Lucy Peake, chief executive
For any enquiries for Lucy, please contact Executive Assistant, Vikkie Chapman:
Lucy joined Kinship (then Grandparents Plus) as Chief Executive in September 2015. While at the charity, she has overseen a merger, strategic review and name change to reflect the charity’s focus on transforming support for kinship families. Read Lucy’s full bio
During this time, the charity has grown in size and impact, including through pioneering evidence-informed programmes, expanding peer support approaches and influencing policy and practice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she led Kinship’s activities focusing on understanding, advocating for, and responding to the specific needs of kinship care families, with significant extension of support services across England and Wales.
Lucy is a Trustee for Children England, was a member of the Adoption & Special Guardianship Leadership Board (she chairs its Special Guardianship Task Group), the steering group of the Kinship Care Alliance, and is a member of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Stakeholder Advisory Council.
She is a frequent media spokesperson on kinship care, including recent interviews on BBC News, Sky News, Channel 5 News, BBC World at One, BBC Five Live and Radio 4 Woman’s Hour.
Previously she spent 11 years at The Fostering Network where she was Director of External Affairs and then Director of Development. Her teams led the successful Staying Put campaign, the introduction of Mockingbird, the London Fostering Achievement programme, the development of The Skills to Foster, delivery of Foster Care Fortnight and foster carer recruitment projects with the Department for Education and local authorities.
She has a PhD in Politics from Southampton University and has worked in research roles in universities and the voluntary sector. She has three children, who are all at secondary school.
Rhiannon Clapperton, co-director of communications and external affairs
Rhiannon has more than a decade’s experience delivering successful communications, engagement and campaign strategies across the charity, private and public sectors. Read Rhiannon’s full bio.
Motivated by bringing together different communications disciplines to deliver engaging, integrated and impactful campaigns, Rhiannon has experience in successfully securing changes in policy and practice at local and national level. With experience working for national charities including Whizz-Kidz, NSPCC, Re-Engage (formerly known as Contact the Elderly) and Anchor-Hanover, she’s led teams working across PR, digital, campaigns and external affairs.
Rhiannon was part of the team behind Sport England’s flagship This Girl Can campaign, and went on to team up with her job-share partner Lisa Watch to lead the external affairs for the it, securing support from Parliamentarians and key stakeholders.
Most recently, Rhiannon and Lisa shared the role of Director of Policy, Communications and Campaigns at Become, the national charity for children in care and care leavers. During their tenure, they built the charity’s influencing and communications capacity across research, policy, PR, digital and participation; successfully lobbied for the inclusion of care leavers in the terms of reference of the Government’s Independent Review of Children’s Social Care; and developed a successful inclusive recruitment process to bring care-experienced communications and participation professionals into the charity’s workforce. They also oversaw the launch of Become’s first social media campaign for National Care Leavers Week 2020, #whenIwas18, backed by celebrities including Samantha Morton, Annie Mac and Deborah Francis-White, who supported the charity’s call for better support for care leavers.
Lisa Watch, co-director of communications and external affairs
Lisa has extensive experience of building and leading campaigns, communications and public affairs teams across the charity and public sector, delivering award winning campaigns delivering changes to behaviour, policy and legislation. Read Lisa’s full bio.
Her main experience and interest is in children’s policy, having worked on issues ranging from better support for children in the criminal justice system to equipping parents to talk to their children about online safety at organisations including NSPCC, Barnardo’s and the LGA.
She is driven by developing innovative and impactful ways to bring about change, testing new ideas to work to achieve cut through and empowering people with lived experience to be the agents of change.
Most recently, Rhiannon and Lisa shared the role of Director of Policy, Communications and Campaigns at Become, the national charity for children in care and care leavers. During their tenure, they built the charity’s influencing and communications capacity across research, policy, PR, digital and participation; successfully lobbied for the inclusion of care leavers in the terms of reference of the Government’s Independent Review of Children’s Social Care; and developed a successful inclusive recruitment process to bring care-experienced communications and participation professionals into the charity’s workforce. They also oversaw the launch of Become’s first social media campaign for National Care Leavers Week 2020, #whenIwas18, backed by celebrities including Samantha Morton, Annie Mac and Deborah Francis-White, who supported the charity’s call for better support for care leavers.
