Who we are Meet the team Our Senior Leadership Team Helen Stevens - Chief Executive Officer Helen joined the STARS team in November 2016 and brings her extensive knowledge of working in the private, public and voluntary sectors in a number of different roles. She is a creative, strategic business leader who trained with the Institute of Leadership and Management and is passionate about both developing and delivering the highest levels of service to our beneficiaries. Helen believes in building positive trusted relationships that enable effective partnership working. In her role, Helen has led the team through some key development changes including our rebranding; head-office move and opening of a second STARS center in Dorchester. Through her fundraising experience our staff team has grown to meet increasing demand for our specialist support services. She regularly meets with commissioners and statutory services seeking to improve support for survivors, making sure they have access to specialist services to help them in their journey of recovery. Helen is a non-executive director of her husband’s company; Trustee of a local charity and advisor to a newly established charity that she helped to establish. She is also a passionate gardener. Stuart King - Operations Director Stuart joined STARS in 2023 and brings with him an extensive knowledge of working in a variety of companies throughout his expansive career. From banking & HR in the City of London, working for the Priory in Drug & Alcohol rehabilitation, supporting Surrey Fire & Rescue Service’s training centre, working in Kosovo on contracts commissioned by the European Union’s United Nations Mission in Kosovo and setting up Chequepoint Money Transfer throughout the Balkans (similar to Western Union), through to returning to the UK and joining the care home industry for a number of years in a variety of roles such as Home & General Manager, Service Quality Manager through to Operations Director. In his private life, Stuart lives south of Winchester with his partner and their pets Poppy (a Red Labrador) and Oliver (an indoor Ocicat) and is a Trustee of the Repair Shop based in Winchester. He has an interest in cars, chocolate and cheese (not necessarily in that order) and enjoys gardening & a glass of prosecco as a way to relax. Holidays can be quite varied from relaxing cruises with Cunard to the more adventurous side following the Silk Road. Our Management Team Di Gray - Head of Adult Independent Sexual Violence Advisor Service Awaiting bio. Natalie Giles - Head of Adult Counselling Natalie has worked within the Complex Needs and Domestic Abuse Sector for over 20 years. She previously worked in Southampton and London with homeless individuals and those living vulnerably with alcohol and drug dependency. Whilst in London she also worked outreach with women who were at risk of sexual exploitation. Before moving to STARS Natalie was the Manager for the Somerset Domestic Abuse Service and managed a staff team who worked directly with families and individuals at high risk of abuse and with those needing Refuge accommodation. During her time with the Domestic Abuse Service, she worked within the Safeguarding Unit at the Avon & Somerset Police Offices in Bridgwater as part of a Multi-Agency Team working with high-risk victims of domestic abuse. She has trained agencies on domestic abuse and has also spoken at National Conferences on the need for Health Providers to be aware of domestic abuse when talking to patients. She is a Safelives qualified Service Manager and has a BSC (Hons) Degree in Sociology, English Language and Linguistics. Donna Willsher - Head of Children, Young People and Families Awaiting bio. Our Staff and Volunteers STARS has a large team of staff and volunteers to support clients in their healing journey. We employ a dedicated team of adult and child ISVAs who offer emotional support, information, and advocacy to our clients. Our ISVAs work closely with clients who have reported to the police or are contemplating doing so, providing them with the resources and knowledge to make informed decisions. Our counsellors at STARS help clients process and understand their trauma. Our team includes specialist counsellors who work with children and those who have experienced domestic violence. While some of our counsellors are paid, many are volunteers who generously donate their time and skills. Our business support staff are essential for our counselling services to run smoothly, having received therapeutic training that provides them with a deep understanding of our clients' needs. We recognize that our business support team is a critical part of STARS, and we value their contributions to our mission of providing compassionate care to our clients. Our Support Line, a core service and the foundation of our charity, is run by dedicated volunteers who have often been serving on the Support Line for many years. Our Support Line volunteers offer out of hours support to our clients. We recognize the crucial role the Support Line plays in our organization, and we are grateful to our volunteers for their loyal support in providing compassionate care to those who need it.