Denise joined NNECL in 2023 to support the delivery of our strategic growth. She is committed to closing the disadvantage gap through policy, advocacy, and emergent strategy. Before joining the charity sector, Denise spent three decades as a civil servant, working across education, public affairs, criminal justice, health and safety, and international trade. Before NNECL she held roles in theatre, food redistribution charity development. Denise brings both professional and personal insight to her work. She has lived experience of local authority and kinship care.  

Sian Edwards is care experienced and entered higher education as a mature student and then worked within the sector for over 10 years. She has experience in university admissions, student recruitment and outreach and, most recently, prior to joining NNECL Sian worked as an Outreach Practitioner in The University of Brighton’s Widening Participation team where she was also the named contact for care leavers within the institution. Sian believes in the importance of social mobility and the right to education, particularly around the access to education for care leavers, care experienced and estranged young people. 

Shaunna joined NNECL in 2025 to lead our Inspire project, she is care experienced and a PhD researcher at Liverpool John Moores University. Shaunna has a profound commitment to improving the educational opportunities for your people with care backgrounds and has worked extensively in the education and social care space. Through Inspire, Shaunna strives to create an inclusive and supportive programme which gives our young people access to the resources and support they need to thrive through education. 

Access & Success Officer, University of Exeter

Natalie is an Outreach Officer as part of the Student Recruitment Office at the University of Exeter. Natalie has over 14 years’ experience working in higher education. She is responsible for designing and delivering targeted outreach programmes for groups under-represented in HE, including care experienced students. For example offering taster days for a range of ages from years 6 to 13. Natalie has a close relationship with a number of local authorities and virtual schools in the south west region and has been an active member of the South West Looked After Children Network Meetings for several years.

Natalie also works very closely with various support teams across the university to ensure that students that are less represented in higher education are supported during their studies at university and that they are aware of the opportunities and support that is available to them.

Head of Widening Access and Participation, University of Sunderland

Wendy has over 20 years’ experience of working in higher education, including 15 years supporting care-experienced students at the University of Sunderland. Wendy has been an active member of the National Strategy Group since 2016 and was North East Regional Representative for NNECL between 2016 – 2023.

In her current role, Wendy is the institutional contact for care-experienced students which also involves providing advice and guidance for prospective students, applicants, supporters, local authorities, virtual schools and designated teachers. She works closely with a range of internal and external stakeholders to provide an effective support network for all care-experienced and estranged students.

Wendy works closely with a number of local authorities and virtual schools in the north-east region. She is an active member of a number of collaborative partnerships; Wendy is Chair of the Board of Governors for Sunderland Virtual School and Chair of the NERAP Regional Steering Group for Care Experienced Students. Wendy is committed to ensuring that the ‘student voice’ is at the heart of her practice, working closely with students so that those with lived experience influence priorities, targets, and improvements.

As part of her wider role at the University of Sunderland, Wendy leads the Widening Access and Participation Team which includes pre-16 educational outreach and scholarships and bursaries. She is also the institutional contact for estranged students and Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showman and Boater (GTRSB) students.

HE Guidance Officer, De Montfort University

Melissa Page is a Higher Education Guidance Officer in the Transitions Team at De Montfort University. She is the designated contact person for students coming from local authority care, as well as estranged students and student carers. Melissa has worked as a Guidance Officer for a number of years and organises university experience days for young people in care and training for care professionals. She works closely with local authorities to deliver events and develop opportunities for young people to engage in educational opportunities. Care leavers at DMU are encouraged to take up the offer to work at these events to share their experiences and motivate other young people and professionals to regard higher education as an achievable aim for care leavers.

Melissa is part of a team that provides advice and guidance to care leavers and their support workers on issues relating to finance, accommodation, support at university and moving on after graduation.

Director, Action on Access

Andrew heads, coordinates and drives Action on Access, a provider of coordination and support for furthering access, widening participation and increasing student retention, success and progression through higher education across the UK since 2001.

He works with various charities - noticeably in this context with Buttle UK since 2005 - to improve university and college provision of access and support to care leavers and care experienced students. Andrew was instrumental in writing and driving the ‘Buttle Quality Mark for Care Leavers in Higher Education’, and co-writing and editing a Guide for universities in 2010 for universities and colleges, and working with them deliver it. He wrote ‘The Care Experienced University in 2016’, demonstrating the achievements, impact and legacy of the Quality Mark on the higher education experiences of care leavers and care experienced students, and pointing to the ways in which universities should work post-2016 to ensure aspiration, access and success in higher education.

Andrew contributes policy and practical advice as critical friend to through the NNECL National Strategy Group, also promoting NNECL to his many contacts in HE and beyond.

As an HE Consultant he has worked on many diverse projects in higher and further education. For Action on Access Andrew writes, compiles and manages the Action on Access monthly published eBulletin and Action on Access WP Jiscmail list both of which reach around 1,500 role-related subscribers across all university and college Widening Participation and related departments and many other organisations working in student access, participation and success.

Access Projects manger, Oxford Brookes University

 Claire has worked within Widening Participation at Oxford Brookes for the last 16 years in a variety of roles. Claire recently wrote a new strategy to support care experienced students at Oxford Brookes, covering the full student journey from access through to graduation. As part of Claire's new role as Access Projects Manager, she is responsible for delivering the Access part of the new strategy. Working in partnership with the Oxfordshire Virtual School, Claire has developed a new 3 year sustained programme for children in care from Year 9-11. Students who complete this programme will get a guaranteed place on Brookes Engage, a sustained programme for Oxfordshire WP students in Year 12-13. The team provides targeted outreach to other underrepresented groups including mature students.