Emma Wrafter, director of services and digital
“Emma joined Kinship in July 2020 to set-up our award winning Covid-19 Kinship Response, having previously supported the charity as a strategic consultant focussing on programme development.” read Emma’s full bio
Emma joined Kinship in July 2020 to set-up our award winning Covid-19 Kinship Response, having previously supported the charity as a strategic consultant focussing on programme development.
Her role encompasses service design, strategy, digital transformation and impact, leading on our development into Wales and volunteering. She now oversees our National Lottery Digital Fund project, ensuring that all our services for kinship carers meet their needs.
Previously Director of Education and Prevention at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, she won The King’s Fund GSK Impact Award for their Cut Films behaviour change youth programme. Most recently she was interim Co-CEO at Animal Free Research UK, responsible for governance, marketing, fundraising, retail operations and strategic development.
Constantly curious, Emma is a qualified digital marketing and marketing specialist with experience in developing exciting brands and user-led websites. She’s worked at The Children’s Society, BAFTA and the British Safety Council to deliver high impact award winning communications and fundraising campaigns.
She lives in Edinburgh with her husband, two dogs and two cats and is incredibly passionate about creating services that really work for kinship carers.
Danyanne Quemper, director of finance, people and performance
“Danyanne has recently joined Kinship (May 2023) as Director of Finance, People and Performance. Danyanne is a corporate services professional with significant experience in leading, developing and delivering a range of corporate infrastructure and services, including finance, governance, HR, IT and information systems to enhance strategic capability and impact through effective stakeholder engagement, collaboration and co-creation.” read Danyanne’s full bio
Danyanne has recently joined Kinship (May 2023) as Director of Finance, People and Performance. Danyanne is a corporate services professional with significant experience in leading, developing and delivering a range of corporate infrastructure and services, including finance, governance, HR, IT and information systems to enhance strategic capability and impact through effective stakeholder engagement, collaboration and co-creation.
Danyanne has a strong focus on the development of corporate infrastructure to ensure viable and sustainable growth and to support the co-creation and delivery of effective services to a wide range of charity stakeholders. With a strong focus on partnership and participation, Danyanne has led and supported the delivery of key strategic objectives and initiatives through effective involvement against a backdrop of changing environments.
Before arriving at Kinship in 2023, Danyanne played a key role to ensure continuation of service delivery at London Youth during the pandemic and supported teams to create a range of new opportunities for young people – including enabling them to play an active role in the governance of the charity. During this time, Danyanne also played a key role in transforming the services of Addison Youth Club; enabling the charity to achieve its grant-giving ambition in the Hammersmith & Fulham area of London in 2020.
As Director of Finance & Resources at the charity Sands from 2015, Danyanne played a key role in transforming the charity’s governance, financial and people structures; enabling the charity to become a leading force for change in raising awareness and reducing the incidence of neo-natal death and stillbirth.
As part of the commissioning team at the Centre for Effective Services in 2008, Danyanne led on the set-up of the charity’s offices in Dublin and Belfast; including the implementation of an effective corporate infrastructure to enable the charity to deliver on its mission to promote evidence-based programmes to improve the lives of children and families
Prior to 2008, Danyanne led on EU/EQUAL/ESF transnational programmes to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and previously worked in the secure juvenile estate in Ireland, a public sector organisation administered by the Irish Youth Justice Services board.
Vikkie Chapman, executive assistant
“I’m Vikkie and I joined Kinship in June 2021. I provide administrative support for the CEO and wider Executive team. I also oversee all recruitment and onboarding for the charity…” read Vikkie’s full bio
I’m Vikkie and I joined Kinship in June 2021. I provide administrative support for the CEO and wider Executive Team. I also oversee all recruitment and onboarding for the charity. I provide governance support for the Board of Trustees, Finance Committee and Kinship Carer Advisory Group, as well as administrative support for our Professionals and Researchers networks. I also support on HR & Operations, Fundraising and Events.
Kinship is such an exciting charity to work for – everything we do is to help kinship carers get the support and recognition they deserve.
