Our Board provides strategic oversight, governance, and sector leadership, ensuring CHA remains a strong and influential voice for children’s homes.
Clair Davies - Chair of the Board
Clair Davies has spent the last thirty-five years working with children who have been traumatised by abuse and neglect. She graduated from Cambridge University in 1989. She subsequently studied for her Masters in Special Education and spent a period researching in America before returning to England and setting up Appletree in 1995. She developed Appletree Treatment Centre Homes and Schools providing high quality therapeutic care, education and therapy. She was a member of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) Topic Expert Group which wrote the Standards for the Emotional Health and Well Being of Looked After Children in 2015. She was Chair of the Apprenticeship Trailblazer which wrote the Level 4 and 5 qualifications for those working with Children, Young People and Families. In June 2020 she was awarded an MBE for her work with Apprenticeships and Traumatised Children.
Rachel Redgwell – Deputy Chair of the Board
Rachel has over 25 years’ experience in residential childcare, beginning her career as a care worker and progressing into senior leadership roles including Registered Manager and Responsible Individual. She has extensive experience across Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, Learning Disabilities, and Crisis Intervention, and has managed large staff teams of over 250 people. In recognition of her impact in the sector, Rachel was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award in 2020 for her work in children’s social care.
Alongside her operational roles, Rachel has played a key part in shaping national practice through her work with The Children’s Homes Association as an Associate and South East Regional Lead. She has contributed to sector-wide developments with the Department for Education, Ofsted, and Police forces, while also providing expert consultancy and support to members. A registered social worker, Rachel is particularly passionate about SEND, safeguarding, and advocacy for vulnerable children. She currently serves as a Director of Amegreen Children’s Services and is involved in alternative education provision, continuing to champion inclusive, therapeutic environments that support children to thrive.
Richard Parker
Richard Parker is the Founder and CEO of Park Blue Group, a national provider of specialist children’s residential care services. Since founding the organisation, he has led its growth from a single home to a multi-site group operating 14 Ofsted-regulated homes supporting children with complex needs. Richard has extensive experience in strategic leadership, governance, acquisitions, finance and regulated services. He is also the founder of Armaris, a safer recruitment technology platform designed for the care sector. Holding a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership and a BA (Hons) in Marketing Management, Richard is committed to innovation, safeguarding and improving outcomes for vulnerable children.
Tim Horrocks
Tim is Chief Executive Officer of Hexagon Care Services, one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist care, education and therapeutic services for children and young people. Having joined the organisation in 2011 as Financial Controller, Tim progressed to Finance Director before being appointed CEO in 2025.
With a career spanning more than 25 years in finance, operations and strategic leadership, Tim has played a pivotal role in Hexagon’s growth and development. He has led key functions including finance, commissioning, HR, recruitment, learning and development, property acquisition and business transformation, helping establish Hexagon as a trusted partner to local authorities and an employer of choice for almost 1,000 staff.
A qualified ACA accountant and graduate of The Queen’s College, Oxford, Tim combines strong commercial acumen with a commitment to delivering outstanding outcomes for children, young people and families through high-quality, sustainable care services.
Jo Henney
Jo Henney is Chief Executive of Nugent, one of the North West’s longest-established social care charities. Appointed in 2023, she is leading the delivery of Nugent’s ambitious Imagine Our World strategy, creating lifelong pathways of support that provide opportunity, dignity and hope for children, families and adults.
With leadership experience across both the charitable and private sectors, Jo is recognised for driving organisational transformation, strengthening culture, and building environments where people and communities can thrive. She is a passionate advocate for children and young people, particularly those who are care experienced, and draws on her personal experience as a foster carer to champion services that enable young people to flourish.
Beyond Nugent, Jo serves as Chair of Trustees for Emmaus Merseyside and Chair of Governors at Wirral Metropolitan College, reflecting her wider commitment to tackling inequality, expanding opportunity, and creating lasting positive change across communities.
