Voice of the Child Conference 2025

Jahnine was appointed to the Child Safeguarding Review Panel November 2021 and became the National Kinship Care Ambassador in September 2024.

Jahnine is a care-experienced professional who started her career in children’s rights and participation and has over 20 years practice experience working in both charity and statutory sectors. In addition, she is the appointed safeguarding lead for the BBC’s independent review into Tim Westwood.

Notably, Jahnine is recognised as the UK’s foremost researcher and thought leader in adultification bias in child protection. A specialist in the safeguarding of Black children, Jahnine’s PhD research explores decision making processes in the safeguarding of Black children when harm is outside of the home.

Jacky Tiotto joined Cafcass from the London Borough of Bexley where she held the position of Director of Children’s Services for four and a half years. With statutory responsibility for all services to children, young people, schools, families and carers, she oversaw the directorate in its implementation of family and child-focused help, protection and care, which was judged ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in July 2018.

Jacky has previously held senior positions with Ofsted, the Department for Education, where she was the Senior Deputy Director for safeguarding and child protection, and as the Director for Children and Learners at Government Office London before its abolition in 2011. Jacky was the lead professional adviser for both the Laming and Munro reviews of child protection in England in 2007 and 2011 respectively.

Starting her career as a social worker in 1989, Jacky worked for London local authorities before becoming national adviser for children and adult services for the local government association and senior specialist for social care, education and health at the Audit Commission.

Nigel is a qualified social worker and has over 20 years experience of working for local authority children services departments where he held a range of posts including that of Assistant Director of Social Services. Nigel was appointed as Assistant Chief Inspector with Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) in April 2013, before joining Cafcass Cymru in April 2016 as Deputy Chief Executive. In November 2016, he was appointed Chief Executive of Cafcass Cymru. Nigel is a member of the Family Justice Board and the Wales Family Justice Network.

A civil servant with over 25 years’ experience, primarily working on social policy and programme delivery. For the last 7 years in Department for Education, and prior to that in DWP. Currently Interim Director for Children’s Social Care, covering strategy, funding, including policy and delivery of support for children in care, markets & capital, fostering, kinship, adoption and care leavers. In my last role I led the development of the Families First for Children pathfinder, co-designing reforms with 10 local areas. This incorporated the development of Family Help policy, and the integration of child protection and family networks. I also had the oversight of the Supporting Families programme, following its transfer from MHCLG. Previous work in DfE includes the design, piloting and national roll out of the Holiday Activities & Food programme, the wider school food and free school meals agenda, and pupil premium policy. I am based in Sheffield and support the Sheffield Policy Campus work, and I am a champion of Social Mobility having been the DfE Network Chair for 2 years. 

Neal is the Deputy Director for Family Justice Policy in the Ministry of Justice and has been in that role for the last six years.  His teams look after the policy and legal framework for private family law, public family law as well as marriage, cohabitation and divorce.   That work has included the publication of the Harm Panel report on domestic abuse, the design and creation of Pathfinder courts, measures to better support separating parents and legislation to raise the age of marriage and the introduction of no fault divorce.  

Ms Justice Harris will be assigned to the Family Division, where she will be able to draw on both her academic experience as a former lecturer at Durham University and Professor of Law at the University of Birmingham, as well as her significant judicial experience, including that gained through her role as a Designated Family Judge.