Claire was also responsible for launching a new Sanctuary Scholarship for asylum seekers and acted as named contact to the scholars. 

Yong People's project co-ordinator Care Leavers Association

Carrie has worked at the Care Leavers Association for the past 10 years leading the work to support and advocate for change for young care leavers. The Care Leavers Association is the only user led charity in England to consist of Care Leaver trustee board and staff, supporting those with care experience of all ages across several key areas. This includes a dedicated young people project, and other work areas including Education, health and wellbeing, accessing care records, parenting and work within and with the criminal justice systems and care experienced involvement with these systems.

Carrie has been involved with NNECL since its inception and been involved in different ways through the years. As a strong advocate for participation and understanding of the needs of Care Leavers she has been a strong voice on keeping the needs of those with Care experience and their needs within the educational settings central to the work that NNECL carries out.

Carrie is also carrying out a PhD on the financial needs of Care Leavers in their transition to adulthood, which education pathways and opportunities is a key aspect.

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Undergraduate Recruitment and Widening Participation Officer, University of Manchester

Emma has worked in the widening participation sector for over 15 years, at the University of Manchester. She works in a team who are dedicated to support young people access higher education, regardless of their background. In particular, she's proud to have led the work the University of Manchester does to support target learners access University, and to support them to succeed when on course. This work includes care-experienced learners, estranged students and sanctuary seekers. Emma believes in young people, and in the power of education to change life chances - and she wants to do as much as she can to ensure fairness in access to education. Emma has two young kids and lives in South Manchester. Feel free to connect with her on Linkedin

Rebecca is the Senior Advice and Support Officer, Further and Higher Education, Become.

Quickly a Co-Head of Advice and Counselling, Queen Mary, University of London

Jill currently works at Queen Mary, University of London as the Co-Head of Advice and Counselling, Queen Mary, University of London. Jill has worked in student support for twenty years and co-ordinates support for care experienced and estranged students at Queen Mary. 

Outreach Officer, University of East Anglia

Liz has worked in the University of East Anglia’s Outreach team since 2008 and has experience of a variety of roles. Since 2015 Liz’s job has focused on widening participation activities for specific under-represented groups, including care experienced students. In her current role Liz has developed and hosted a series of collaborative residentials specifically for looked after children, and works closely with the Norfolk Virtual School to arrange activities, mentoring and tutoring for local students.

Project Manager, North East Rising Aspiration Partnership

Louise has worked in widening participation for over 13 years both at Newcastle University and now via the North East Raising Aspiration Partnership (NERAP) and passionately believes in creating opportunities for under-represented groups within higher education.

Louise has worked specifically with care-experienced young people since 2014, as the designated contact at Newcastle University until 2021 and now in her role as Project Manager for NERAP. During her time at Newcastle University, she led on signing the University up to the Care Leaver Covenant, which they achieved in 2018. In her current role, she has worked with the five North East universities to sign up to the Care Leaver Covenant as a region, offering a core level of support for all students. As part of this commitment, Louise has led on the creation of a new intensive programme of activities for care-experienced students and young carers in years 7 – 13, Choices Together, to support young people to think about their futures and how higher education can help them reach their goals.

Louise has been an active member of NNECL and Northern England Care Leaver Activities & Student Support (North CLASS) for many years.

Louise also has close relationships with many Local Authorities and Virtual Schools in the North East region and coordinates the North East Care-Experienced Student Steering Group bringing these colleagues together to share best practice.

Transition Team Manager, Nottingham Trent University

Lucy Judd is an Transition Team Manager as part of the Centre for Student and Community Engagement at Nottingham Trent University. She is responsible for overseeing transition activities for students commencing their studies, with a specific focus on supporting those from other under-represented or vulnerable groups.

Lucy has worked in widening participation since 2013, and has a background of working in local authority and alternative education roles.

Widening Participation Lead, Harper Adams University

 Rachel is the Widening Participation Lead at Harper Adams University and leads initiatives to improve access and success for underrepresented groups. Her work focuses on developing inclusive strategies, chairing sector working groups and developing meaningful projects that align with the unique challenges and opportunities within the land-based sector. Passionate about equity and social mobility, Rachel collaborates across academic and professional services teams to embed widening participation principles into institutional practice.

Schools and Colleges Liaison Officer, University of Huddersfield

Ruth has worked within Higher education for 18 years and currently works within the Schools and College liaison team at University of Huddersfield.

Ruth is the single point of contact for care leavers, who are applying to the University. Ruth works alongside our care contact within the wellbeing department supporting students who are already at the University and together they have developed a comprehensive support package for care leavers and other vulnerable groups.

In addition, Ruth manages a 10-year research project looking at raising aspirations with pupils from year 5-year 11. Looking to work with some of the most disadvantaged children within the Kirklees area.

Ruth also facilitates the University Applicant Visit Days and ensure that potential students receive the best possible experience.

Ruth wants to ensure that all young people have access to education and the information required to make informed choices within their lives.

Ruth is an active member of Northclass regional group and has been for many years.

TBC