After her social services career was blighted by fallout from a high-profile child protection scandal, Valerie Howarth nevertheless went on to become a leading authority on children’s welfare and one of the first “people’s peers” created by Tony Blair.
As the first chief executive of Childline, Howarth led the confidential counselling service for children and young people through its early years of explosive growth. Through her further work with numerous charities and care regulators, and her active crossbench role in the House of Lords, she made an enduring impact on policy and practice.
