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Executive members
Chair: Will McMahon
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 In common with everyone else on the executive, Will is care leaver. Will spent 13 years travelling between children's homes , sibling care, assessment centres, boarding schools and foster care.
Will joined the CLA in October 2005. Will's role is to chair the meetings, help raise money for the CLA and do occasional media work to get the CLA in the papers and on the TV.
Likes: Family Guy, Graham Greene, The Fall, greasy spoons, dogs, bananas and the Daily Show.
Dislikes: inequality and prejudice.
Secretary: Dr. Jim Goddard
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 Jim was in care from the age of three to the age of seventeen. Between the ages of three and six, this was in large children's homes run by Roman Catholic nuns in Liverpool ('Knolle Park') and in Birkenhead on the Wirral ('Nazareth House'). From the age of six, he lived in a Family Group Home in Birkenhead with his brother and various other children.
Jim used to run an in-care and care leavers group in Norfolk in the early 1990s and was a member of NAYPIC. He is now a Senior Lecturer in social policy at the University of Bradford. In that role, Jim also does research into leaving care issues. You can get further biographical details from a piece Jim has written on access to files in that section of the site.
Treasurer: Zachari Duncalf
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 Zachari went into residential care at the age of 11 until she was 19 years old. Throughout this time she spent the majority of it in children's homes in the Lancashire area. Spending time in both psychiatric care as a child and as a young adult, Zachari is passionate, in particular, about the mental health needs of care leavers. Zachari has recently been appointed as a Researcher at the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow School of Social Work and the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care). Within this role Zachari researches the current needs of young people in care and thus works alongside current professionals and academics in the field.
Louise Morgan
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Louise spent time in care in London and Kent from the age of eight to 16. Louise was in two children homes (one catholic), four foster placements and had an adoptive placement in between. Louise is interested in many issues for care leavers, including: quality, training and education of social care workers; positive family contacts for children in care; support networks for care leavers in abusive / violent and volatile relationships and the interrelation of care leavers with the criminal justice system. Louise recently qualified as a social worker.
Louise loves: Her son, chocolate, board/card/party games, naff jokes and cars
Sue Myhan
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Sue went into care at age 13 for a few days, then was returned to residential care at the age of 14 until 17, following a traumatic childhood.
Sue has recently joined the executive committee as she is very passionate about the needs of care leavers, especially with relation to ‘Access to Records’. As a parent, Sue is also concerned about the difficulties that may face care leavers if and when they have children of their own.
As a care leaver who has accessed her care files, Sue is hoping to demonstrate to local authorities the importance that ‘care files’ can be to care leavers, and how they need to look at offering care leavers understanding care and supportive assistance when they apply to access their records as she knows how difficult this can be. Also, Sue believes that once these needs are recognised by many local authorities, care leavers can be part of influencing the ways in which being a ‘looked after’ young person can be improved. Care leavers hold a wealth of experience and knowledge, which could be taken on board by local authorities.
Sue enjoys spending time with her daughter, cross-stitch and anything involving using a computer.
Like many care leavers, Sue struggles with depression, so also understands the mental health issues that often impact on care leavers.
Chris Simpson
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 Chris is passionate about the rights of care leavers. He spent nearly all of his childhood in care, both in residential and foster homes, so it is a subject that is close to his heart. Chris feels that he can empathise with current care leavers because of his own experiences of living in care.
In his spare time, Chris is on the committee of his local skateboard park. He is also the secretary for the local branch of the Liberal Democrats party and he has been doing this for 2 years, as well as holding the post of constituent secretary for Grantham and Stanford for almost a year.
Chris is a volunteer befriender for the local mental health service and has several years’ experience of working as a volunteer in a local children’s home. Whilst there, he was shocked by the negative attitudes and prejudices that still exist towards children in care.
Chris hopes to become a mentor for care leavers in the new future with the Prince’s trust and will be attending a training course on this soon.
Read more about Chris' local campaigning activities in the Campaign section.
Associate Members
Mary Clear
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 Mary lived in various institutions as a child and young adult. She is a now a qualified social worker and works for a community development company. She has four daughters and four grandchildren. Mary's passions are gardening and admiring buildings.
Mary is particularly interested in the parenting issues often faced by care leavers, and by the negative stereotyping of care leavers in the media and by professionals. Contact Mary via the
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. See also the www.careleaversreunited.com website, which she set up five years ago and which is now live.
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