Our leadership
For information about the people who make up our leadership team, including our chief executive, Colum Conway.
Learn more about our leadership team
Last updated: 3 August 2023
Sarah Blackmore
Sarah is the executive director of professional practice and external engagement and qualified as a social worker from Trinity College Dublin in 1997. Since then, she has worked in a variety of national and international contexts, across statutory, voluntary and regulatory services.
Colum Conway
Colum is our chief executive. He previously led the Northern Ireland Social Care Council. He spent 6 years as chief executive of a not-for-profit providing care services across Ireland. As a former social worker, Colum worked in statutory family and child care services, early years policy, funding and service provision, and family systems support services.
Philip Hallam
Philip is the executive director of regulation. Prior to joining Social Work England, Philip was assistant director of scrutiny and quality at the Professional Standards Authority for health and social care, where he was responsible for leading the authority’s reviews of the nine health and care regulators. Before that, he was head of registration at the General Optical Council.
Linda Dale
Linda is our executive director of people and business support. She started her career in the civil service and has worked in several government departments and local government. Prior to joining Social Work England she was director of performance, quality and partnerships at Derbyshire County Council children’s services department.