Our Board

What does the Board do?

Meet our board members

Carmel Jacob - Chair

I am a Care Experienced member of Who Cares? Scotland. I grew up in Kinship Care and lived with my Gran from a young age. Involvement in Who Cares? Scotland has changed my life. It has granted me a sense of belonging and supported me to proudly own my identity as a member of the Care Experienced Community. There is nothing I am more passionate about than advocating for Who Cares? Scotland’s vision of a lifetime of equality, respect and love for Care Experienced People. I believe that everyone has a unique contribution to make to this world. I work as an Educational Psychologist to support children and young people develop socially and emotionally healthy ways of coping with their life experiences and overcoming barriers to learning. I am committed to taking ownership of my role in ensuring that all members of our Care family are provided with the support and encouragement they need to realise their full potential and lead happy and fulfilling lives.

Sarah Blackmore - Vice Chair

I’m a mum of 3, a bad runner and I drink too much coffee! I live in Edinburgh and work south of the border in Sheffield as an Executive Director with Social Work England, the regulator for social workers. I am a qualified social worker and have worked in a variety of places, including frontline practice in Dublin, working with street children and ex-child soldiers in Sierra Leone during the civil war, and managing services for children and families in the UK. I’ve worked across statutory, voluntary and regulatory services. I am passionate about ensuring that Care Experienced people have the same rights, love and support as anyone else in our society, and proud to work with Who Cares? Scotland to help make that happen.

Trevor Hillman

I took early retirement in 2019 having completed a career spanning 40 years in commercial insurance. My career included sales, operations and senior leadership, with a responsibility for financial performance and regulatory compliance. I strongly believe in helping people and, as such, I am keen to be part of the Who Cares? Scotland Board and use the career / life skills that I have to ensure that members and the wider Care Experienced community are listened to, treated fairly and with respect. I am a father to my 2 grown up sons and teenage adopted daughter. When the family is not keeping me busy or commenting on my bad dad jokes, I like to get out on the open road with my motorbike.

Carol Kirk

I grew up in Drumchapel, Glasgow. I trained as a teacher and had a career in education and children’s services, most recently as Director of Education and Skills in North Ayrshire. I have chaired national groups on education of looked after children and educational leadership. Throughout my career I always had a strong focus on promoting equality of opportunity and representation of all young people particularly those who face the greatest challenges. I’m now semi-retired but provide consultancy to the public sector and coaching and mentoring to CEOs in the public and third sector. I have recently retired as the Chair of the Board of the Donaldson’s Trust. The ethos of Who Cares? Scotland is a good fit with my long-term commitment to young people’s rights and ensuring their voices are heard. I live in Glasgow and love dancing, painting and going to the cinema.

Ruth Wallace

I live in Glasgow with my husband Darren and our two sons Edan and Manas. I’m a chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor, and a director at KPMG, where I’ve worked since 2008 after joining as a graduate. I specialise in corporate tax and the tax aspects of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). I got my degree in accountancy and marketing at Strathclyde University. As a chartered accountant, I’ve got experience of managing and interpreting financial information. I also spend a lot of my time managing people and really love this aspect of my job. I care about the inequalities Care Experienced people face and understand the impact that this experience can have on someone’s life. I feel passionately about helping Who Cares? Scotland address some of these challenges and supporting others to achieve their potential.

Jennifer Royston

I started my career as a commercial lawyer, however since then I have chosen roles which give paramountcy to protecting vulnerable members of our society whether in developing countries or in the United Kingdom. I have worked in Sierra Leone, Iraq, Nigeria and Uganda and I have seen the impact supporting an individual to voice breaches of their human rights can have and also the societal change that can result from enabling community members to work together to advocate for their rights. I currently work as a Children’s Reporter and I aim to ensure that children and young people are at the forefront of any decision I make. I am passionate about assisting Who Cares? Scotland to empower both the individual and the collective voice.

Stephen Ramsay

I’m a care experienced person who understands how frequently we can slip through the cracks and get left behind. I have an ambition to help find solutions to create a society which is more accessible for care experienced people. Originally from Inverclyde, I lived in England and across Europe, before eventually settling in Edinburgh. Currently employed full time as a software engineer, over the years I have taken up volunteering roles in youth projects, supporting homeless people and tech support for charities. A keen photographer, I have experience capturing exhibition openings, community events and weddings. Through my work co-founding and managing a popular online community, I have gained significant knowledge in social engagement and digital marketing which I will put to good use at Who Cares? Scotland. My hope is that here in Scotland, we can create the template to ensure all children are looked after in the best possible way, so that the rest of the world can follow our lead.

Douglas Adam

Having “fallen” into recruitment in 1997, I have spent the majority of my career supporting Public and Voluntary sector organisations. This has been a deliberate choice due to the positive impact such organisations have on civic society and I am driven by the desire to support both people and organisations to realise their potential, so that together we can impact lives and communities for the better. Having successfully supported Who Cares? Scotland with several key appointments, I have developed a strong appreciation of the positive reach and impact of the organisation and am delighted to have joined the board. As a board member as I committed to ensuring both meaningful and lasting change for all Care Experienced people in Scotland.

