Speakers

NLCBF about hero image.

Ashley John-Baptiste

Broadcaster, TV Presenter, Author and Inspirational Speaker

Ashley is an inspirational speaker who shares his hard-hitting and inspirational story of navigating through the care system. He is an ambassador for The Fostering Network charity and the founder of “Be Inspired” events, supporting young people leaving care and helping them fulfil their aspirations. In June 2025, Ashley appeared on the panel for Crisis of Care at Glastonbury Left Field.

Ashley’s debut book ‘Looked After: A Childhood in Care’ was published in June 2024 and was shortlisted for Hatchards and the Biographers’ Club Best First Biography Prize.

He is also an award-winning broadcaster and TV presenter. Ashley fronted the BBC Three documentary Care Home Kids: Looking For Love, about children growing up in care. Other films include – My Life In Care and My Life Without Skin, as well as a documentary about siblings separated in care, Split Up In Care: Life Without Siblings – this was a winner at the BBC News Awards, shortlisted in the Most Impactful Journalism. He makes reports for The One Show, Sunday Morning Live, as well as Morning Live & BBC News. He currently co-hosts Con or Cure and also presents Expert Witness, for which he was nominated for a 2023 Broadcast Award in the Best Daytime Programme category. Ashley has also co-presented the RTS-nominated series For Love or Money, all for BBC1.

Lucy Barnes

Lawyers Who Care

Lucy is an award-winning barrister at East Anglian Chambers and Co-Founder of Lawyers Who Care, the UK’s only charity to support care-experienced aspiring lawyers, which has already supported over 77 care-experienced people since its launch in May 2024.

Proudly care-experienced herself, Lucy entered foster care at 13 and fell off the ‘Care Cliff’ at 16. He lived experience directly informs her professional work and advocacy, particularly around trauma-informed practice and social mobility. In 2024, Lucy was first recognised by Universities UK’s #100faces campaign celebrating first-generation graduates, and in 2025 she was named Champion of the Year at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards. Lucy was the first barrister to speak publicly about her care experience and is a leading voice in the movement towards celebration of care-experienced talent across all professions.

Lucy is a TEDx speaker and reputable keynote speaker, regularly speaking to professionals across law, education, social care and government, including in Parliament. She appeared on BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour, and her uplifting story has been featured by The Times, Counsel Magazine, the Bar Council and in 2026 by the Fostering Network as their magazine cover ‘from care to the courtroom.’

Lucy is also a writer, contributing meaningfully in her sector with her vision to move towards a Care Aware and Trauma-Informed legal profession and a trainer, having designed Lawyers Who Care’s pioneering Care Aware and Trauma-Informed Training.

A complete portfolio of Lucy’s advocacy work can be found at www.lucykatebarnes.co.uk – #CareLeaversCan #AndWill #AndAre.

Kiyia Atkinson

Care Leavers National Movement Champion

Kiyia is an active member of the Care Leavers National Movement (CLNM), where he plays a key role in supporting the National House Project (NHP) to ensure that young people remain at the heart of decision-making processes. He joined CLNM with a strong commitment to amplifying the voices of care-experienced young people, creating meaningful opportunities, and advocating for greater equity within systems that impact their lives.

As someone with lived experience of care, Kiyia brings both insight and passion to his work. He is dedicated to improving structures and services so they better meet the needs of care-experienced young people, ensuring their perspectives are heard, amplified, and acted upon.

During his time with CLNM, Kiyia has taken on leadership responsibilities, including serving as National Chair. In this role, he has attended Board of Trustee meetings and contributed to shaping the strategic direction and long-term vision of the organisation. His work reflects a strong commitment to collaboration, representation, and positive change.

Kiyia is driven by a desire to empower others, influence decision-making at a national level, and help build a more inclusive and supportive environment for care-experienced young people. Alongside this, he is currently studying for a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, balancing his personal ambitions with his passion for advocacy.

Victoria Odude

Young People’s Benchmarking Forum Steering Group Representative

In her role, Victoria ensures that the voices and experiences of care experienced young people help shape the direction of the forum. She regularly represents young people’s views to the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum Steering Group, local authorities, and with policy makers at a national level.
Victoria has hosted parliamentary events and regularly represents the views of care leavers to the Cross-Government Care Leaver Ministerial Board, Councillors and senior local authority decision‑makers, as well as government ministers and policy‑makers.

Victoria has developed a feedback loop to ensure young people understand the impact of their voices. She works closely with the NLCBF sessional worker team and the YPBMF, attending both young people and manager events to gather key messages, questions and insights, which she then represents to the Steering Group, local authorities, and decision-makers.

Victoria is care experienced and is passionate about improving outcomes for others. Alongside her role within the forum, she also works creatively with other charities supporting care experienced young people, using her lived experience to influence change and amplify young people’s voices.

Terry Galloway

Chief Executive Officer, Norman Galloway Homes CIC

Terry Galloway is a nationally recognised leader in housing, youth advocacy, and policy reform for care-experienced people. He is the CEO of Norman Galloway Homes CIC, a not-for-profit organisation providing supported accommodation to care leavers, and has developed innovative programmes focused on independence, employment, and life skills.

At the United for Change for Care Leavers, Terry will speak on the evolving role of corporate parenting and how it aligns with the growing movement to recognise Care Experience as a Protected Characteristic. Drawing on his leadership of a national campaign supported by over 100 UK councils, he will explore how the sector is now moving beyond recognition into a new phase of accountability.

His session will focus on how corporate parenting duties can be strengthened through clearer expectations, measurable outcomes, and alignment with equality frameworks. Terry will set out how this shift can move the agenda from policy commitment to real-world impact, ensuring that care-experienced people benefit from consistent, system-wide change.

Through both lived experience and professional insight, Terry will outline the next stage of the campaign, highlighting how embedding accountability across public bodies can drive the systemic change that practitioners, leaders, and care-experienced people have long called for.