Our Story
WLA was founded in the Spring of 2017 and since then we have worked with a diverse range of public and private sector organisations, including UK governments.
Our associates are all successful system leaders who have been at the cutting edge of health and social care innovation and reform for over a decade, having designed and managed nationally recognised and award winning services. We are bound together by our shared values which guide everything we do.
Our work is evidence-based or where an evidence base isn’t established, we will work with our clients to generate practice-based evidence. We work with our clients and stakeholders to co-create innovative solutions, and we never forget that strong relationships are the basis of successful projects. For WLA, every project is the start of a relationship and it is that relationship that creates change.
We want to make a positive difference to the world and we actively support a number of charities.
Operation Encompass is a charity that aligns to our brand and our values. Read more about Operation Encompass here.
Our Associates
WARREN LARKIN
Founder, Managing Director
AMY BLACKWELL
Co – Founder, Managing Director
MICK ATKINSON
Associate
ROB BALFOUR
Associate
ROB DICKINSON
Associate
SARA BARR FROST
Associate
Routine Enquiry, the Care Programme Approach (CPA) and Mental Health Services
Guest blog by Charlie Brooker, Honorary Professor, Centre for Sociology and Criminology, Royal Holloway, University of London The CPA has been a requirement for nearly 30 years and aimed to ensure that people with a serious mental health problem [...]
Responding to the psychosocial aftermath of the pandemic
Alongside a number of experts in trauma-informed practice, I supported a webinar for NHS professionals which explored ideas and solutions to responding to the psychosocial aftermath of the pandemic. I’m always pleased to be able to [...]
The Wellbeing Show with Noel McDermott
I recently joined Noel McDermott on his Wellbeing Show to discuss the proposed Resilience Task Force and the call to Government about the need for a cross-sector, multi-agency response to the aftermath of the pandemic, which will ultimately see social and [...]
“Dr Warren Larkin has supported post-graduate education in mental health at the University of Sunderland for many years, providing enthusiastic and engaging delivery around working with Chronic Psychological Trauma. Students have repeatedly feedback that his knowledgeable and practical expertise has given them something worthwhile to take back to their practice and we now look forward to welcoming his contribution to BSc Public Health at the University of Sunderland”
“It was a pleasure to work with you on October 10th 2017, you delivered keynote presentation to over eighty professionals in Bradford during the Resilience – Adverse Childhood Experiences ( ACE) Seminar and you delivered key messages on the impact of ACE.
Your creative and engaging style set the tone requiring a sophisticated and compassionate response, to build resilience when trust has been broken, with an importance to work collaboratively to safeguard those most at risk, despite the current public sector challenges.
As Chair of the event the most memorable was the introduction of the REACh Model and its approach which is successfully implemented with positive outcomes
I would have no hesitation to recommend you Warren to anyone looking to develop the ACE model”
“I recently attended the Young Minds “Addressing Adversity” Conference in Birmingham and thoroughly enjoyed your presentation, it made a huge impression on me. It gave me a number of new ideas to consider and also went some way to confirm my recent thoughts around Personality Disorder being a form of PTSD”
