11/2009 - The Who Cares? Trust appoints fostering expert as Deputy Chief Executive

19 November 2009

The Who Cares? Trust, the UK-wide charity for children in care, has appointed Andrea Warman to the post of Programmes Director and Deputy Chief Executive.  Andrea, a leading authority on looked-after children, will join the Trust in January 2010.  She will move from the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), where she has worked as their lead on fostering issues for the past five years.

With a wealth of experience across the social care environment and a high profile in the sector through her work with BAAF, Andrea will help the Trust to develop new projects designed to improve the outcomes of looked-after children, with particular emphasis on support for foster carers and social workers.

Andrea, who has a PhD in Social Anthropology, began her career as a children and families social worker, going on to train social workers and to lecture and conduct research in social work and social policy at a number of universities. She has published widely on family policy and looked after children. Her most recent publication, Recipes for Fostering, looked at the role of food and cooking in helping foster carers to maintain successful placements and build strong bonds with the children they care for. It was developed in partnership with Foster Care Associates and launched to great acclaim in the House of Lords in May of this year.

The Who Cares? Trust’s Chief Executive, Natasha Finlayson, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the Trust is to benefit from Andreas’s widely acknowledged expertise. With over 25 years in the children’s sector, Andrea has shown her commitment to improving the lives of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children. The Trust is determined that its projects will have the greatest possible impact on the lives and opportunities of looked-after children and Andrea has absolutely the right blend of knowledge and hands-on experience to help us achieve that.’

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Notes to editors

1. The Who Cares? Trust is a UK-wide charity that works to improve the lives of children and young people in care. We do this by: 

• using our expertise and influence with government policy-makers
• informing, empowering and supporting children and young people in care, through our magazines and other publications and through projects and campaigns which directly benefit them, and
• producing information and support materials for foster carers and professionals as a means to improving the lives of children in care.

2. For media enquiries contact Jemma Roche on 020 7017 2788, or email Jemma.Roche@thewhocarestrust.org.uk