COMMENDEE 2025-26: Kathryn is Commended, as the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) lead for North East Probation, for transforming the region’s OPD provision through her knowledge, passion, and skill – her achievements have been widely praised by colleagues, as well as HM Inspectorate of Probation.

This nomination was written and signed-off by Paul Weatherstone – PDU Head, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Introduction

Kathryn is the North East Regional lead for the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) programme. She has, since coming to the role, transformed the service. Her drive and commitment coupled with a genuine passion for the people and the issues with which OPD is concerned has been an inspiration. She has pushed OPD to the forefront of practice in the Region and has created a service to be justifiably proud of.

Reasons for the nomination

Kathryn is an inspirational leader of the North East Offender Personality Disorder programme. She has been in the Probation Service for in excess of twenty years now and has excelled in all of the roles that she has undertaken but she really seems to have found her niche and her vocation in OPD.

She took on the leadership role at a transitional point in the evolution of OPD, following reunification. Kathryn approached the task of reviving OPD in the Region with drive and enthusiasm and her work has been genuinely transformational. In a relatively short period of time she has fought, successfully, to increase staffing resource by selling the value of the service to those with influence. She has injected a renewed sense of purpose into the programme and rejuvenated our relationships with our key partners at a local, regional and national level. She has successfully raised the profile of OPD in the Region by arranging events and conferences (the most recent of which attracted some high profile speakers including the Lord Bradley) attended by literally hundreds of staff but mostly through ensuring that the core work of OPD is done effectively and efficiently for the benefit of our staff and our people on Probation. Our OPD managers and staff have been enthused by her approach and her dedication and OPD is very much seen as “the” place to work in the Region.

Kathryn is regularly involved in national projects related to OPD. Her recent work in relation to the establishment of a PIPE AP in the North East has been recognised and praised by our OPD commissioners who describe her as a skilled, knowledgeable and skilled operator and leader.

Perhaps Kathryn’s greatest success has been to put OPD and the principles that guide it at the heart of Probation practice in the North East and her influence can be clearly seen across the Region. OPD was, incidentally, singled out for praise in the recent round of HMIP inspections in the North East which is testament to Kathryn’s leadership.

Despite her challenging workload, Kathryn can always make time to help others. She has been instrumental in supporting the Newcastle Enabling Environments project – she is currently transforming some old curtains into “grab bags” to support our approach to neurodiversity provision – and she regularly covers management of Newcastle PDU in the absence of the PDU Head. She also leads on suicide prevention in the Region, a role that she takes extremely seriously and one where already her commitment, her drive and her influence can already be seen.

Kathryn is an incredibly modest person who sees her role as a privilege rather than a job and she will, I think, be slightly embarrassed to be recognised in this way but I can think of no-one more deserving of a Butler Trust award.

Support for the nomination

Kathryn is a shining example of what true collaborative partnership means. She has brought amazing organisational and strategic skills, which combined with her passion for the OPD pathway have significantly increased our national profile. She has such an energy about her, that is contagious and has really driven promotion of the team. On a personal level, she has been supportive and really open to understanding organisational differences and cultures. Partnership working has many challenges but I’ve found Kathryn to be genuinely respectful of differences and open to working together to find the best ways forward.

As TEWV clinical lead with the Durham and Cleveland PICS team, I know that I reflect the views of everyone in the team, that Kathryn is a pleasure to work with and an absolute asset to the NE OPD pathway partnership. Kathryn is friendly, approachable, highly skilled in her role, innovative, always caring and supportive of the staff in the NE, and the many challenges we face. She has brought such a positive influence in her role as NE OPD lead, and we wholeheartedly approve of this nomination and recognition of the impact she has made.

I have had the opportunity to work with Kathryn in our parallel strategic lead roles in the OPD partnership contracts in the North East in which she has modelled effective and compassionate leadership across our large regional partnership. She has been able to guide the teams in delivering effective consultation and intervention services to consistently meet and indeed exceed contract requirements. Her professional rigour and standards have motivated others to seek to continually improve the offer to service users and staff and she has fostered a culture of professional curiosity, collaborative multi-agency working and ethical engagement which has seen the teams recognised throughout our region for their work.

Kathryn is an outstanding leader and manager; I see this every day with her future vision and unwavering commitment and passion for improving our OPD service. Kathryn brings such energy to the partnership and has an abundance of ideas which promote working creatively with and supporting the risk management of highly complex individuals with personality difficulties. Ideas become a reality with Kathryn!

Kathryn really cares about her colleagues too. She brings her team of Probation and Health colleagues ‘with her’, prioritising the primary task of our service whilst caring about the wellbeing of colleagues and maximising their professional development too. This is what I believe makes her an exemplary leader; she is inspirational.

Kathryn is an inspiring leader. She is kind, approachable and motivational, and her passion for this area of work is evident. She has promoted the OPD agenda throughout the region and encourages her colleagues to do the same. Bringing together a conference (Thriving Together) that is co-produced and focused on women, is a significant step forward and achievement in this area, alongside facilitating the Lads Like Us Event. Kathryn is open to new ideas and is a brilliant manager and colleague and this nomination is extremely well deserved!

Sign off

Kathryn is outstanding in every respect and a pleasure to work with. The testimonials provided by staff and colleagues speak for themselves. She has had a genuinely transformational impact on the delivery of OPD in our Region and she is thoroughly deserving of recognition by the Butler Trust.

Paul Weatherstone, PDU Head, Newcastle upon Tyne