laura joined Expect in 2014 but has worked in social care since 2000 and has experience of working with people living with a vast variety of needs across an array of service platforms, with qualification in both Health and Social Care and Business, Laura is tasked with leading the growth of the Charity.

Ann Mockler – Deputy Head of Services (Residential)

Ann began her career as a Care Assistant in a care home before coming to work at Expect some seventeen years ago as a Support Worker. She worked throughout the Charity and completed her NVQ5 in Health and Social Care whilst working her way into a Service Manager position. As Assistant Head of Operations, she now directly manages five services and oversee the other seventeen.

Sarah Crease – Deputy Head of Service (Day Services)

Working in Health & Social Care for over 12 years, Sarah worked her way up from Support Worker to Assistant Unit Manager to Unit Manager within services for older people. From there, she felt an expansion of her horizon would help in her development and applied to work at Expect as Day Services. Following her successful application she soon developed her skills and received promotion into the position she currently holds as Assistant Head of Operations (Day Services) where she oversees the delivery of both the Outreach and Day Service.