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Celebrating our trustees this Trustees’ Week
This Trustees’ Week, we’d like to say a big thank you to the trustees who give their time to Belay
Trustees’ Week is a chance to celebrate the nearly one million people across the UK who volunteer as charity trustees.
Belay’s board is a mixture of parents, care-experienced adults and professionals. They give their time for free, often in the evenings around work and family life, to shape our strategy, make sure the charity is well run and help us grow so we can support more families. Between them, they bring both lived experience and professional expertise.
This is an important time for Belay. Over the last year we’ve reviewed and relaunched our services so they can grow, we’ve recently recruited a permanent CEO, and we’ll soon be developing a long-term strategic plan.
That’s why we’re now looking for a Co-Chair to lead our board of trustees. We’re particularly interested in hearing from people with experience of working with a growing small charity, and/or lived experience of being a child or parent in an adoptive, kinship or special guardianship family.
You can find out more about the role and how to apply on our Vacancies page.
Applications close at 9pm on Friday 27th November 2026.
Celebrating our trustees this Trustees’ Week
This Trustees’ Week, we want to thank the trustees who give their time to Belay, and let you know we’re looking for a new Co-Chair to join them.
Welcome to our new Communications and Engagement Manager
We’re delighted to welcome Emma McDonnell as our new Communications and Engagement Manager. Emma brings over 20 years’ experience in marketing, alongside her own experience as a parent of neurodivergent children.
Welcome to our new CEO Sarah Yelland
We’re delighted to welcome Sarah Yelland as the new Chief Executive Officer of The Belay Foundation. Sarah brings over 30 years’ experience in the social care and voluntary sectors, alongside her own experience as an adoptive parent.
Adoption support must go further
The Department for Education’s consultation, Adoption Support that Works for All, aims to improve outcomes for adopted children and their families. We share that goal, but based on our work with families, we believe the current proposals fall significantly short of what is needed.
Specialist Support Workers: how it all began
Six years ago, I headed to a café to make notes about something that had changed our lives. Our Specialist Support Worker, Jade, was at home with my children, and I knew that if this could help us, it could help others.
Let’s Talk Respite
This National Adoption Week, we want to talk about respite and share the findings from our survey this summer on respite at home. Thank you to everyone who took the time to take part.