Pam McConnell
Pam is the founder of Five Rivers, a leading therapeutic social enterprise providing residential care, fostering, education and specialist support services for children, young people and families across England and Ireland. Originally trained as a social worker specialising in mental health and child protection, Pam later qualified as a psychotherapist, family therapist and group analyst.
Over more than 35 years, she has led the development of Five Rivers into a nationally recognised organisation delivering clinically informed, trauma-responsive services for children and young people who have experienced abuse, neglect and family breakdown. Under her leadership, Five Rivers has pioneered an integrated model combining care, education, fostering and therapeutic support, while maintaining its commitment as a social enterprise by reinvesting surpluses into innovation, workforce development and evidence-based practice.
Pam brings extensive expertise in therapeutic care, social enterprise leadership and partnership working, alongside a lifelong commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable children and strengthening the wider children’s services workforce.
Darryl Williams
Darryl has dedicated more than 40 years to improving the lives of vulnerable children and young people through residential care and social work. Beginning his career in 1982 as a residential worker in Liverpool, he went on to hold a range of roles in youth justice, child welfare social work and management across North Wales, developing extensive experience in supporting children with complex needs.
In 1998, Darryl founded Woodlands Care with a vision to provide high-quality, therapeutic residential care for young people. Under his leadership, Woodlands has grown steadily into a respected organisation operating five homes in the Wrexham area, alongside an in-house team of qualified therapists and a specialist school, which achieved five “Excellent” ratings from Estyn.
Darryl remains closely involved in the day-to-day life of the organisation and is widely recognised for his hands-on, child-centred approach. He is an Honorary Fellow of NOTA and a member of Social Care Wales’ Expert Reference Group for residential care.
Karen Hoer
Karen brings more than 20 years of experience across the children’s social care sector and is currently Director of WiNurture Childcare Ltd. Her career began at the age of 15, volunteering with children and young people with learning disabilities, laying the foundations for a lifelong commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable children.
Karen has extensive experience across a wide range of residential settings, including children’s homes, residential schools, therapeutic communities and supported accommodation services. A passionate advocate for therapeutic care, she has been a certified PACE trainer for over a decade and is committed to promoting relationship-based approaches that help children heal and thrive.
A qualified safeguarding trainer and investigator, Karen recently took on a voluntary role as Safeguarding and Therapeutic Interventions Advisor to Northamptonshire Police, supporting cross-sector collaboration and raising awareness of safeguarding issues. As the East Midlands Regional Lead, Karen brings a wealth of expertise, strong sector connections and an unwavering commitment to championing children and young people.
Tim Clare
Tim is a highly experienced children’s social care leader, trainer and consultant with more than 20 years of experience supporting children and young people in care. Having spent much of his own childhood in the care system, Tim brings a unique and deeply informed perspective to his work, combining lived experience with extensive professional expertise.
Tim is the Director and Responsible Individual of a group of children’s homes, having opened his first home in 2017 following a long career across the sector. Alongside leading residential services, he provides consultancy, training and mentoring to professionals working with vulnerable children and young people.
A passionate advocate for improving outcomes for children in care, Tim has undertaken postgraduate study and research exploring the impact of care experiences on educational achievement and life outcomes. Through his leadership, training and speaking engagements, he seeks to inspire professionals across the sector and promote positive, lasting change for children and young people.
Sibby Khan
Sibghat is an experienced business leader and entrepreneur with a strong background in marketing, strategic growth and organisational leadership. As CEO of Logo X for 25 years, he successfully built and developed the business, leading marketing strategy, team development and commercial growth before overseeing its successful sale.
Drawing on extensive expertise across digital marketing, brand development, content strategy and customer engagement, Sibghat has consistently delivered business growth while maintaining a strong focus on customer service and stakeholder relationships. More recently, he has become actively involved in the children’s residential care sector, supporting business development, finance raising and site acquisition to enable service expansion and long-term sustainability.
A member of the Institute of Digital Marketing and a graduate of the Leadership and Management Programme at Alliance Manchester Business School, Sibghat brings commercial insight, strategic thinking and a collaborative leadership style. He is passionate about supporting the children’s care sector and contributing to positive outcomes for children and young people through strong governance and innovation.