We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our colleague, Karen McFarlane, a Senior Policy Officer at Children in Wales.
In the more than 16 years that Karen worked for Children in Wales, she provided a source of great wisdom and inspiration to colleagues and of fierce challenge on behalf of children and young people.
She developed specialisms in the areas of Child Safety and more recently in Additional Learning Needs and Child Poverty through her coordination of the TSANA and ECPN professional networks. Her authorship of our annual child and family poverty reports were influential in enabling us to maintain a sharp focus on the lives of children in low-income families.
Her contributions in these fields, as well as others, helped to bring people together in common cause for the benefit of babies, children and young people. Her warm nature and easy ability to bond with colleagues and fellow professionals made her a natural fit for her role, and her presence as both a colleague and as a friend to many in the sector will be sorely missed.