About this theme
This theme covers topics relating to improving the lives and outcomes of children and young people with experience of care. It is one of our current programmes for Fellowships, launched in 2023. It has been developed in partnership with the Hadley Trust, Coram Group and in consultation with our Children in Care working group. Fellows’ stories
Jeannot Farmer (CF 2023 ) was in the public gallery at the Houses of Parliament on 2nd of July, when Sir Prime Minister Keir Starmer made his profound apology to those affected by historic adoption practices that forcibly separated babies from their unmarried mothers. Jeannot was honoured to be invited by the Secretary of State for Education to an event in Speaker’s House following the apology.
By Jeannot Farmer, 2026
Al Coates (CF 2024) presented at The NVR Global Conference, sharing learning from his work with adoptive parents experiencing challenging and aggressive behaviour from their children.
By Al Coates, 2026
Following her Fellowship across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Clare Holdsworth reflects on how paid lived-experience roles can support care-experienced young people to shape services, policy, and practice. Drawing on conversations with organisations, professionals, and young people, she explores what it takes to make these roles psychologically safe, meaningful, and supportive of long-term careers. She is now sharing this learning in Sheffield, using curiosity as a way to ask better questions with young people, not just about them.
By Clare Holdsworth, 2026
Jeannot Farmer (CF 2023) worked in partnership with MAA Scotland (The Movement for an Adoption Apology Scotland) and Dr. Stella Bolaki of the University of Kent to deliver and take part in two artist's book workshops in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
By Jeannot Farmer, 2026
Terri-Anne Hamer (CF 2025) featured on the Trauma Informed Consultancy Services (TICS) podcast, discussing parenting as a care-experienced mother and the relationship between trauma, healing, and family support.
By Terri-Anne Hamer, 2026
Augusta Itua (CF 2023) hosted a CoramBAAF Exploring Expertise event on trauma-informed and rights-based approaches to care records, following the launch of the Information Commissioner’s Office Better Records Together campaign and new Care Records Standards.
By Augusta Itua, 2026
We spoke to Lucy Peake, Churchill Fellow and CEO of Kinship, about how her Fellowship is shaping support for kinship carers in the UK. Travelling to the USA, she explored kinship navigator programmes and found strong parallels with Kinship Connected, the support model developed by her organisation. Her learning is now informing new trials and partnerships, with the aim of building stronger evidence and securing long-term investment in kinship care – helping to shape a more consistent, better-supported system for kinship families.
By Lucy Peake, 2026
By Niketa Sanderson-Gillard, 2024
Lucy Peake (CF 2024) was recently a guest on Radio 4's Woman's Hour. In her role as CEO of the charity Kinship, she spoke about their new research that 40% of kinship carers are forced to claim benefits to support their caring responsibilities.
By Lucy Peake, 2026
