NACCC AGM and Conference 2025 brings together centres, partners, and inspiring guest speakers
We were delighted to welcome more than 150 delegates to our Annual General Meeting and Conference, held on Tuesday 9th September at the Reach Conference Centre in Derby.
This year’s event marked a significant milestone, being our first in-person AGM since the Covid pandemic. For the last five years, NACCC’s AGMs have taken place online, making this gathering a special opportunity for our team, members, partners, and supporters to come together and reconnect face-to-face.
Attendees included NACCC staff and trustees, including Chair Sharon Scott and CEO Elizabeth Coe, staff and volunteers from NACCC’s accredited centres across the UK, charity partners Stowe Family Law and Circle Yuen, along with guest speakers Dr Angharad Rudkin and Dan Ryan.
Celebrating achievements across the network
The event began with a warm welcome from Sharon and Elizabeth, who thanked delegates for their commitment and set the tone for a day of inspiration, insights, and connection.
Trustees then led AGM business, where NACCC’s Vice-Chair, Angela Wellings, was officially appointed and welcomed to the Board. Special thanks were given to NACCC’s Treasurer, Malcolm MacLellan and Trustee, Gareth Williams for their outstanding contributions as they attended their final AGM in these roles.
This was followed by a heartfelt awards ceremony, celebrating the outstanding child contact services delivered nationwide and recognising the fantastic contributions made by dedicated staff and volunteers. Full details of this year’s winners can be found towards the end of the feature.
Sharon Scott, NACCC Chair, said:
We’re delighted to bring our dedicated network of centres and supporters together who are making a difference to the lives of children, young people, and families nationwide. Today’s conference is a fantastic opportunity to highlight some of the incredible work being done to support families and serves as a powerful reminder why our accredited services are so vital
Thought-provoking keynote sessions
The conference featured two engaging and informative keynote sessions.
Clinical Psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin delivered an insightful talk, Getting Through Parental Separation: What Do Children Need. Drawing on the latest research into child wellbeing, Dr Rudkin explored how children may experience parental separation and what professionals can do to support them and invited delegates to share their knowledge and experiences. Key themes included child development, attachment, and the impact of neurodiversity and mental health – offering valuable insights for those working with children and families.
After lunch, Dan Ryan, Senior Practice Consultant at SafeLives, gave a powerful talk on the impact of domestic abuse on children. He shared insights from a current SafeLives project, emphasising the importance of designing and adapting domestic abuse interventions to reflect the needs of those who use them, especially children and young people.
Spotlight on Partnerships
The conference also marked the official launch of NACCC’s partnership with Stowe Family Law, the UK’s largest specialist family law firm. Having recently chosen NACCC as their first national charity partner, Stowe has pledged to support through fundraising, volunteering and awareness campaigns. Representatives from Stowe’s Charitable and Community Support Committee, Rachel Roberts and Louise Shepherd, attended the conference to meet NACCC’s wider team and members, and to learn first-hand about the work taking place across our accredited child contact centres nationwide.
Further information about NACCC’s partnership with Stowe can be found here.
Nottingham-based author and illustrator Circle Yuen also attended with copies of her newly released children’s book, Our Dance: Living Apart, Time Together – the first UK picture book to introduce child contact centres to young readers. Developed in collaboration with NACCC and independent publisher Graffeg, the book sensitively explores themes of family change, co-parenting, and the vital role child contact centres play in helping children maintain relationships with parents after separation.
Circle gave a short engaging talk, sharing insights about her experiences, the creative process, and highlighting the invaluable support she received from NACCC and its members throughout. Circle finished with a mesmerising reading of the book which captured the hearts of the whole room.
More information about NACCC’s collaboration with Circle can be found here.
Additional Partner Presentations
During the day, we were also delighted to welcome to the stage two of NACCC’s valued partners, Our Family Wizard and the University of Suffolk.
Alicia Farran introduced Our Family Wizard‘s court-recommended co-parenting App. Alicia outlined how the App helps to make co-parenting easier by improving communication and reducing conflict, offering tools to manage schedules, shared expenses, messaging and calls in one secure place.
Alicia also spoke about Our Family Wizard’s partnership with NACCC to develop and launch a unique Parenting Plan template – a practical resource to support separated parents with guidance on navigating co-parenting more effectively.
Find out more and download the free Parenting Plan template here
Carolyn Leader, Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Suffolk, spoke about an exciting joint project with NACCC focused on developing qualifications for centre staff. Drawing on the University’s expertise, the partnership aims to create new training opportunities to upskill staff, promote reflective practice, and strengthen the business resilience of child contact centres.
More information about this exciting partnership will be coming soon.
Partner showcase
Delegates also had the chance to connect with several of NACCC’s supporters through a range of exhibition stalls.
Ros Barton from Match Mothers was on hand to share information about the organisation’s work. The charity provides support to mothers who are apart from their children for various reasons such as divorce, family separation or adoption. Match Mothers offers non-judgemental support and information, enabling members to access free confidential advice and connect with an understanding community.
