The winners of Coram Family and Childcare’s Parent Champions Awards 2026 have been announced today by Dame Carol Homden, CEO of Coram.
The annual Parent Champions Awards recognise and celebrate the work of Coram Family and Childcare’s Parent Champions volunteers and coordinators, who support parents in their communities to access local family services. Over 400 people currently volunteer as Parent Champions, reaching over 100,000 families last year.
There are five award winners:
The Parent Champions Coordinator of the Year winner is Jane McGrath from Camden.
This award recognises the Parent Champions Coordinator who has demonstrated outstanding levels of dedication, creativity, and boldness in bringing communities together – and has worked hard to support and encourage Parent Champion volunteers.
Over the past year, Jane has successfully delivered the Parent Champions programme across three locations, maintaining strong engagement, and consistent progression for volunteers throughout. She designs and facilitates welcoming, inclusive spaces where parents feel able to participate at their own pace, often overcoming significant personal challenges in the process.
One Parent Champion volunteer said: “I deeply admire Jane’s dedication to uplifting others and her remarkable ability to inspire everyone around her. She is truly one of the most amazing people I have ever met, and her support continues to make a meaningful difference in my life. I look up to Jane with great respect and appreciation for her tireless commitment and the positive impact she makes in so many lives.”
The Parent Champions Biggest Personal Development Award winner is Eva Balitskaya from Lewisham. This award recognises the Parent Champions volunteer who has made significant positive developments to impact their own life.
Stepping into the Parent Champion role required courage and determination for Eva, as it involved re-engaging with a professional environment after many years away. Through her volunteering, Eva steadily rebuilt her confidence, developed communication and leadership skills, and rediscovered belief in her own abilities. She embraced training opportunities, sought peer support, and became an active, reliable, and compassionate presence within the Parent Champion community. Her volunteering experience also enabled her to take her next significant step: securing employment as a teacher at a Lithuanian Saturday School.
Eva’s colleagues say: “Eva’s journey illustrates how volunteering, when paired with determination, can unlock potential, restore confidence, and open doors to meaningful opportunities. She is an inspiring role model for other parents and volunteers who may doubt their own potential after time away from employment.”
The Parent Champions Best Newcomer Award winner is Bethany Pegg from Blackburn with Darwen. This award recognises new Parent Champions volunteers who have made significant progress or impact since joining the scheme.
Since completing her training as a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Parent Champion, Bethany has made an extraordinary impact in a remarkably short period of time, demonstrating confidence, creativity, and leadership. Bethany has successfully established and delivered a SEND Saturday Club and SEND holiday activities, responding directly to unmet need within the community, and has delivered a range of thoughtful, inclusive, and highly appropriate activities for SEND children and families. She is also working collaboratively with family hubs to bring a SEND play bus to the hub over the summer, expanding access and opportunity for even more families.
Bethany’s colleagues say: “Bethany’s impact has been outstanding. Her initiative, dedication, and ability to turn lived experience into meaningful action make her a highly deserving Best Newcomer and her work is already making a tangible difference.”
The Parent Champions Biggest Impact Award winner is Chantelle Malcolm from Camden. This award recognises the Parent Champions volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding levels of dedication, enthusiasm and teamwork.
Since becoming a Parent Champion in April 2025, Chantelle has made an outstanding and transformative contribution to the service and wider community. She is deeply committed to supporting others who share similar experiences, particularly parents navigating the challenges of accessing SEND provision. She established her own SEND WhatsApp support group as a safe and informative space for parents to connect and access vital information. Chantelle has also played a key role in various coproduction initiatives and has become a trusted and recognised voice within Camden’s senior leadership. She is now regularly drawn on for her insight into SEND inclusion and the lived experience of raising multiple children with SEND.
The Parent Champions Coordinator says: “Chantelle is a great role model, her wealth of knowledge sets, her eagerness to support others and her dedication to be involved with everything despite her own challenges is truly inspirational.”
The Parent Champions Scheme of the Year Award winner is Lewisham. This award celebrates the incredible achievement of a whole Parent Champions team.
Since 2018, Lewisham has trained 70 Parent Champions, and currently has 17 volunteers. Out of the 70 volunteers trained, five went on to become Lewisham Mayor’s apprentices, and moved to employment within the same council service they apprenticed in. Others have also taken on employment, using the transferrable skills developed in their time spent with the scheme.
By being present in family hubs, schools, libraries, and foodbanks, the team meets families where they are. Volunteers share information and signpost parents to childcare options in Lewisham, helping them understand what is available and how to access it. Alongside this, they support children’s early learning through reading activities and programmes, making a positive difference for both parents and children.
Lewisham offers 15 hours per week of funded childcare to children from low income households, and through the outreach and dedication of the Parent Champions in the borough, the percentage of two-year-olds now attending childcare settings has significantly increased.
One of the Lewisham team said: “The Lewisham Parent Champions scheme stands out because it is built on trust, kindness, and real community connection. Partnerships are very important to the scheme. They help us reach more families, build stronger community links, and make sure support is easy to access and useful.”