Meet Our Team
Katie Bristow
Katie is a visionary leader with over 30 years of experience in the Health & Social Care sector. Throughout her career, she has managed complex care operations delivering up to 8,000 hours of care weekly and built long-standing partnerships with local authorities including the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest, as well as Essex and Cambridgeshire County Councils.
Her deep-rooted commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals is reflected in her strategic leadership style, emotional intelligence, and inclusive practice. Katie holds NVQ Level 4 qualifications in both Registered Care Management and Leadership & Operational Management. Alongside her professional credentials, she is also trained in a range of holistic and therapeutic approaches, including yoga teaching and emotional wellbeing practices. She is a certified Advanced EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Practitioner in Energy Psychology and continues to integrate therapeutic insight into her leadership and programme development.
Katie believes emotional wellbeing must be prioritised alongside education and life skills. As the driving force behind Ascension’s Emotional Wellbeing Programme, she ensures young people are supported to build resilience, regulate emotions, and feel empowered to become their authentic selves.
Barrie Laslett
Barrie has over 26 years experience in the Social Care Sector. As a Co-Founder of Ascension Alternative Provision, he brings a deep commitment to improving outcomes for young people facing complex challenges.
Before joining Ascension, Barrie spent nearly two decades at Barnardo’s, one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, and later served as CEO of The Wickers Charity for four years. At The Wickers, he played a key role in designing and delivering impactful services for young people at risk of exclusion, criminal exploitation, and a wide range of social and emotional challenges. Under his leadership, the charity significantly expanded its reach—engaging over 4,500 young people across London boroughs including Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest.
Barrie has also worked in close partnership with London’s Violence Reduction Unit, where he led a targeted programme in Hackney that contributed to a 15% reduction in youth violence over three years.
With his own lived experience, Barrie is a trusted mentor to young people navigating the criminal justice system. His work focuses on supporting high-risk individuals to make positive life choices and find a renewed sense of purpose and direction.