At Handa, we draw upon our huge experience in advocacy services
to provide a range of accredited and non-accredited
training courses for organisations and individual learners
Handa Training & Development Ltd is a company created by experts in the field of training and assessing independent advocates. Howard Swinfield-Wells and Andy Perrey have more than 30 years’ experience between them in supporting advocates through the national independent advocacy qualification at Levels 2, 3 and 4.
They have worked with over a hundred advocacy services and enabled well over a thousand advocates to become qualified independent advocates. Howard and Andy have a reputation throughout England and Wales for providing informative stimulating training courses, and excellent workplace assessment support.
Handa have become one of the largest national training providers for independent advocates in the U.K.
Understanding the value of independent advocacy in the social care sector is key to their values and beliefs. This is borne out by many years’ experience as advocates and a provider of the only nationally recognised independent advocacy qualification.
Their extensive knowledge of the role was utilised by City & Guilds when they worked closely with the awarding organisation in the redesign of the latest level 4 version of the independent advocacy qualification. We know this qualification well as we helped design it!
Handa has invested in a modern, user-friendly Learner Management System. No more watching videos in a vacuum, every learner will be empowered with a world-class online course experience. The system is accessed directly from our website through a learner login, and the courses contain a range of engaging assessment methods. We haven’t forgotten the human touch as well, with qualifications being assessed through a mix of online tasks and easy assessor interaction.
Contact us
About us
Our aim at Handa is to provide innovative, engaging, and affordable training options for the health and social care sector in England and Wales. We are trainers and assessors with decades of experience in the fields of:
- Mental Health
- Independent Advocacy
- Health & Social Care
- Safeguarding
- Mental Capacity
- Education
- Training & Development
- Management Support
- Assessment & Quality Assurance
- Human Resources
- Law
- Health & Safety
Howard Swinfield-Wells
Howard has over 30 years’ experience in the social care and private sectors having previously worked as a solicitor and independent advocate for many years. He has huge experience in supporting and representing those with mental capacity and mental health issues. He is also qualified in Human Resource Management, Health & Safety and has worked as a Course Tutor/Assessor for the last 16 years. Howard has extensive experience as a Course Tutor and Internal Quality Assurer for a further education college, supporting learners through a wide range of qualifications. Howard also manages the City & Guilds Professional Recognition Awards, which we offer at Levels 4-7 in Leadership & Management and Learning & Development.
Andy Perrey
Andy has over 22 years’ experience as an innovative and engaging Training Manager. He has run and managed a successful City & Guilds approved centre for many years and has acquired a nationally recognised reputation for delivering stimulating and informative training courses in independent advocacy. Andy is a qualified Internal Quality Assurer and has a particular expertise in the field of health and social care and management support services. Andy also has been a successful trainer and recruitment expert for two ‘blue-chip’ companies employing thousands of staff.
Rachel Hill
Rachel is a highly experienced and knowledgeable independent advocacy professional. She has over 17 years’ experience working in independent advocacy, which included several years managing independent advocacy services. Rachel is a fully qualified independent advocate, advocacy manager and assessor. Her important role as part of the Level 4 qualification team includes carrying out case reviews and observations of our many learners.
Lin Zhang
Lin is an important part of the Level 4 qualification team, carrying out case reviews and remote observations of learners. She is a qualified Independent Advocate with experience across all the main strands of statutory advocacy. Her qualifications include a Master of Science in Psychology in Education. She has also been involved in important research projects regarding the mental health of children and young people. Graduate member of the British Psychological Society.
Sam Wilson
Sam joined us in January 2025 as part of our expanding team of training and assessment professionals. She has extensive experience of the charitable and social care sector, and worked as a Senior Independent Advocate for a large advocacy provider. She has enjoyed developing and delivering training to many advocates, and line managed a team of independent advocates as part of her Independent Advocacy Coordinator role. She has an impressive record of strengthening the voices and rights of adults with care and support needs.
Lindsay Swinfield-Wells
Lindsay is a qualified HR professional and Assessor, with considerable experience in education and the social care sector. Formerly an HR Director of a large charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, she now provides Handa with HR advice and guidance, assessment and administrative support.