Michele Irmiter Elliott

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

is an author, psychologist, teacher and the founder and director of child protection charity

Kidscape Kidscape is a London-based charity established in 1985, by child psychologist Michele Elliott. Its focus is on children's safety, with an emphasis on the prevention of harm by equipping children with techniques and mindsets that help them stay ...

. She has chaired World Health Organization and Home Office working groups and is a Winston Churchill fellow.

Early life

Elliott was born on 7 January 1946 to James Irmiter and Ivy (née Dashwood). She graduated from

Dixie Hollins High School Hollins High School, formerly known as Dixie M. Hollins High School, is a public secondary school located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The school was opened in 1959 as a vocational school for grades 10–12, but it has since expanded ...

in 1964. She attended the University of South Florida and the University of Florida, gaining a BA in Science and Education and a Masters's degree in Psychology She began working with families and children in 1968 in London.

Work

Elliott worked as a child psychologist at

The American School in London The American School in London (ASL) is a private, independent school in St John's Wood, London, England, for students from kindergarten through high school. The school's mission statement is: "The American School in London empowers each student ...

, where her husband was a social studies teacher.

Kidscape

Elliott founded Kidscape in 1984 to help children stay safe from sexual abuse and from

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...

. Elliott has been a high-profile figure and Kidscape was named Charity of the Year in 2000. Writing in '' The Guardian'', David Brindle suggested the award was "an undoubted reflection of the vibrancy of Michele Elliott".

Female child sexual abuse offenders

Elliott, who had previously written books about male abuse of children, has undertaken pioneering work in investigating and raising awareness of the problem and extent of child sexual abuse committed by women, and the topic of female paedophilia, publishing the book ''Female Sexual Abuse of Children The Last Taboo'' in 1992. The book was well received by professionals and survivors' organisations.

Mike Lew Michael (Mike) Lew is a Chinese-American playwright most renown for his works ''Teenage Dick,'' and '' Tiger Style!.'' He acquired his B.A. at Yale University in 2003, double majoring in Theatre (directing) and English (writing), then proceeded to ...

described it as "an important and challenging work", helping "to forge a new understanding of the issues". Doody's annual stated it was "an extremely valuable book for all professionals, and it greatly increases the current state of knowledge, or lack of that knowledge, that can have a profound influence on the survivor's development and recovery". Elliott's work in exposing the issue of child sexual abuse committed by women has also resulted in hostility from feminists. While compiling ''Female Sexual Abuse of Children'', Elliott organised a conference in London concerning sexual abuse by women. After publishing the book, Elliott was subject to a "deluge" of hate mail from feminists.

Awards

In 2008 Elliot was honoured with an

by the Queen for services to children. The following year she was named Children and Young People's Champion. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by Post University in 1998 and another honorary doctorate by the University of Birmingham in 2003. She was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 1996. Her book, "Bullies, Cyberbullies and Frenemies" received the Literary Classics Gold Award in 2013.

Personal life

Elliot is married to Edward; they have two sons and 3 grandchildren. She lives in Rye, East Sussex.Michele Elliott

Publications

* ''Keeping Safe: A Practical Guide to Talking with Children'' by Michele Elliott and Alice Englander, 1986, NCVO Publications, * ''The Willow Street Kids: It's Your Right to be Safe'' by Michele Elliott, 1986, Andre Deutsch Ltd * ''The Willow Street Kids: Be Smart Stay Safe'' by Michele Elliott, 1987, Piccolo Books * ''Feeling Happy, Feeling Safe'' by Michele Elliott, 1991, Hodder Children's Books, * ''Female Sexual Abuse Of Children: The Ultimate Taboo'' by Michele Elliott, 1994, Guilford Press * ''Keeping Safe'' by Phil Collins and Michele Elliott, 1994, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd * ''Teenscape: Personal Safety Programme for Teenagers'' by Michele Elliott, 1995, Health Education Authority * ''501 Ways to be a Good Parent'' by Michele Elliott, 1996, Hodder Mobius * ''101 Ways to Deal with Bullying: A Guide for Parents'' by Michele Elliott, 1997, Hodder Mobius, * ''The Willow Street Kids: Be Smart Stay Safe'' by Michele Elliott, 1997, Macmillan Children's Books, * ''The Willow Street Kids: Beat the Bullies'' by Michele Elliott, 1997, Macmillan Children's Books, * ''601 Ways to Be a Good Parent: A Practical Handbook for Raising Children Ages Four to Twelve'', by Michele Elliott, 1999, Citadel, * ''Bully-free: Activities to Promote Confidence and Friendship'' by Michele Elliott, Gaby Shenton and Roz Eirew, 1999, Kidscape * ''How to Stop Bullying'' by Michele Elliott and Jane Kirkpatrick, 2001, Kidscape * ''Bullying: A Practical Guide to Coping for Schools'' by Michele Elliott, 2002, Pearson Education, * ''Dealing with Bullying: Training Guide for Teachers of Children and Young People with Special Needs'' by Michele Elliott, Claude Knights, 2008, Kidscape * ''The Essential Guide to Tackling Bullying: Practical Skills for Teachers'' by Michele Elliott, 2011, Longman, * "Bullies, Cyberbullies and Frenemies", by Michele Elliott, 2013, Hodder, * "Stop Bullying Pocketbook", 2nd edition, by Michele Elliott, 2010, Teachers' Pocketbooks, * "PONLE UN ALTO AL BULLYING", by Michele Elliott, 2014, Educacion Aplicada, Mexico,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Michele Child psychologists Officers of the Order of the British Empire Place of birth missing (living people) American non-fiction writers British non-fiction writers Living people 1946 births University of South Florida alumni University of Florida alumni People from St. Petersburg, Florida Dixie Hollins High School alumni