Our People

David Gilbertson 

Chairperson - Carolina House Trust Board of Directors

In 1993 David Gilbertson, joined CHT as a volunteer with the boat project and the introduction of the ‘Family’s Pride’.  He was subsequently invited to join the Board, and two Chairpersons later, in 2003, was invited to Chair the Board. David’s origins are with all things of a seafaring nature, including service in the Merchant and Royal Navy and work off shore. He hung up his professional seaboots in 1982 on purchasing the long established motor dealer, Thomson and Potter, in Burrelton.

Now, after 25 years in business and the motor trade, the rest is history. Involvement with CHT has been rewarding, he maintains, and has provided him with an interesting and challenging insight into the important work of the Trust.

Joyce Clark

Director of Operations

Joyce Clark, Director of Operations within Carolina House Trust since October 2007, graduated with a BA in Psychology from Stirling University before completing a Post Graduate certificate in Community Education at Dundee College of Education.

She started her social work career in 1979, initially as an unqualifed social worker, later seconded by Perth and Kinross District Council to do her social work training at Dundee University, qualifying in 1983. Most of her working life has been spent in child care. Her first senior post was as a senior residential worker, before becoming the Manager of the Child and Family Centre in Perth.

That led to two Service Managers posts within Perth and Kinross, firstly with Under 12s Services and Young People’s Services before moving to her last post with Perth and Kinross Council as Lead Officer for Children’s Services. She took early retirement from the Council in 2006 at the age of 50. Joyce lives in a small village in Perth and Kinross with her husband and 16 year old daughter.

Neil Falconer

Business Manager

Native to Arbroath, Neil studied at Dundee University & gained an Honours Degree in Pure Accountancy. Neil moved away from sunny Scotland to Manchester on a graduate scheme with Carnaud Metalbox where he completed the practical experience & exams to qualify as a Chartered Accountant. He has worked his way from trainee accountant through to Management Accountant & thence to Financial Controller. Having worked in manufacturing for most of his career to date, Neil had a spell with Angus Council as an Accountant managing half of the Social Work Finance Department before he joined Carolina House Trust in May 2005 as Financial Controller based at Roseangle in Dundee. As of 1 February 2009 Neil was appointed as Business Manager responsible for Finance, Human Resources, Health & Safety, Property and the Vehicle Fleet. 

Bill Wardley-Smith

Manager Residential Services & Support for Independence

Bill was appointed as Manager (Residential and Support for Independence services) on 1st March 2009. Bill started working for CHT as an Area Manager in March 2005.  Prior to that, he worked as a manager at Rossie Secure Unit outside Montrose, where he was involved in developing the remand and sentence unit, developed a unit quality control system and undertook research into the correlation between restraint and  environment. He has worked within the social care sector for a number of years, both in Scotland and England. His interest in social work evolved from his work as a detached youth worker in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Prior to working in the care sector Bill had a career in the music industry, both in the UK and Europe. He still plays and writes songs, which are placed on several internet sites, and composed a piece of music that was used in a short independent film - “The Exchange” - in the US.

Steve Clark

Manager Foster Care & Supported Lodgings Services

Steve Clark was appointed as Manager of the Foster Care and Supported Lodgings Service on 19^th July 2010.  Steve’s academic background is in Psychology with an honours degree from Edinburgh University where some years later he also completed his social work training in 1989.  Prior to this he had worked in a variety of jobs but his social services career started working with adults with learning difficulties.  After 10 years child care experience working in Mid Lothian and Edinburgh Steve became the senior of the Child Protection Team in Dundee in 1998 graduating almost 5 years later to briefly Co-ordinate at the Tayside Out of Hours Service before taking up the post as Child Protection Co-ordinator for Stirling Council.  During his time in Stirling he acted up for almost 2 years as the Service Manager for the Fostering and Adoption Service, Disability and Residential Care. 

Steve left this post to work for himself as an Independent Care and Protection Consultant for 3 ½ years in which time he busied himself with a variety of assessment, training, service development and court work principally in the area of Fostering and Adoption as well as a short stint with Angus Council before joining Carolina House Trust.   He has chaired the Fostering and Permanence Panel for Perth and Kinross Council and is the chair of the Permanence Panel for Dundee City Council.

A lover of nature, forests and green spaces in general his ambition is to retire to a wine   growing area of Europe to produce his own vintage.       

Ingvild Sigstad Begg (Ziggy)

Chairperson of Foster Care Panel

Norwegian-born Ziggy qualified as a social worker in 1972 and worked in Scotland first as a social worker for 10 years and then for a further 3 years as a personnel manager. Later she worked for the County Governor in Tromsø, Norway for several years and in 1992 she obtained a full law degree. She is now a Senior Lecturer in Law and lives in Lillehammer.

From her earlier days in Scotland she was aware of Carolina House children’s home, but in 2003, while working for three months as a consultant/manager for the Outreach Team, she got to know the modern Carolina House Trust.

Ziggy was invited to take over as Chair for the Foster Care Panel in the autumn of 2005.