It is with great sadness that we announce that Care Leavers Association (CLA) Project Manager Darren Coyne has died this morning, after a short illness. Darren was one of a kind. He was a straight-talking Yorkshireman who cared passionately about improving the lives of care experienced people of all ages. Prepared to tell truth to power, he was also an amazing support worker for individual care leavers and for groups of care leavers. He could, and did, work with anyone in the cause of helping care leavers, from members of the House of Lords to young care leavers in the criminal justice system in need of support. Wherever he went, and whoever he worked with, he was always his authentic self. For many years, Darren successfully led our work on access to child care files and on addressing the needs of care leavers involved with the criminal justice system. It is a cliché to say that people are ‘irreplaceable’, but Darren genuinely is. He was charismatic and influential, but he also connected with a wide variety of people on a human level. As a result, he has touched the lives of a great many people during his 11 years working for the CLA. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and those he was working with. We will share more details later.
