Staff & trustees

Amy Woodhouse

Amy became Chief Executive of Parenting across Scotland in October 2023. Prior to this role, she was Head of Policy, Projects and Participation for Children in Scotland, a position she held for eight years.

Earlier in her career she worked as a researcher in the mental health sector and has a particular interest in how music, and the arts more widely, can be used to promote mental health and well-being. She is currently a Board Member of Scottish Ensemble, a pioneering collective of outstanding musicians.

In 2023 Amy became a Churchill Fellow. Her fellowship focused on national approaches to improving children and young peoples’ access to hobbies, learning from the experiences of Finland and Iceland. In her own spare time she is a tap-dancer, sometime painter, terrible but enthusiastic guitar player and lover of long-distance walks.

Arran Goodfellow

Arran took up her role as Policy and Engagement Officer in February 2024. Prior to this, Arran was the Assistant Policy, Projects and Participation Officer at Children in Scotland where she was involved in a wide range of projects involving the participation of children and young people.

Away from work, Arran enjoys dressmaking and anxiously watching Scotland play rugby.

Neil Mathers (Chair)

Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, with extensive experience in the charity sector including senior roles with Save the Children, Curiosity Collective and Children 1st.

Co-founder and Chair of Children of Songea, and has held trustee roles at several other charities, including One Parent Families Scotland, Creative Stirling and Befriending Networks.

Louise Marryat

Louise is currently a researcher at the University of Dundee, where she works on a range of research around parental substance use, child mental health, and early adversity.

She began her career at the National Centre for Social Research, working mostly on the Growing Up in Scotland birth cohort study, and the evaluation of the pilot of the Family Nurse Partnership program. Following this she undertook her Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow, exploring the impact of schools on the development of early mental health difficulties, alongside working as a Research Assistant on the evaluation of the Glasgow City Parenting Framework.

Since finishing her PhD, she has undertaken postdoctoral positions in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Glasgow, and the Farr Institute/Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre, University of Edinburgh.

Fiona McHardy

Katie Metcalfe

Katie has worked in the voluntary sector for over 15 years, starting her career in youth programme management and community engagement, specialising in events delivery and business development.

In her current role at a large national mental health charity, she provided consultancy and support to local affiliated charities around income generation and fundraising, recently moving into an internal operations manager role to ensure the organisation is delivering effective, efficient and legal fundraising. She is passionate about supporting charities to reach their ambitions.

Outside of work commitments, Katie has volunteered with youth organisations, both as a youth support worker and Girlguiding volunteer. Having recently become a parent, she found PAS to be a valuable source of information, and is keen to ensure the sustainability and growth of PAS to support other parents and caregivers for the long term future.

Sarah Rogers Barbosa

Sarah Rogers is an experienced Community Learning and Development professional with a background in participation, youth work, family learning, and adult education.

Through the Churchill Fellowship, she undertook research in the USA on innovative attachment-informed approaches to infant mental health in the context of domestic abuse.

She recently spent seven years working and volunteering in Colombia before returning to become an Adult Education Team Leader at West Lothian Council.

Linn Cowie-Sailer

Linn is a service designer passionate about and experienced in inclusive design. She has a background in international relations and economics, and has worked with a wide range of sectors and industries both in Scotland and Norway to research, design, and implement services, products, and experiences. Previously living in Glasgow, Linn now lives in Oslo, Norway with her family.