Adam Smith from Cloudhost, NACCC’s long-standing IT support partner, showcased the essential technical expertise Cloudhost provides to keep NACCC’s systems reliable and secure. Cloudhost specialises in providing proactive, tailored IT support to a range of organisations helping them create and sustain cutting-edge IT environments.
Alicia Farran (Our Family Wizard) and Circle Yuen (author of Our Dance) also hosted stalls, giving delegates the chance to explore their resources further and continue conversations sparked by their earlier sessions.
The opportunity to connect with partners, explore resources, and share ideas added an extra dimension to the day, ensuring delegates left not only inspired but also equipped with new connections and practical tools to take back to their centres.
Closing reflections
The AGM and Conference concluded with thanks from Elizabeth Coe, who praised the dedication of staff and volunteers across NACCC’s accredited network, and the collective progress being made to support children nationwide.
Elizabeth Coe, NACCC CEO, said:
It is inspiring to see our members, partners, and guest speakers united in their commitment to putting children first. We are proud to celebrate our member’s achievements, hard work and dedication, and to highlight the work being done to support families after separation. We are grateful to those who have chosen to partner with us, and we look forward to building on these partnerships in the year ahead. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us and help us make a noticeable difference to children and families
Lifetime Achievement Award
A special Lifetime Achievement Award was then presented to NACCC CEO, Elizabeth Coe, in recognition of her outstanding and longstanding support for children and families throughout her career, spanning more than four decades.
Elizabeth began her career after graduating from Bristol University in 1978 with a degree in Social Work. She went on to serve as a Probation Officer, Family Court Welfare Officer, Senior Probation Officer, and Senior Court Welfare Officer before taking on leadership roles within Cafcass as Director for both the East Midlands and London.
Since 2011, Elizabeth has served as Chief Executive of NACCC, continuing her lifelong commitment to supporting children and families. Her hands-on leadership, both within NACCC and in her wider community roles, reflects the values that first inspired her work in the late 1970s – ensuring children have the safety, support, and opportunities they need to thrive.
About the Speakers
Dr Angharad Rudkin MA (Oxon), AFBPsS is a Clinical Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working with children and families. She is a Director at Only Mums & Dads Training and the creator of the What About Henry? programme – designed to help professionals better understand the effects of separation and divorce on children. Dr Rudkin is also the Consultant Editor of Separating with Children 101, and co-author of several acclaimed parenting books including What’s My Child Thinking? and The Split Survival Kit. A regular contributor to TV and radio, she is widely recognised for her expertise in child mental health and parenting.
Dan Ryan has worked in the social care sector for over 20 years. He is the Lead for SafeLives’ Beacon Sites, implementing Whole Family Integrated Services into local authorities, advising on strategy, local domestic abuse responses, and supporting areas to develop governance and authentic voice offers. Prior to working for SafeLives, Dan managed young people’s domestic abuse services, Family Intervention Projects, and served as CEO of a local charity supporting vulnerable families. SafeLives is a UK-based charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse for everyone and for good, placing survivors’ voices at the heart of its work and challenging perpetrator behaviour through specialised interventions.
Awards and Recognition 2025
The awards ceremony proved to be one of the highlights of the day, recognising the remarkable contributions of centres, staff, and volunteers across the NACCC network.
This year’s winners were:
Barbara Cookson – Winner of the Excellence Award
In recognition of her outstanding contribution – demonstrating excellence in services, initiatives and support for local children and families using the Family Tree Centre CIC.
Ray Mills – Winner of the Chair’s Award for Innovative Practice
In recognition of his outstanding contribution addressing the changing needs of children and families using Burton Upon Trent Child Contact Centre.
Marina Elia – Winner of the CEO’s Family Choice Award
In recognition of Protego Contact Services Ltd’s outstanding contribution to local children and families.
Ashlea Potkins – Winner of the Safeguarding Excellence Award
In recognition of her outstanding contribution – addressing the changing needs of children and families using Ipswich Child Contact Centre.
Sacha Clarke – Winner of Charlie’s Award for Staff Service
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the services offered by Springcare Support Services.
Pauline Preston – Winner of Stan’s Award for Voluntary Service
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the services offered by Muswell Hill Child Contact Centre.
In addition, three coordinators were awarded a voluntary long service award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to children and families using their centre.
Long service awards were presented to:
Brian Davey – Westwood House Child Contact Centre.
Graham Andrews – Birmingham Salvation Army Child Contact Centre (award received by Graham’s colleague, Andrea Stevens, on his behalf).
Ian Maynard – St John & St Stephen’s Child Contact Centre.
Thank You
The NACCC team would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended the conference and continues to support the work of NACCC. The day was a resounding success – a fantastic opportunity to network, share expertise, and celebrate the incredible knowledge and experience across our community.
It was wonderful to see so many of you in person, and we look forward to continuing our work together to support children and families across the UK.
Special thanks to the team at Reach Conference Centre, Derby, for their outstanding support in hosting the event – the venue proved perfect, and staff went above and beyond to meet everyone’s needs.
Finally, we are grateful to Quadrant Events for their invaluable technical and media production support, ensuring the day ran smoothly from start to finish.
We will be sharing more photos from our AGM and conference across our social media channels. You can find us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.