The Board of Trustees for Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children & Families, is pleased to announce its appointment of three new trustees.
Rashida Baig MBE, Martin Birch and Krupesh Patel bring a wealth of experience in children’s services, public sector leadership, finance, and community engagement.
Rashida Baig MBE has held regional and national roles including membership of the Design Board for the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, and led on contributing to the evidence base as one of the ‘deep dive’ authorities. Currently she is Director of Children’s Safeguarding and Family Help at Camden. She is also on the National Practice Group providing expertise on the consultation and implementation strategy and has deputised for the Chief Social Worker at the National QA panel for Domestic Homicide Reviews. In 2020 she was awarded an MBE for services to Child and Family Social Work and Race Equality in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Martin Birch is a leader in children’s services, currently serving as the Director of Children and Family Wellbeing at Cumberland Council. In this role, he holds statutory responsibility as the Director of Children’s Services (DCS), overseeing early intervention, youth justice, education and children’s social care across the region. Martin chairs both the Safeguarding Board and the Early Help Partnership Board in Cumberland. Before joining Cumberland Council in 2023, Martin held senior roles including Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education at Sefton Council and Director of Children’s Social Care at Together for Children.
Krupesh Patel currently serves as a Non-Executive Chair for an investment management firm. He is also Vice Chair and Chair of the Audit Committee of Orion Education, an 8 school multi academy trust; and a member of the Development Board and Finance Committee of the British Exploring Society. He has previously served on the boards of Le Cheile Mentoring, a youth justice charity; The Hygiene Bank Ireland, a charity committed to addressing hygiene poverty; Stepaside Educate Together National School in Ireland; and East Oxford Primary School in Oxfordshire.
Sam White, Chair of Trustees at Foundations, welcomed the appointments:
“The Board is delighted to welcome Rashida, Martin and Krupesh, whose specialist knowledge will support not only Foundations’ strategic aims but also bolster its leadership. These appointments come at a crucial time as we head into reforms of children’s social care, which means that putting evidence into practice more important than ever.”
Notes to editors
Foundations is the national What Works Centre for Children and Families.
For further information, please contact Charlie Baker, Senior Press Officer: 07508 125 611 / charlie.baker@foundations.org.uk