After graduating from the University of Manchester, Elsa started facilitating creative workshops in prisons across Manchester and London. She enjoyed this work but became frustrated witnessing the failings of the criminal justice system, particularly where people with mental health or housing needs were criminalised instead of receiving support. She moved into policy roles in the criminal justice sector to change this. Before joining Just for Kids Law, Elsa worked at Revolving Doors Agency for 3 years, which puts lived experience at the centre of policy change. Through combining lived experience, research and policy, she saw how strong the case for change was and how it could be powerfully made to policymakers.
Elsa is passionate about social justice and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2020 to research trauma and poverty informed youth justice approaches in the US.