Experts by Experience - The Independent Review of Children's Social Care

Following an open expression of interest process the review has now established an Experts by Experience Board. We received 1,011 applications to join the Board, and the panel, chaired by Josh, assessed every application received against the criteria we included in our Expression of Interest document – which you can read here.

The Board will help guide us on our approach to hearing the voices of children, young people, adults and families throughout the review – and its members all have lived experience of children’s social care.

Judith Denton

I am Care Experienced and the Founding CEO of The Transformed You, providing Intervention and Support Mentoring Programmes to help transform the lives and raise the aspirations of Children and Young People In Care and Care Leavers, identified as having behaviour, emotional and social difficulties. Working closely with commissioning Local Authorities, we also help present the ‘Voice’ of our Mentees, advocating for the necessary changes required to improve their outcomes and life chances. I am also the Chair for The Black Care Experience, bringing together the Stories of those who are Black and are or have been in Care, to help improve the care experience for the next Black and In Care Generation. I sincerely welcome the opportunity of being a part of the Experts by Experience Board, using my skills, experience and insight to help level up the Care experiences and outcomes for all.

Chloe Robinson

Hello! My name is Chloë. I am 17 years old and still in care. I wanted to join the Experts by Experience Board, to ensure that the voices of every young person in care are heard. Even though I have represented children in care through the Children in Care Council (CiCC) in Cumbria, I wanted to do more. I hope that being part of the Experts by Experience review will allow me to represent children and young people currently in care on a national level. I am really excited to see where this goes!

Helen Bell

I am Helen Bell, a mum of 3 and have been in recovery for almost 5 years. I have lived experience of Trevi and I am a facilitator of The Freedom programme. In addition, I have been an Expert by Experience to help train social workers. My passion is for vulnerable women who are mothers, to believe they can succeed with compassionate care and investment – this was the main drive behind my application to the Care Review Experts by Experience Group.

Janet Kay

I am a former social worker and lecturer from South Yorkshire, and I am an adopter and a kinship carer. I campaign for improved adoption and kinship care support and I also volunteer as an Independent Visitor and peer mentor for adopters. I am involved on this group because I believe that we need to re-think children’s social care to find better strategies, structures and practices to improve the lives of the children involved.

Chris Hoyle

I’ve been a passionate campaigner for Care Experienced people my entire adult life. Professionally, I have helped the University of York develop sector-leading Care Leaver support. In my personal life, I deliver corporate parenting training, share professional knowledge, and challenge injustice where I see it – most recently working with the Perinatal Institute to change the maternity process and guidance to make it better for Care Experienced people. I look forward to working with the review team to make a meaningful difference to the lives of our children because, like many people, I don’t think the current system delivers what children need: love.

Angela Frazer-Wicks

I am a Trustee of the charity Family Rights Group and a founding member of their parents’ panel, which comprises parents with lived experience of the Child Welfare and Family Justice System.

My eldest two children were adopted in 2004 after a very long and fraught battle with my local authority. I was recently reunited with my eldest son, now a young adult and I now live in Norfolk with my husband and young daughter. I regularly speak about my experiences to social workers and other practitioners, in the hope that it will highlight issues facing families and be a catalyst to positive change. I have campaigned for many years to have the voices of families heard within the system and have helped set up family panels within local authorities.

I am co-chair of the Cafcass Learning and Improvement Board, which was set up following the Ministry of Justice’s Expert Report on ‘Harm in the family courts’. I am also a member of the stakeholder advisory group of the Care Crisis Review and sit on the BASW 80/20 Steering Group, the Advisory Board for the Born into Care study and the Cafcass Family Forum.

I am determined to use my experiences to help shape the way families are heard within the Care Review and to ensure that they are properly supported throughout.

David Akinsanya

I began campaigning as a 14-year-old when I joined the Essex Who Cares? Group. After leaving care I helped set up Who Cares? Magazine and was part of Black and in Care & The National Association of Young People In Care where I worked as development officer. I have used my position within the media to address care issues and I am often called on to debate care issues on TV & radio. I have trained thousands of social work students all over the UK & abroad.

Rhiannon Parkinson

My name is Rhiannon, I have a lot of past care experiences with foster placements and children’s homes, and I want to help make being cared for better for the children that are now in the situation I was in a few years ago. I have a job as a carer but really want to get a job with Sunderland TFC, I live on my own and have a new puppy called Darla. My favourite animals are 100% horses though. My biggest achievements are getting my own flat and also getting onto this group, as there were over a thousand applications.

Esi Cathline

I am a mother of four, including an adoptive parent, grandmother, teacher and foster carer. I live in London having lived internationally. Beyond my teaching career and being from a large family I have always been passionate about making a difference having questioned the fairness of any and everything for as long as I can remember. The children’s social care review is a dream opportunity for me to be part of change and to share my varied perspectives through my ever-evolving adoption and fostering journey.
I am wholly committed to being part of the Experts by Experience Group because I not only have over a decade of direct experience, but also vested interest to participate in this once in a generation opportunity to be part of a change which recognises the absolute need that exists and the imperative desire for improvement.
My passion and values are purpose!

Charmaine Orchard

My name is Charmaine, I am 28 & based in Bristol. I am really keen to be involved in projects that aim to ultimately make a difference for young people that are currently in foster care or those that have left. I have taken part in research projects that focus on children in foster care and their education attainment and this is very important to me for various reasons. I speak at training sessions for social workers and other social care professionals where I’ve discussed what has worked personally for me to help me achieve my masters degree having left school with one GCSE. I understand that one size does not fit all but the encouragement and support that I received whilst in education has made such a positive impact on many areas of my life & now I am in a position to make a difference for others in a similar situation that I was in.

Margaret Mulowska

Hello, I’m Mags. I live in a van which my brother helped me build, our next project is a boat! I have supported my siblings through our care experiences, and for the last 5 years I have been a children and families social worker. I am also a community organiser and help coordinate various grassroots projects looking to build resilient, caring and connected communities.
I applied to join the independent review’s Experts by Experience Board as I want to bring my personal and professional experience to bear, to create a system that provides more stability, consistency and love for children.

Asif Salarzai

My Name is Asif Salarzai, and I am 19 years old living in Thurrock. I have been a member of local Children in Care Council for over three years as well as recently elected ambassador for A National, Coram, Voice.

As a care experienced myself, I want our voices and experiences to be the forefront of not only discussions about us, but in forcing the change the care system needs for better, throughout the review.

Chris Wild

I am a care-experienced member of the Care Review Experts by Experience Board and a care sector professional. I am a former residential house manager for semi-independent care homes for young people and have also worked in children’s homes. As well as running my own independent care business supporting charities and organisations in the sector, I am also an author and a passionate campaigner and advocate for young people in care and care leavers. In my work, I have spoken and written extensively about my own experiences in the care sector, historic failures in the care system and the issues faced by young people in care today. I want to create a positive future for young people from the care sector, one that allows them to live a safe life without prejudice, have the same opportunities as their peers and the chance to realise their full potential. As a member of the reviewing team I will be committed to ensuring all voices from the care community are heard.

You can access minutes of previous meetings here: