Start Strong
Early Childhood Forum
We are clear that everything we do must be rigorous and rooted in the reality of families' lives.
The Early Childhood Forum helps ensure that Start Strong's work is informed by the best expertise, evidence and experience of what babies, young children and families want and need, and what it takes to deliver meaningful change.
The Forum is made up of 25 leaders from across all four nations of the UK. Together, they represent a wide range of perspectives from across the early childhood sector, with experience spanning policy, research and practice.
Read on to learn more about the Forum members.
Jessica Barnaschone
Director of Hubs, Babyzone
Jess is the Director of Hubs at Babyzone, overseeing the development and growth of community hubs that deliver free, high-quality early years support to families across the UK. Jess is passionate about turning ambition into action, believing that the best ideas need drive, determination and hands-on graft to make them real.
Karen Boardman
Early Childhood Advocate and Researcher
Karen has been working in the field of early childhood education for over 40 years as a leader and more recently, over the last 10 years, as a researcher focused on working with babies, under-threes, literacy, early reading, play, leadership and research circles. Karen is passionate about supporting the early childhood sector nationally and internationally as an advocate for babies, very young children, their families and communities.
Dr Nicola Canale
Consultant Educational Psychologist
Nicola is a Consultant Educational Psychologist and Clinical Lead of a specialist parent and infant relationship service in South Wales. Nicola has a passion for supporting babies, young children and caregivers during the first 1000 days of life and is committed to improving the contexts surrounding families to help them thrive.
Nigel Clarke
Founder of Dadvengers
Nigel Clarke is a Director at Dadvengers, leading work that supports dads, strengthens families, and helps fathers feel more confident, connected, and involved in their children’s lives. Nigel is passionate about championing the role dads play in the early years, and is driven by the belief that when fathers are supported to show up fully from the very beginning, children and families thrive.
Millie Colwey
Millie's Garden Early Years Hub
Millie is an early years practitioner, leader, systems leader and researcher with a track record of supporting children, families and early years settings. Millie is driven by sustainability in its broadest sense, including environmental justice, social justice and thriving communities, and believes that early childhood is the place to build from.
Jo Davies
CEO, WILD Young Parents
Jo works for and with young parents and their babies in Cornwall, and leads a national young parent network. Jo works for a fair start for young parent families across the UK and beyond.
Prof Nicola Doherty
Lead Psychologist, Dept of Health; Visiting Professor, Ulster University and Research Associate, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust (BHSCT)
Nicola combines her role as Lead Psychologist for the Regional Trauma Network with her research work on infancy and developmental interrupters. Nicola is a passionate infant advocate, highlighting how change making can happen through connection and communication across systems.
Anne Fennell
Chair, Mothers at Home Matter (MAHM) & European Federation of Parents and Carers at Home (FEFAF)
Anne is Chair of Mothers at Home Matter in UK and President of the European Federation of Parents and Carers at Home. Anne is passionate that the work of care, particularly unpaid care is valued. Both organisations promote an understanding of babies and children’s development needs, advocate for valuing and supporting parental and in particular maternal care and campaign for economic policies which support families to be able to care themselves.
Rachel Gallagher
Consultant in Public Health
Rachel is a Consultant in Public Health in Newcastle, focused on prevention and improving outcomes for children and young people, with a strong commitment to fairness and reducing inequalities. Rachel is passionate about early childhood and enjoys working across the system to bring partners together to give babies the strongest possible start and support healthier, fairer outcomes over the long term.
Gemma Goldenberg
Deputy Director, ISEY (Institute for the Science of Early Years), University of East London
Gemma leads all school and nursery-based research projects at ISEY, a child development research institute specialising in wearable technology. Working with parents and educators, Gemma translates research into practical guidance through publications, training and support.
Julie Hayward
Director of Partnerships, BookTrust
Julie is the Director leading national delivery for BookTrust, ensuring the organisation’s strategy delivers meaningful support for children and families in the early years, as well as for vulnerable children across the UK. Through this work, and throughout her previous roles, Julie has built strong partnerships and collaborative relationships to further her passion for helping children, young people and families thrive, particularly those facing barriers such as poverty, and ensuring they are supported to reach their full potential from the earliest stages of life.
Dr Kathryn Hesketh
UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, UCL
Kathryn is a behavioural epidemiologist committed to supporting families with young children to lead healthier, more active lives. Driven by the belief that every child deserves the best possible start, Kathryn enjoys working across disciplinary boundaries to advance a holistic vision of childhood that nurtures health, wellbeing, and development.
