I have been a co-opted governor since 2020. I am an Associate Professor in Child and Family Welfare and the former Head of the Children and Families Research Centre at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. I have a background in developmental psychology and experience in researching vulnerable children in contact with child welfare services and living in out-of-home care such as children in foster care, children adopted and those living with kin. My research has led to changes in national policy and practice and I was invited to provide oral evidence at the Education Select Committee Inquiry into Children’s Social Care in 2024.
Before moving to the UK, I lived in Sri Lanka and India and worked for UNICEF. I currently live in Bristol with my husband and two children and have been part of the St.John’s community as a parent since 2013, when the Lower Redland Road site opened. Both my children have benefited greatly from being part of the school and I am very happy to be a member of the Governing board of St John’s, which continues to develop its holistic offering to children from diverse backgrounds and different abilities.