Erin McAuley

I am an innovative, creative and energetic young care experienced professional, committed to building a safer, equal and fairer place for all. I am a qualified Modern Studies and History teacher and now work as the Equality and Policy Officer at the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC). My activism and passion for tackling inequities and mitigating injustice is rooted in my own lived experience of being a care experienced person, experiencing estrangement and homelessness, and facing a multitude of barriers and inequalities. Having overcome adversity, I am devoted to ensuring that others can too and that all care experienced people, especially young people, are loved, supported, respected and that the world is a safer and more equitable place for them. Beyond my activism, I love climbing and playing football. I also like to dance and love an adventure and a challenge. I volunteer as a youth worker and am actively involved with Youth Work Scotland and a number of youth related organisations and campaigns.

Michael Stewart

I am honoured to have been elected by the Who Cares? Scotland members and I am really looking forward to working with Who Cares? Scotland as a member of the Board and getting to know the organisation from the inside. Using my personal experience of the care system from my childhood, alongside my professional experience I hope to help Who Cares? Scotland to continue to grow and develop its ambition of ensuring a lifetime of love and care for people who have not been able to live with their families.

I have been a social worker in Scotland for about 30 years. Currently, I work for Children’s Hearings Scotland supporting the volunteer community as they prepare for the forthcoming redesign of the Children’s Hearing System. When I am not working, I enjoy reading, learning to cook properly and baking. I enjoy walking with my very reluctant cocker spaniel who would much prefer to be asleep on the sofa whilst I read or watch TV!

Ellen Starkey

I grew up in East Yorkshire and, after moving up to Edinburgh for university, started my career in the third sector working in grant fundraising for a charity supporting disabled children, young people and their families. In this role, I gained extensive knowledge of charity fundraising and governance, financial reporting and income diversification. I now work as a Senior Policy Officer at the Scottish Government, currently in the Economic Development policy area, but previously in the Neurodivergence and Learning Disabilities complex care team, a role which further highlighted to me the importance of putting people with lived experience at the heart of policy making.

Having worked and volunteered with a range of organisations and communities since the age of 14, I am deeply passionate about advocating for the rights and wellbeing of minoritised communities and promoting inclusion in all settings. I am inspired by the mission of Who Cares? Scotland to make a lifetime of equality, respect and love a reality for care experience people, and am delighted to be a small part of making this happen by being a Board member.

Outside of work, I enjoy travelling and seeing new places, pub-quizzing with friends and learning languages!

Rebecca Munro

Since becoming a member of Who Cares? Scotland in 2016, I have studied for both my undergraduate and master’s degrees and now find myself working in higher education. How time flies!

I seek to widen access to all – in any aspiration they have. I try and do this every day in my current role in widening access within higher education, and I know my passion and tenacity in this area will stick with me forever. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to get to where they want to be, regardless of their background.

From this, I have always sought opportunities that campaign and advocate for people under-resourced in society. My journey through charity work, university work in widening access and being a member of Who Cares? Scotland has brought me a new unmatchable opportunity of being a member of the Board. I’m excited to get stuck in and to bring my own experience of being in and leaving the care system and my professional skills to ensure Who Cares? Scotland continues their amazing and tireless work.

Away from the outside world, I am a cat mom to the most precious Ragdoll, Mowgli. He keeps me company whilst I try everything to avoid my phone and TV! I have recently started journalling and painting by numbers – they are, for sure, another way to make time fly.

Angela Crawley

A proud mummy of two, infrequent fitness enthusiast, novice runner and retired politician. I am now looking forward to spending more time with my wife & young family.

A former Member of Parliament, with almost a decade at Westminster, several years as a Councillor in Local Government and working in the Scottish Parliament.

I have spent more than two decades campaigning, working in policy development and decision making environments.

I have experience managing financial budgets, staffing, and strategy development.

I have always strived to challenge constructively, give a voice to my community, and ensure that they have their voices heard. I have always endeavoured to campaign for positive change to people’s lives.

I would like to use my professional skills and my own care lived experience, to support the care experienced community.

I recently completed my Diploma in Legal Practice and have worked with Solicitors and Advocates, supporting their work and advocating for care-experienced people in the justice system.

I have volunteered for several charities close to my heart, including the Young Carers Trust and MCR Pathways, working directly with young people in a youth-work or one-to-one mentoring capacity.

Scott Ross

After studying for an MPhil in Classics and Numismatics I spent the majority of my career in the public sector between Local Authorities, Non-Governmental Bodies and Policing. I joined the Scottish Police Authority in February 2021 as the Head of Change and Operational Scrutiny.

I develop the Authority’s strategic oversight of transformational change and advise the board on policing practice and policy. Prior to this I worked for Stirling Council where I managed a service covering a vast array of areas: Data; Research; Innovation; Transformation; Portfolio, Programme and Project Management; Performance Management and Policy. I went on to write Stirling Council’s long term Strategy on behalf of the Chief Executive.

It is a privilege to be appointed as a Who Cares? Scotland Board Member I am deeply passionate about the care experienced community and the role of corporate parents and I believe the voice of care experienced people needs to be amplified