Head injury information Directory

Suzanne Smith has specialised in safeguarding for 33 years. A registered nurse and health visitor, most of Suzanne's career has been in the NHS in both community and acute settings and includes safeguarding children and adults.  

 

She spent 5 years at University of Huddersfield as Principal Lecturer where she completed her PhD in child protection.  More recently Suzanne worked as Executive Director for Barring and Safeguarding at the Disclosure and Barring Service, retiring from this role in 2023.  

 

With a passions for the prevention of child abuse, in 2018 Suzanne founded a programme to help parents cope with infant crying in order to prevent abusive head trauma; ICON: babies cry, you can cope is now operational across most of England, all of Scotland and is starting to gain momentum in Wales. ICON has recently been registered as a Charity under Suzanne's leadership and direction. 

 

In 2023 Suzanne established her own Safeguarding Consultancy (ST Smith Safeguarding Consultants). Her current role is as Head of Safeguarding (interim) at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where she oversees the management of incidents, allegations and the development of policies and procedures and the nurturing of a safeguarding culture.