Fiona Ellis

Fiona Ellis serves as a Visiting Senior Fellow in Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Suffolk, where she contributes expertise in trauma recovery systems. She founded Survivors in Transition (SiT) in 2009 as a support initiative for female survivors of childhood sexual abuse, which evolved into a registered charity in 2011 expanding services to include male survivors. Under her leadership, SiT has grown from weekly support for a small group to serving hundreds of survivors annually through tailored interventions.

Ellis holds a Psychology degree from the University of Cape Town, which established her foundational interest in childhood trauma and women's issues. Her academic trajectory bridges clinical practice with systemic advocacy, focusing on translating psychological research into accessible community support frameworks.

Her research and practice specialization centers on developing innovative group programmes for adult survivors of sexual abuse, with particular emphasis on trauma-informed care models and accessibility barriers in specialist services. She maintains strong advocacy for survivors' rights while connecting her work to broader early intervention strategies in children's services, drawing from prior experience collaborating with national charities and local authorities on Children's Centres development.

As founder and operational leader of Survivors in Transition, Ellis directs all organizational activities including programme design, service delivery, and strategic expansion. The charity now implements multiple evidence-based support pathways addressing complex trauma from childhood sexual exploitation, maintaining its growth from initial grassroots operations to an established service provider meeting diverse survivor needs through individualized care approaches.