Debbie Tolhurst

Debbie Tolhurst is a Teaching Fellow at the School of Health Sciences, part of the Faculty of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Greenwich. She joined in October 2020 with extensive experience in children's safeguarding, having previously served as a Named Nurse for Children’s Safeguarding and worked in strategic roles within Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH) and Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC). Her career spans acute healthcare, community nursing, and leadership in children’s centers.

Education & Practice Background:

• Qualified as a Health Visitor in 2003
• Experience as Ward Manager in acute and HIV wards (1993–1998)
• Senior Staff Nurse at St Christopher’s Hospice (1990–1991)

Research & Expertise: Specializes in safeguarding practices, PREVENT strategy leadership, and multi-agency collaboration. Previously served as Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead for the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) programme (2013–2016). Her work bridges clinical practice and academia, emphasizing family support, public health, and strategic healthcare management.

Key Roles:

• PREVENT Lead (last two years in practice)
• CHANNEL panel attendee and collaboration with PREVENT teams
• Children’s Center Manager in Kent (2007–2013)

Labs/Teams: Currently part of the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) team at the University of Greenwich.