Who We Are

Family Mental Fitness North East CIC is a community interest company providing mental health, wellbeing, and therapeutic services for children, young people, and families in Newcastle and beyond.

We exist because too many families are caught between high thresholds for specialist services and long waiting lists for CAMHS. Our aim is to offer timely, accessible, and meaningful help without the wait or the red tape.

To break down barriers to mental health support by offering creative, evidence-based, and person-centred programmes that:

• Promote resilience and self-esteem

• Support emotional regulation and communication

• Strengthen family and community connections

• Provide early intervention before needs escalate

We believe mental fitness is as important as physical fitness and that every child, young person, and family should have the tools to thrive.

FMFNE CIC was founded in 2025 by Kay Pace, after over 11 years of frontline work in a Byker primary school and years of community wellbeing experience.

Kay saw first-hand the urgent need for practical, compassionate support especially for children with SEND, SEMH needs, and those impacted by poverty or isolation. Many waited months or years for specialist help, while their families struggled to cope.

Family Mental Fitness North East CIC is governed by a small but dedicated board of directors, who support strategic planning, financial oversight, and community accountability.

Our board members are not involved in programme delivery and receive no payment for their governance roles. They contribute their expertise voluntarily to help ensure that our work remains ethical, effective, and rooted in the needs of our community.

Our Current Directors:

• Kay Pace (Founder & Director)
  Kay is a qualified SEN practitioner, student hypnotherapist, and student psychotherapeutic counsellor with The Kings Trust. With over a decade of experience inside a Byker primary school, she has built deep connections with children, parents, and professionals.
  Kay leads the day-to-day running of FMFNE CIC, using her frontline school and therapeutic experience to shape the organisation’s vision, delivery, and ethos. Her work has shaped FMFNE into an organisation that listens first, acts quickly, and builds lasting change.
• Kathy Parker (Director – Education & Community Insight)
  With nearly 40 years’ experience in schools, pupil referral units, and community work, Kathy brings invaluable lived insight to our planning and evaluation, ensuring we remain grounded in the voices of children and families.
• Daniel Pace (Director – Strategic Oversight & Digital Development)
  Daniel is an experienced business owner and digital consultant based in Ouseburn. He supports long-term planning, design, and systems development, helping the CIC remain future-focused and operationally strong.

We’re not a crisis service, and we’re not a replacement for CAMHS. We fill the crucial gap in between — providing responsive, approachable, and impactful support at the right time.

Family Mental Fitness North East CIC is guided by a diverse panel of advisors who bring together decades of professional expertise, lived experience, and deep community connection. Between them, our panel members have worked in education, youth work, specialist SEN support, movement and wellbeing, governance, training, and quality assurance. They are parents, practitioners, and community leaders who know first-hand the challenges families face – and the strengths they carry. Their insight helps us to design programmes that are inclusive, impactful, and firmly rooted in real-life experience

Ashleigh Dadson-Butt – Training, Inclusion & Quality Advisor
Award-winning training and development manager with roots in Byker, blending professional excellence in medical science with lived experience as an SEN parent.

Kathy Parker – Children’s Voice & Experience Advisor
Retired after nearly 40 years working in classrooms, pupil-referral units and in school administration, Kathy is our community connector - ’experienced in  ensuring children and parents feel heard and understood.

Rob Watson – Education & Wellbeing Advisor
Assistant Head Teacher with deep SEMH expertise, safeguarding knowledge, and a passion for movement as a tool for resilience.

Joe Danquah – Movement & Wellbeing Advisor
National award-winning PE teacher and grassroots coach dedicated to improving children’s mental health through physical activity.

Jayne Harris – SEN Advisor & Practitioner
Experienced SEN support worker and parent whose ADHD, autism, and ARFID diagnoses inspire her to create inclusive, sensory-based programmes.

Stacey Davidson – Youth Work & Community Advisor
Byker-born youth worker with decades at The Bostey, combining local insight, governance experience, and a commitment to empowering young people.

As a Community Interest Company (CIC), every decision we make is in service of the community—not profit. All surplus revenues are fully reinvested to expand our services, reach, and impact. Our work is supported and strengthened by an Advisory Panel composed of professionals, parents, and local community leaders who ensure our programmes are safe, accountable, and truly responsive to the families we serve.

We operate an Asset Lock, meaning all assets and profits are legally committed to delivering community benefit. We are regulated by the Community Interest Company Regulator, ensuring transparency, accountability, and long-term dedication to the communities we serve.