Clare Capito has over 35 years of experience as a midwife, including becoming one of England's first consultant midwives in 2001. Though originally a registered nurse, her nursing registration is inactive.
Clare helped develop the A-EQUIP model and Professional Midwifery Advocate role in London, and since September 2021 has led the Regional Professional Nurse Advocate programme across 37 Trusts, building a network of 1000 PNAs.
In 2022, she became NHS England’s first Head of the PMA programme. She works 30 hours weekly in these leadership roles to enhance well-being and care for midwives and nurses. In January 2026 she was awarded an honorary doctorate for outstanding contributions to midwifery by Kingston University
For the last 2 years, Clare has worked with NHS England and other stakeholders to streamline legal notification processes for freebirths, helping ensure timely issuance of NHS numbers and birth certificates.

Dr Joanne Nicholl is the Designated Doctor for safeguarding children at NHS Somerset, a General Practitioner, and a Director of the Somerset GP Support Unit. She is a Member of the NNDHP and the representative for the Southwest on the Safeguarding Children subcommittee, which she also chairs. She has nearly 30 years of experience as a clinician and has been a strategic lead for safeguarding children since 2017.

She is author of the NNDHP Position Statement regarding “The Impact of Freebirth on Children” as well as several local learning reviews. She was highly commended in the Southwest Integrated Personalised Care Awards for her work supporting new fathers and is keen to work collaboratively across agencies to develop proactive safeguarding strategies.

Dr Sam Warner (B.A. hons; M. Clin. Psychol.; PhD; AFBPs) is a chartered and consultant clinical psychologist and honorary senior lecturer in the school of health and society at Salford University, UK. Sam works as a consultant, expert witness, psychotherapist, public speaker, strategic adviser, trainer, writer and academic. Sam has about thirty-five years’ experience of working with children, young people and adults who have complex mental health and safeguarding needs. Sam has specialised throughout her career in working with the impact of abuse-trauma on the mental health of clients, focusing on sexual violence, child abuse and neglect, and domestic abuse. Sam has led a variety of specialist sexual violence therapy services in the third sector, mental health, child protection, and in respect of residential services for girls at risk of sexual exploitation. Sam also works as an expert witness in childcare proceedings, and designs and delivers bespoke therapeutic services for children who area looked after, and their parents and carers. Sam works with both victims and perpetrators. She has written books, papers and reports on these issues. In her capacity as an expert in sexual violence, Sam has advised at national (e.g. Department of Health) and international levels (e.g. British Government, Stabilisation Unit). Sam has a particular interest in the interface between Sport, safeguarding and therapy, for example, acting as the mental health consultant for the Frank Bruno Foundation: a physical and mental wellbeing charity. Sam is committed to multi-agency working and is the chair of the Association of Child Protection Professionals charity.

Wendy Thorogood is a retired Designated Nurse Consultant for children with 40 years’ service 25 spend working within safeguarding a senior level, locally and at national level  . She trained at St Guy's hospital in London, specialising in child and adult nursing intensive care and cardiac and renal transplants.

Currently working independently offer supervision, training, a scrutineer with Aidhour.

Wendy delivered the national leadership program for safeguarding for the Department of Health and worked directly with the NHS Confederation in relation to current changes, including: providing assurance that current and future providers of services are compliant in relation to safeguarding national and local standards; working with Lead Commissioners and the performance team to develop agreed key performance indicators and safety metrics for providers; and identifying and taking appropriate action on key risks and issues across commissioned services that may affect safeguarding of children and young people.

Wendy has also spent time working in a maternity unit in South Africa in a maternity unit and a Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) in Kent. She has also worked with drug users to improve maternal care - a project that still runs today.