Coram deputy CEO awarded OBE in New Year Honours
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
The deputy chief executive officer (CEO) of children’s charity Coram has been awarded an OBE for her work with vulnerable young people and their families.
Renuka Jeyarajah-Dent, Coram’s director of operations and deputy CEO, joined the charity in 2007 as part of a leadership team credited with expanding the organisation.
Jeyarajah-Dent developed Coram-i, the charity’s consultancy service that works with local authorities to improve services for children, and led Coram’s impact and evaluation and family support and therapy teams.
She has previously worked as executive director of the Bridge Childcare Development Service, where she completed several high-profile serious case reviews.
Jeyarajah-Dent has also chaired several panels including the adoption and permanence panel for the London Borough of Hounslow.
She currently serves on the Camden Children’s Trust Partnership Board and as a NExT non-executive director on the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Board.
Jeyarajah-Dent said: “It is a great privilege to be awarded this honour. I work with people across statutory, voluntary and private sectors who share a dedication and passion to improve the lives of children. Coram will continue to champion children and their families well into the future and to have had the opportunity to contribute to that mission is indeed a privilege and one that I am grateful for.”
Dr Carol Homden, Coram’s CEO, said: “Renuka is a passionate and creative leader with a particular ability to bring together people and organisations from different sectors and disciplines to catalyse change at local and national level. All at Coram are delighted that Renuka has been recognised for the difference she makes for children by pioneering practice improvement, integrated adoption support and, most recently, data visualisation to enable effective decision making in children’s social care.”
John Poyton, chief executive of charity Redthread, was also awarded an OBE for services to young victims of violence alongside a number of senior members of charities supporting children and young people.
#NewYearsHonours: We're delighted to announce that Redthread's Chief Executive, John Poyton, has been awarded an OBE for services to young victims of violence. pic.twitter.com/IwzR2OYsIB
— Redthread (@Redthreadyouth) December 28, 2019
Junior Smart, founder of the SOS project, gained an OBE for services to tackling gang violence.
Charlotte Hill, CEO of Step Up To Serve and Matthew Hyde, CEO of The Scout Association were both awarded OBEs for services to young people.
Elaine Billington, chair of North West Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network was awarded an MBE for services to apprenticeships and young people in north-west England.
Alastair Gibbons, former director of children’s services (DCS) at Birmingham City Council, was handed an OBE for services to social work.
Huge congrats to @Lotte_IWill for her much deserved OBE 🎉🎉🎉
— #iwill campaign (@iwill_campaign) December 28, 2019
Charlotte’s inspirational leadership of Step Up To Serve and the @iwill_campaign has helped build a movement of orgs committed to youth social action.
A true champion of the #PowerOfYouth
Stephen Miley, former DCS at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, was awarded an OBE for services to children and families while Ruth Terry, head of children’s social work at Leeds City Council was awarded an MBE for services to children and families.
Esther Fajoye, team leader at the London Borough of Camden has been awarded an MBE for services to children and young people.
Indra Morris, director general of children’s social care, social mobility and disadvantage at the Department for Education has been made a companion of the order of the bath, a top award reserved for civil servants.
MBEs for services to fostering and kinship care:
- Verna Pollard, Plymouth City Council foster carer.
- Angela Wright, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council foster carer.
- Andrea Hider, foster carer with Amica Foster Care in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset.
- Maureen Hughes, Leeds City Council foster carer.
- William Hughes, Leeds City Council foster carer.
- Donna Lewis, Derbyshire County Council foster carer.
- Carl Mitchell, Blackpool Council foster parent.
- Diana Mitchell, Blackpool Council foster parent.
- Robert Caddy, Hampshire County Council foster carer.
- Linda Caddy, Hampshire County Council foster carer.
- Shakuntla Gittins, London Borough of Ealing foster carer.
- Shelly James, volunteer carer supporter for services to kinship care.
