Our Trustees
Sally Allen, Chair
Sally was appointed to the Board in Sept 2019 and became our Chair in July 2020. Sally has 30+ years’ experience of working within local authority education, housing, social care, and voluntary sector settings undertaking both frontline service delivery and strategic commissioning and Senior Management roles.
As an experienced Programme Manager her passion lies in bringing people together who have a wide range of experience, skills and perspectives and harnessing that knowledge and expertise to bring about positive change. Working with a passionate team of people who have different perspectives is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of her role. Sally feels blessed to have experienced living with difference throughout her life – the challenges and gifts that living with an additional need or disability has brought to people closest to her, and to her family as a whole.
Coleen Cloherty, Trustee,
coleen.c@familyvoicesurrey.org
I am delighted to join Family Voice Surrey as a Trustee, bringing both professional experience and personal insight to the role. As a parent carer of three sons, two of whom have additional needs, I have first-hand experience of the challenges, emotions, frustrations, and victories that families navigate every day. Like many parents, I have experienced the complexities of accessing support, advocating for my children, and ensuring they receive the opportunities they deserve. This lived experience has given me a deep understanding of the realities faced by families raising children with additional needs.
My decision to become a trustee was driven by a desire to give back and support an organisation that champions the voices of families across Surrey. I understand how important it is for parents and carers to feel heard, valued, and supported, and I am passionate about helping ensure that families have a strong voice in shaping the services that affect their lives—particularly during this period of significant change at county level, when services are evolving and funding pressures are increasingly acute.
My hope is to contribute to a future where every child and young person with additional needs can thrive and where families feel empowered, included, and supported throughout their journey. Alongside my personal experience as a parent carer, I bring leadership, relationship-building, and stakeholder engagement skills, together with a genuine passion for improving outcomes for children and families. I am proud to support Family Voice Surrey’s important work and look forward to helping the organisation continue to make a positive difference for families across the county.
Cathryn, Trustee,
cathryn.h@familyvoicesurrey.org
Cathryn is a senior civil servant with a career spent leading complex system reform, building cross‑sector partnerships, and improving outcomes for vulnerable groups. Her work has spanned government, the charity sector, legal support organisations, academia and the judiciary, giving her a deep understanding of how services succeed — and where families can fall through the gaps.
She is also a parent‑carer of two children with SEND, including one in a specialist school, and has spent years navigating the realities of EHCPs, inconsistent communication, and the emotional and practical load carried by families. This lived experience is central to her motivation. Cathryn believes that families should not have to fight to be heard, and that policy and practice must be shaped by the people who rely on them most.
Joining Family Voice Surrey is a natural extension of both her professional expertise and personal commitment. She is driven by the organisation’s mission to amplify parent voices, strengthen co‑production, and ensure that lived experience informs every level of decision‑making.