Leanne Howlett
Specialist Perinatal Psychiatric Nurse, Oxford Health Foundation Trust;
Leanne is a Specialist Perinatal Psychiatric Nurse working in a community Perinatal Mental Health Team, following a career change from Solicitor after her own lived experience of perinatal mental illness. Leanne is passionate about ensuring that parents experiencing mental illness are supported to connect with their babies and young children in ways that feel achievable and empowering, using language and approaches that promote hope and confidence rather than reinforcing guilt or feelings of not doing enough.
Clare Law
Director, Better Start
Clare is the Director of Better Start, leading transformational change in the early years across the UK, based on a decade of work in Blackpool. Clare is passionate about translating innovative research into everyday practice, elevating lived experience, and reshaping systems to deliver more responsive, inclusive and effective support for babies, children and families.
Rhona Matheson
PhD Candidate, Queen's University Belfast and Associate, Starcatchers
After leading Starcatchers, Scotland’s Arts and Early Years organisation, for nearly 20 years, Rhona is now a PhD candidate where her research is focused on the realisation of babies’ rights. Rhona is passionate about advocating for the importance of positive experiences for babies and young children and how their ‘voices’ can be included in the decisions that are made about their lives.
Salma Mehar
NHS Dietitian, Founder of SMRD and NutritionEd
Salma is a Consultant Dietitian and founder of NutritionEd, an initiative driving change in early childhood health and reducing inequalities through sustainable, culturally inclusive solutions. Salma is passionate about bringing communities together, co-designing meaningful resources, and believes that empowering families from the earliest years is key to creating healthier, more equitable futures.
Rob Newton
Best Start in Life Strategic Lead, City of York Council
Rob is Local Evidence Lead and Strategic Lead for Best Start in Life in York, with responsibility for York's local response to the UK Government ambition. Rob is passionate about all thing early years and evidence-based, and the power of working collectively and collaboratively on a shared ambition.
Maxine Palmer
Head of Parent Service Strategy and Innovation, NCT
Maxine leads the evolution of antenatal education in NCT, and the development of new approaches to support people as they become parents. Maxine is passionate about creating accessible, inclusive, and engaging information and services, with a focus on reaching more families and enabling them to feel confident and equipped to give their babies the best start in life.
Tracey Ripley McElvogue
Coordinator, East Belfast Sure Start and Chairperson, Stronger from the Start IMH Alliance Northern Ireland
Tracey manages East Belfast Sure Start and is the Chairperson of Stronger from the Start, an alliance of organisations that advocate for improving wellbeing for babies and infants in Northern Ireland. Tracey is passionate about educating anyone who will listen on the importance of early brain development through the parent/child brain relationship, and how to make this knowledge a priority for parents, practitioners and commissioners.
Cat Ross
CEO, Baby Basics UK
Cat is the CEO of Baby Basics UK, one of the largest and longest running networks of baby banks in the country. Cat is passionate about support for families living in challenging circumstances in the UK and overseas, to help ensure every child has the best start in life.
Dr Indrajit (Indie) Thopte
Consultant Community Paediatrician, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Indie is a Consultant Paediatrician at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with over 35 years' experience, specialising in child development, autism, care -experienced children, and child mental health. Indie is passionate about supporting marginalised communities, particularly children with speech and developmental challenges, advocating for those whose voices are too often unheard.
Eliza Waye
Strategic Lead for Scotland, Home-Start UK
Eliza is the Strategic Lead for Home-Starts in Scotland, who annually support 5,500 families a year: 79% of children are within the first 1001 days. Eliza enjoys the question 'what does even better if' look like, particularly when thinking of babies, children and their families.
Mandy Wilkins
Team Manager, Adopt London West
Mandy is a social worker and team manager in Adopt London West, providing therapeutically informed support for children, young people, adopted adults, special guardians, adopters, and birth families. Mandy is a passionate change-maker; her experiences have spanned national programme design, delivery, evaluation and advocacy with grassroots community and youth work and social work, and she thrives on building connections between children, families and practitioners, and policy, strategy, and delivery.
Jane Williams
CEO Founder, The Magpie Project
Jane is the founder of The Magpie Project working with mums and pre-school children who are homeless and subject to the hostile immigration environment. She is passionate about ensuring that when we talk about improving the lives of our children we are including #AllOurChildren no matter what their parents' housing, immigration, or other status.
Sophie Woodhead
Assistant Director, NCB
Sophie is Assistant Director at the National Children's Bureau and works across the organisation early years, early intervention and place-based programmes. Sophie is passionate about ensuring babies, young children and families have the best start and is an advocate for parent voice in local systems.