OUR Paediatric neuropsychology team
Dr Francesca Smitson Evans
Dr Francesca Smitson Evans
Dr Francesca Smitson Evans
Highly Specialist Paediatric Clinical Psychologist (Neuropsychology)
Humberside
Dr Jennifer Oddy
Dr Francesca Smitson Evans
Dr Francesca Smitson Evans
Clinical Paediatric Neuropsychologist
Harrogate
Dr Sarah Saveker
Dr Francesca Smitson Evans
Dr Sarah Saveker
Senior Clinical Psychologist in Peadiatric Neuropsychology
Stafford
Dr Poppy Siddell
Dr Francesca Smitson Evans
Dr Sarah Saveker
Senior Clinical Psychologist in Peadiatric Neuropsychology
Huddersfield
People
Dr Francesca Smithson Evans, Highly Specialist Paediatric Clinical Psychologist (Neuropsychology)
Dr. Smithson Evans is a highly specialist Paediatric Clinical Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner (Clinical) Psychologist, registration number PYL33801. Dr. Evans has a background in child and adolescent mental health, with a focus on paediatric neuropsychology, including neurodevelopmental disorders, perinatal issues, and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Evans is experienced in the formulation and management of challenging behaviour in children and young people with complex needs. They work systemically, supporting children, young people, their families, and professionals involved in their care to identify and understand the underlying causes of behaviours and work collaboratively to make meaningful changes.
Dr. Evans has extensive experience in the assessment and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Intellectual Disability. They also have considerable experience providing consultation and training to multiagency professionals, including those working in schools and residential homes.
Dr. Evans is skilled in providing supervision to multidisciplinary professionals, including those in clinical psychology, nursing, social work, and speech and language therapy. They are passionate about supporting the learning and development of early-career clinicians and have supervised Trainee Clinical Psychologists, typically in their final year of training as part of an elective placement. Dr. Evans also acts as an external examiner on a doctoral training course and has previously facilitated training on Autism for medical students.
Dr. Evans has completed the PGDip in Clinical Paediatric Neuropsychology at University College London, a programme that meets the paediatric knowledge requirements of the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QiCN). They are currently working towards completing the paediatric practice component of the QiCN and, upon completion, will be eligible for entry to the British Psychological Society's Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (SRCN), the gold standard for clinical neuropsychology in the UK.
People
Dr Jennifer Oddy, Clinical Paediatric Neuropsychologist
Dr. Jennifer Oddy is a chartered clinical psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a practitioner psychologist. Since qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 2014, she has primarily worked in services for children, young people, and families. Her experience includes paediatric neuropsychology as well as mental health, looked-after child, learning disability, and neurodevelopmental services. More recently, she has worked with adults in a neurodevelopmental service.
In paediatric neuropsychology, Dr. Oddy has worked with children and young people presenting with a broad range of conditions, including acquired and perinatal brain injuries, epilepsies, brain tumours, neurovascular conditions, and epilepsy surgery candidates. She has also provided psychological input to the regional neurorehabilitation and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) multidisciplinary teams.
Dr. Oddy has held leadership roles as both a principal and consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead. She has completed BPS-accredited supervisor training and has supervised a range of professionals, including psychologists at both pre- and post-qualification levels. Additionally, she has undertaken further post-qualification training in paediatric neuropsychology and therapies, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), compassion-focused therapy (CFT), and systemic approaches.
Alongside her clinical work, Dr. Oddy is a senior lecturer and academic tutor on a doctorate in clinical psychology training programme. This role involves supervising doctoral theses, leading modules, contributing to teaching, assessing trainee assignments, and providing personal and professional development (PPD) tutoring. She is currently completing a postgraduate certificate in learning and teaching in higher education (PGCLTHE).
People
Dr Sarah Saveker, Senior Clinical Psychologist in Peadiatric Neuropsychology
Dr Sarah Saveker is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in paediatric neuropsychology, currently completing training on the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QiCN) pathway, following her postgraduate diploma in Clinical Paediatric Neuropsychology at University College London. Her practice centres on the neuropsychological and cognitive assessment of children and young people, mapping each child's profile across cognition, attention, memory, executive function and social cognition to inform diagnosis, rehabilitation, education and EHCP planning. She is the founder and Clinical Director of a CQC-registered specialist multidisciplinary service assessing autism, ADHD and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), where neuropsychological formulation is central to distinguishing neurodevelopmental profiles and early neurological insult from the effects of early psychosocial adversity. She has published on the neuropsychological profile of children with FASD, focusing on differences in social cognition and their relevance to assessment and diagnosis, and she trains organisations and families and speaks nationally on FASD.
Her background spans the lifespan and the complex end of clinical work. Her original specialism was adult trauma and developmental trauma in children, working across the prison service, acute mental health inpatient services and adult rehabilitation, understanding the impact of early adversity on the individual and the system around them. This grounding supports her current work with adopted children and children who are looked after, where clarity is often needed on what is neurodevelopmental and what stems from early trauma.
People
Dr Poppy Siddell, Senior Clinical Psychologist in Peadiatric Neuropsychology
Dr Poppy Siddell is a Senior Clinical Psychologist specialising in Paediatric Neuropsychology, registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist. Her clinical work spans paediatric neuropsychology, neurodevelopmental assessment, paediatric medical psychology, and family-centred therapeutic support across NHS, hospice, and private practice settings. She currently holds senior roles within Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and Martin House Children's Hospice.
She has experience working with children and young people presenting with complex neuropsychological, neurodevelopmental, and medical conditions, including acquired brain injuries, cardiac conditions, epilepsy, neuro-oncology, and developmental disorders such as autism and ADHD. Her practice includes specialist neuropsychological assessment, differential diagnostic work, trauma-informed intervention, and systemic support for families navigating significant health, developmental, and educational challenges. She has worked closely with multidisciplinary teams across paediatrics, cardiology, neurorehabilitation, and hospice care, providing consultation, formulation, and psychologically informed clinical supervision to clinicians and partner agencies.
Alongside her clinical roles, she has contributed to peer-reviewed research in paediatric neuropsychology, neurorehabilitation, and neurodevelopment. Her doctoral research explored compassion in caregiving, complementing her ongoing interest in systemic wellbeing and embedding psychologically informed care in health contexts.
She is currently completing the Paediatric Pathway of the PGDip in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Bristol, building on doctoral-level training in Clinical Psychology and further specialist training in autism and ADHD assessment, trauma-focused CBT, and compassion-focused approaches. She is committed to delivering evidence-based, developmentally informed, and compassionate neuropsychological care that supports children, young people, and families to understand their strengths, needs, and pathways to meaningful change.