The founding team at the Children and Families Truth Commission (CFTC) is dedicated to ensuring the commission places children and families at the heart of social care, so we’re taking our time when it comes to finding people who share our values.
We will continue to update this page as new members join our team.
Michele Simmons
Michele is a care experienced mother who lost her son to adoption, but was later reunited. She now supports and helps other families who have been through, or are going through, public family law proceedings.
A researcher focusing on adoptions in the UK, she specialises in the tracking of illegal adoptions and falsified documents relating to the phenomenon. Michele also pioneered Section 20 consent forms for parents and children.
Simon Haworth
Simon is a professor within the Department of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Birmingham and a former social worker. He received his PhD from Birmingham University, which is focussed on parental neglect and how it is assessed, and is a world authority on this issue.
Simon is a core member of the Parents, Families and Allies Network (PFAN), a parent-led organisation which aims to change children’s social work from being child protection and rescue focused, to child rights focused, in order to strengthen the family and the community.
Natasha Phillips
Natasha is a non-practicing barrister and the UK’s first child rights journalist. She writes about laws, policies and current affairs affecting children for a range of outlets including The Times, The Independent, and Byline Times.
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