Hannah Fairs-Billam (MSc, MA, DipSW, BA) is an associate trainer and consultant for Thirtyone:eight and a qualified social worker with more than 20 years of experience in children’s rights, advocacy, and protection. Since qualifying in 2002, Hannah has worked extensively in children’s rights and advocacy, including developing two independent advocacy services for looked-after children in two locations in the UK. She later qualified as a Practice Assessor for social work placements and, in 2012, travelled to Zambia to establish a child safeguarding NGO with a local multidisciplinary team.
Hannah lived in Zambia for 10 years, gaining extensive experience of working in an African context.
Hannah has worked in the international safeguarding field for 15 years, including with international non-government organisations in both development and humanitarian contexts. She has extensive experience working within international minimum standards of safeguarding, whilst adapting safeguarding frameworks and approaches sensitively and appropriately to diverse cultural and organisational contexts.
Her expertise includes conducting safeguarding and PSEAH (Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment) audits, investigations, case reviews and training across diverse cultural settings, spanning several countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Malawi, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Jordan, and across South America. She is recognised for her culturally competent, humble, and sensitive approach to safeguarding practice and organisational review.
Hannah has extensive experience within the Christian faith sector internationally, particularly supporting organisations navigating the unique safeguarding challenges associated with sending and receiving volunteers across countries and cultures. She has significant experience reviewing organisational culture and developing safer organisational cultures, with particular attention to issues of power, control, coercion, and safeguarding risks within faith communities.
Her expertise includes child safeguarding in the faith sector, alongside strong investigative and report-writing skills. In 2024, she was awarded an MSc with distinction in Safeguarding in an International Context, serves as Technical Director for Tehila Zambia, and is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at University of Bradford in the UK.
Hannah Fairs-Billam