The Leadership Team

Emma Whitehouse - Founder

I’m Emma Whitehouse, founder of Bright Path. With over 26 years as a parent, I’ve seen both sides of the school system. My eldest thrived, while my 16-year-old, Charlie, has faced challenges due to his creativity and strong will. As the oldest sibling and a single mom at 19, I learned the importance of relationships and resilience. Professionally, I’ve spent a decade in family law and became a Mediator in 2018, helping schools and families navigate tough situations, often when emotions run high. Emma is also very creative and alongside Bright Path, she runs a creative small business. She has now set up multiple creative workshops for neurodivergent children and their parents, where they can relax and unwind in a non-judgmental environment, which from lived experience, Emma knows is desperately needed.

Our Partners

Kerry Tidman - Parent, Deaf Advocate, School Counsellor & Holistic Coach

Kerry brings years of experience supporting neurodiverse and care-experienced young people, and runs inclusive martial arts programmes that build confidence, resilience, and self-regulation.  Bright Path is proud to work in close partnership with Kerry to extend our support through physical wellbeing, discipline, and trusted mentoring. The Belonging Dojo delivers trauma-informed therapy and coaching, inclusionand awareness training, and youth empowerment programmes to create lasting change for individuals, schools and communities.Through our work, we educate the system, heal the harm caused by discrimination and exclusion, and protect the next generation before the harm begins.

Katie Newell - Parent, Specialist in Domestic Violence, Child Exploitation & SEND

Katie brings frontline experience supporting women and children fleeing domestic abuse, as well as those vulnerable to child criminal exploitation. She has worked directly with children who have witnessed and experienced violence in the home and understands how trauma impacts behaviour, education, and emotional development.

In addition to her safeguarding and trauma-informed practice, Katie is a SEN specialist, with a strong focus on how unmet or undiagnosed needs can lead to school exclusion and disengagement. She also runs a fundraising initiative that supports vulnerable families in the community, providing essential items such as school uniforms, food parcels, and basic necessities to those in crisis.

Sara Phillips – Recruitment Consultant & Parent Advocate

Sara brings both professional expertise and lived experience. As a recruitment consultant and the parent of a permanently excluded child, she understands the devastating impact exclusion can have not just on education, but on a young person’s future.Through her work, Sara bridges the gap between education and employment, helping young people access real-world opportunities such as work experience, training, and mentoring from local employers. Her focus is on building purpose, connection, and future pathways, key protective factors in preventing disengagement and exploitation. Sara’s insight ensures our programmes remain rooted in reality and responsive to the barriers many families face.

Sara Donnelly - Parent, Headteacher & SEN Specialist

We’re proud to partner with Sara, she is a passionate advocate for neurodivergent children and a leading voice in inclusive education. With over 15 years’ experience as a SEN specialist, emotional well-being therapist and former primary Headteacher, Sara brings a powerful blend of professional insight and lived experience.Her work focuses on early recognition (particularly in autistic girls), neurodiversity-affirming practice, and equipping both parents and educators with practical, accessible tools. Together, we share a commitment to creating inclusive, emotionally safe environments where every child feels seen, heard, and supported.