Co-founder and Co-director 

Resonant Collaboration’s Colin Michel wanted to create a social enterprise to help practitioners connect deeply with each other to learn, develop and flourish.

Over the years, Colin has been an English tutor with young people (2002-2016); a learning manager in three charities (2004-2014); and a facilitator for accredited courses in work with families (2008-2015). As a consultant, he has created partnership strategies and practice guidance (2016-2024).

Colin is most delighted when entrusted with facilitation and research. He has had the privilege of collaborating with thousands of practitioners and leaders in scores of organisations across the helping sectors in England. Until 2016, Colin mostly created Resonant Spaces for learning with community, education, and youth work settings.

After that, Colin convened projects around transformation and reviews with local government, the NHS and education. On a good day, Colin felt he was building a legacy in consulting with safeguarding partnerships, as a trusted consultant around inclusive schools, relational practice and multi-agency working trying to influence some policy impact and positive outcomes.  

By 2024, something was… off.

Colin felt he had reached the end of an eight-year detour, mostly behind a screen, editing different versions of the same strategy. There was not enough space in his working life for the deep connectedness, collaborative learning and change-making that he loves to be involved in.  

So, he decided to create some more space. He approached Rachel and together they established Resonant Collaboration…  

With more than 25 years of experience in youth safeguarding, Rachel is a dedicated professional, passionate about promoting the welfare and safety of children and young people. 

Respected across local places and regions for deep knowledge and expertise in safeguarding children experiencing harms outside the home, adolescent safeguarding strategies, and relational practice, Rachel has led multidisciplinary teams and provided expert guidance to professionals across voluntary, public and private sectors.  

Rachel has worked side-by-side with young people experiencing harms, their families, and communities, and drawn on expertise to design and facilitate learning and development opportunities. Rachel has produced policies, protocols, practice recommendations, and partnership strategies, which prevent harm and promote the rights of young people. 

Rachel is a professional development leader who loves to support the personal growth, learning and professional development of practitioners at all levels and across all sectors. Drawing on the latest research and best practice, Rachel continues to refine approaches and arrangements to respond ethically to the emerging challenges faced by youth today.  

With career-long dedication to kindness, curiosity, understanding, and making a meaningful impact, Rachel has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor and a compassionate advocate for youth welfare, and those experiencing harm outside the home. With special expertise in service audit, Rachel is highly skilled in implementing quality service processes and effective improvements.  

Rachel feels great joy in working alongside children, young people and families, recognising and especially in valuing teens for who they are. Rachel contributes to safeguarding forums, writes thought-leadership articles, and collaborates with policymakers to shape effective safeguarding systems that prioritise the needs of young people in an ever-changing world. 

Throughout a rich career, Rachel has worked with a variety of organisations, including local authorities, police, voluntary sector and education settings, developing and implementing safeguarding frameworks that promote protection, agency, wellbeing, and flourishing.