Meet Our Management Committee

Shani Levy

Essex Care Association Chair

Shani has worked in Essex Social Care for over 30 years in various settings from registered care, supported living, day opportunities and supported employment working with a range of customer groups.   She started her career at 16 completing a Youth Training Scheme in care, soon realising that making a difference to people lives is her passion.

Shani has been a Committee Member for 3 years – Shani joined the Committee to support the mission of ECA to be the voice of local providers and work in a collaborative and respectful way with Essex County Council.
 
Shani is Associate Director of St Helena Care Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of St Helena Hospice, Colchester, who provide personalised and customer focused,  hospital discharge, admission avoidance services in North East Essex. The service also provides care and support to people who are in the last phases of life. Shani feels proud to work for St Helenas and privileged to be part of an amazing team.

In her own time, Shani enjoys yoga, shopping and weekends away in her campervan!

Tom Lyons

Essex Care Association Vice Chair

Tom is the Managing Director of Black Swan Care Group who own and operate 22 care homes in the East of England, as well as providing consultancy services to care home operators.

As well as care awards, Tom has won several business awards including Large Business of the Year and was named one of the faces of Grant Thorntons vibrant economy.

Tom is passionate about supporting providers and improving care outcomes. He has supported the NHS with recruitment, having been on interview panels for key integrated roles such as Trusted Assessors.

When not at work Tom likes to spend time with his two children on their smallholding where they look after several rare breed animals.

Rachel Van Staveren

Essex Care Association Director/Treasurer

Rachel is the Managing Director of Cloud 9 Care, providing care and support to people in their own homes.  She is an experienced Carer, although her many duties within Cloud 9 mean that she doesn't do very much direct care work nowadays.  As a regular church-goer Rachel tries to bring her Christian ethics into the workplace.  Rachel has been a Director of ECA for many years and acts as Treasurer to the Essex Care Association.
 
Outside work, Rachel enjoys walking with her dog, Brodie (a very lazy whippet), music (singing with Colchester Choral Society) and cricket (travelling the world supporting England).  Rachel is a Worship Leader at her Church and supports the wider Church organisation by overseeing its safeguarding function across three counties.

Alan Betts

Essex Care Association Director

Alan is the Chief Operations Officer at Care Givers Limited, a social care provider delivering domiciliary care, supported living, residential care, supported accommodation for young people, and children’s residential services.

With almost 40 years of experience in social care, Alan began his career with Essex County Council at the age of 16 and progressed into senior management roles covering operational services, workforce development, and human resources.

Since moving into the independent care sector in 2006, Alan has held a number of Director and Executive-level positions, specialising in services for people with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs. He has extensive experience in service development, quality improvement, organisational growth, and operational leadership.

In 2012, Alan was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Care Awards in recognition of his contribution to the social care sector. He remains passionate about improving outcomes for the people who use services and supporting the development of the social care workforce.

Outside of work, Alan enjoys spending time with his family, including his nine grandchildren, playing 5-a-side football, and working as a mobile DJ.

Andy Jarman

Essex Care Association Committee Member

Andy joined the care industry in 2015 as a Customer Relations Manager for a national provider, moved after 3 years to another national provider, and then joined Bupa in November 2021 as an Account Manager covering Kent, Essex, and London covering 41 homes and 2350 residents.

Andy manages relationships with 53 different Local Authorities and ICB. Over the past two years, he has successfully challenged fee uplifts and been awarded over an additional £2m for the business.

Recently alongside his role, Andy has studied part-time and completed a CMI Management and Leadership course with a Distinction grade.

Andy is married with two lovely children who are 7 and 5 years old. Andy has recently taken up indoor climbing, likes going on nature walks with the children, and taking advantage of the beautiful countryside in Sussex where he lives.

Luke Buldock

Essex Care Association Committee Member

Luke is Head of Respite at Hamelin, a social care provider dedicated to helping people feel connected, included and confident in their communities. Through tailored support for people with learning disabilities and autism, Hamelin works to reduce loneliness, build skills and support greater independence.

With more than 30 years’ experience in social care, Luke brings a broad and grounded perspective to his work. He began his career as a Support Worker alongside adults with learning disabilities, before spending 10 years as a mental health worker in Hackney. He later moved into senior management roles supporting older people, including those who were frail or living with dementia, before returning full circle to lead services for young adults with learning disabilities and autistic people.

Luke is driven by a belief that good support starts with listening, relationships and genuine community connection. He is passionate about creating services that help people live fuller lives, feel valued and have more opportunities to shape their own futures.

Outside of work, Luke enjoys swimming — both indoors and outdoors — going to gigs and indulging his love of film.

Manford Ncube

Essex Care Association Director

With over 14 years of progressive experience in the Health and Social Care sector, Manford has cultivated a robust expertise in running and managing services for children, young people, and adults. His career path has seen him evolve from a Team Leader to a Director, with each role enhancing his ability to support and lead diverse services on both regional and national levels.

Throughout his career, Manford has been committed to creating environments where teams can excel and deliver outstanding care.  In his current role as Regional Operations Manager, he provides strategic guidance and operational support to the Area Managers, ensuring that all services meet the highest standards of care and regulatory compliance.

Manford's passion lies in working with individuals across all age groups and abilities, driving continuous improvement, and navigating the complex challenges inherent in the health and social care industry.
He is dedicated to fostering a culture of excellence and innovation, empowering teams to deliver exceptional care, and ensuring that services not only meet but exceed industry standards. His approach is rooted in a deep commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all service users, with a focus on compassionate, person-centered care.

Manford's favourite quote - "It always seems impossible until it's done." — Nelson Mandela 

Michelle Cook

Essex Care Association Director

Michelle has been a member of ECA for many years and more recently a Director as part of the Committee.  She joined because she felt that it was advantageous to be part of a provider group that were raising issues, highlighting changes, holding local authority to account and representing a sector that has been facing increasing challenges for many years.

Michelle is currently the CEO of Acorn Village, a charity based in Manningtree, who support adults with learning disabilities within residential and supported living services.  Michelle has worked for Acorn Village for over 20 years, initially starting a as Student Nurse on a placement, then as a Support Worker, Care Manager, Registered Manager and for the last 7 years as CEO.  Their motto is Life is For Living and she tries hard to ensure this runs through everything they do, even nearly 50 years on from when they first opened.

Outside of work, Michelle has a partner, 2 adult children, 2 cats and an 18-month-Old English Bulldog … all of which make her life interesting in one way or another! She enjoys experiencing new things and this year climbed Scafell Pike with her partner and dog.  She also went to Porto with some friends, where she learnt that she does not enjoy climbing mountains, but she does enjoy Port!

Tanya George

Essex Care Association Director

Tanya is the Managing Director of Caremark Chelmsford & Uttlesford. They have been providing domiciliary care and support to people living in the Uttlesford area since 2009. Tanya feels very lucky to work alongside an immensely positive team striving every day to support people to live lives that matter.
 
Tanya has been a member of ECA for many years and joined the ECA Management Committee in July 2021. She believes that we are stronger together and is proud to be part of an Association which gives a voice to local social care providers and represents members best interests on a number of issues.

Tanya has two adult children who live in Lincoln and York, and therefore spends a lot of time on the A1. She also enjoys cooking and gardening and is an avid fan of cold-water swimming which she does a least twice a week – the colder the better!!