Dr Bernard Horsford, Executive Chairman: Profile

I have extensive experience of psychometric assessment, leadership development and coaching. This includes designing assessment centres, leading a review of the Civil Service Selection Board for the Cabinet Office, selecting Queen’s Counsel, advising the Department for Work and Pensions and the Unipart Group.

As a medico-legal expert psychologist, I have appeared in cases a number of high value personal injury cases in claims in excess of £7m. In Equality Act 2010 claims, I have advised companies such as Bloomberg, Toshiba and the National Offender Management Service. My forensic cases typically involve assessing defendants in murder, child destruction and terrorism and conspiracy cases.

While at the Open University Business School, I taught human resource strategy and business management both on the MBA and undergraduate programmes.

I also sat on the HealthCare Professions Council as a psychologist Panel Member to the Fitness to Practice and Education Panels.

In 1998, I was appointed to role of the Managing Director of the Fanon Trust and was responsible for providing: risk assessments, parenting assessments and neurological assessments. I managed a team of clinical psychologists and worked closely with the Institute of Psychiatry and the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust to develop innovative approaches to treating patients with complex forensic histories.

I worked as a senior HR manager and then HR director for 12 years, delivering change programmes, leadership development, improving employee well-being and dealing with mental health at work.

My early therapeutic work as a psychotherapist and counsellor focused on working with young people who had mental health, educational and offending problems. I have worked for 26 years with adults, children, families, learning disabled adults and older adults delivering cognitive behavioural therapy on a range of problems including depression, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, psychosis and family functioning, adjustment disorders and addictive behaviours.



Qualifications
2017 MSc Investigative (Forensic) Psychology, Distinction, University of Huddersfield
2013 Bar Professional Training Course, (very competent) BPP Law School: BBP University College
2003 PhD Applied Psychology, Cranfield University
2003 LLB(hons) Birkbeck College: University of London
1996 Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology, University of East London
1993 MBA, Manchester Business School: University of Manchester
1993 BA(hons) Psychology & Economics, Open University
1992 Professional Diploma in Marketing, Nottingham Trent University
1990 Diploma in Adult Education (teacher training), University of Nottingham
1990 Professional Diploma in Personnel Management, DeMontfort University

Professional Memberships

British Psychological Society, Associate Fellow, Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Neuropsychologist www.bps.org.uk/
American Psychological Association, Affiliate member www.apa.org/
Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Full member www.siop.org/
Institute of Directors, Full Member www.iod.com/
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Fellow www.cipd.co.uk/
Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, barrister, Inn www.graysinn.org.uk/
Employment Law Bar Association, member www.elba.org.uk/
Bar Association for Commerce, Finance & Industry, member, www.bacfi.org/
Institute of Consulting, Fellow www.iconsulting.org.uk/
Academy of Experts, member www.academyofexperts.org/
Expert Witness Institute, Member www.ewi.org.uk/
British Dyslexia Association, Professional member www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/
Association for Project Management, member www.apm.org.uk/

My Research Interest Include:


The objective assessment of disability and the development of measures to reduce disability discrimination in occupational, forensic and clinical settings. My particular focus has been the assessment of special educational needs including learning disabilities such as dyslexia, autism (including Asperger’s Syndrome) and ADHD.

Mental health assessments, mental capacity assessments, the assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety with particular emphasis on whether these conditions amount to a disability in the workplace and whether they impact on fitness to stand trial and parenting capacity.

Occupational health reporting and the effectiveness of occupational health physicians and general practitioners (GPs) to detect and manage patients that are malingering.

Improving equality and diversity at work and improving representation in senior management of groups with protected characteristics.

Effective use of Court Intermediaries in helping vulnerable and mentally disordered victims and defendants.

Parental alienation, pathogenic parenting and family risk assessments.

Effectiveness of medical legal reports and expert witness evidence.

Effectiveness of business improvement initiatives.

Recent Publications
Horsford, B. I. (2014) Initial analysis of the equality impact to support development of the revised Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, London: Department of Health

Horsford, B. I. (2006) An equality impact assessment of the virtual court, London: London Criminal Justice Board and the Legal Services Commission

Horsford, B. I. (2005) Performance appraisal ratings: a review and impact assessment, London: The Crown Prosecution Service Human Resources Directorate and Equality and Diversity Unit

Horsford, B. I. (2003) The Career Progression of Black Managers, Cranfield, Cranfield University

Horsford, B. I. & Foster, D (1993) Are South African psychologists to blame for blustering racial segregation? All in the Mind BBC Radio 4, 19 October 1993

Horsford, B. I. (1990) Cultural issues in psychiatric diagnosis. Paper presented to the Abnormal Psychology Study Workshop, Nottingham University. In N. Hayes (1994) Foundations of Psychology: An Introductory Text, London

Horsford, B. I. (1996) Psychology, education and race: a Black perspective. Psychology News & In Mind 2(1) 11 – 14

Twitter: @DrHorsford
Linknedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardhorsford


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