VODG member Chief Executives are invited to join a conversation with Helen Sanderson and Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive of Dimensions on what psychological safety means in practice at organisational and team level.
Our current series of CEO Breakfasts creates a dedicated space for CEOs to drop in and engage with the latest policy developments, including updates from external speakers, exchange developments, explore challenges, and strengthen collaborative working. These sessions will also offer more frequent updates on VODG’s influencing activity and the issues shaping our sector.
Psychological Safety
Most of us agree that psychological safety matters. Far fewer of us are clear what it actually looks like on a Tuesday morning, in a team under pressure, with the work still arriving.
VODG member Chief Executives are invited to join a conversation with Helen Sanderson, Founder of Helen Sanderson Associates, and Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive of Dimensions on what psychological safety means in practice at organisational and team level.
The session will explore the practices behind the Five Foundations of psychological safety including what each one asks of a team, how this has been put into practice at Dimensions and what has changed as a result.


Please note, should you have any accessibility requirements, we will do our best to make necessary arrangements to support you; however, we may require up to four weeks notice, so please list your requirements on the booking form. Closed captions are used as standard in online meetings. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
*Please note that this event is exclusive to member Chief Executives. We are unable to accept substitutes.

Chief Executive, Dimensions
Rachael has worked in social care for over 30 years. She is a qualified social worker and has worked in a wide range of roles both in the voluntary and for profit sector. She began her career in social care as a kitchen assistant in an older people’s home and has also worked as a registered manager and as operations director in services for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.
She worked for Birmingham People First (the self-advocacy organisation of people with learning disabilities) and then spent 13 years working for the social care regulator in a number of different posts. She began her time there as an inspector but her final post at CQC was as Head of Adult Social Care Policy leading on strategy, regulatory frameworks and policy. She joined Dimensions in 2019 as our Managing Director and in 2022 became our CEO.
Rachael is passionate about ensuring people have choice and control over their lives and delivering high quality support. She is strongly committed to involving and engaging the people we support and their families, to raising the profile of social care across government, and to enabling colleagues to have great careers at Dimensions.

Founder, Helen Sanderson Associates
I am the founder of Helen Sanderson Associates. I have worked in healthcare and social care for over 30 years and been immersed in the development of person-centered practices for the past 20 years. My PhD is on person-centered planning and organizational change. In 2016 HSA moved towards becoming a self-managed “Teal” organization, this meant me giving up my role as CEO and committing to the evolution of HSA’s purpose. Through H S A we have seeded two other organizations. The first was a new provider organization called Wellbeing Teams, to demonstrate self-management in health and care. The second is a I charity called Community Circles, seeking to create opportunities for people to come together and help each other to have better and more connected lives.
I have written over twenty books on person-centered thinking, planning, community and personalization. I am an altMBA alumni and coach, and a certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator.
I live in the UK and have three daughters, Ellie, Laura and Kate. Although I am a black belt in karate, I now enjoy spending time practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation.
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