Paul Ricci (CF 2024) spoke at a recent session of London’s Children & Young People Mental Health Community of Practice, organised by the London Association of Directors of Public Health.
By Paul Ricci, 2026
Children and young people
About this theme
This theme covers topics relating to the protection, development and wellbeing of children and young people in society. It is an area of enduring interest that runs throughout our grantmaking. Fellows’ stories
By Karen Rushton, 2024
Ali Zafar (CF 2025) presented his Churchill Fellowship research on international financial literacy at the Financial Education Forum.
By Ali Zafar, 2026
From an off-the-cuff question as a teacher to lasting change across policy and practice, Sarah Beresford traces how curiosity shaped her Churchill Fellowship and everything that followed. She reflects on learning from other countries, turning insight into action, and how asking the right questions has helped centre children’s voices in the criminal justice system.
By Sarah Beresford, 2026
Sharon McPherson (CF 2023) has continued to build on her Churchill Fellowship through a series of major research and practice initiatives in kinship care.
By Sharon McPherson, 2025
We spoke to Churchill Fellow Sophia Alexandra Hall about how her Fellowship helped shape her trauma-informed interviewing toolkit, now used across major UK newsrooms. Drawing on her lived experience and 50 interviews in the USA, she reflects on the need for safer, more empowering media practices for care-experienced and other under-represented people. She also shares how this work has grown through training, conference speaking, and an expanding public platform at Big Issue.
By Sophia Alexandra Hall, 2025
Sonia Shaljean (CF 2025) has been named National Agent of Change at the She Inspires Global Awards 2025, recognising her work addressing fatherlessness and supporting boys through positive male role models. Her organisation, Lads Need Dads, also recently contributed to the Centre for Social Justice’s national report.
By Sonia Shaljean, 2025
Sophia Alexandra Hall (CF 2023) featured in an episode of the Trauma-Informed Conversations podcast, exploring trauma-informed storytelling.
By Sophia Alexandra Hall, 2025
Sonia Shaljean (CF 2025) contributed to Father Figuring, a new BBC Radio 4 series exploring fatherhood and father absence through the experiences of comedian Darren Harriott.
By Sonia Shaljean, 2025
Melanie Vaxevanakis (CF 2023) spoke at TEDxBristol 2025 at We The Curious.
By Melanie Vaxevanakis, 2025