In memory of a respected advocate for children's rights

Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 16 November, 2022

Ann Haigh, a well-known advocate of children’s rights and respected social worker, died peacefully at home on 16 October.

Born in East London, Ann began her working life at the Bank of England but after the birth of her two sons retrained at the North East London Polytechnic, obtaining a degree in social work.

After a brief period working in the Barking and Dagenham Probation Service, she went on to work for Essex Council as a local authority social worker.

Ann joined Barnardo’s Homefinding Team in June 1981. She was then seconded to the Tavistock between 1987 and 1988 to undertake an advanced programme for social workers. Ann became service manager of counselling services at the Barnardo’s Post Adoption Service in September 1989.

During her time as manager, she led many changes to the service including the introduction of work with birth-relative initiated contact in 1993. As a result of her knowledge and experience she was invited to speak at a conference in Bulgaria about the role of the Guardian Ad Litem in 1998.

Ann left Barnardo’s in 2007 after restructuring and became an independent children’s guardian.

For the next ten years she was chair of Nagalro and, thereafter, continued to represent the organisation as one of the co-chairs of the interdisciplinary alliance for children with solicitor Maud Davis.

She was a longstanding member of BASW’s multi-disciplinary and multi-agency group PROGAR, which focuses on the lifespan implications for people born through donor conception and surrogacy.

In this role, she brought her considerable knowledge, experience and strong values to discussion and policy around new family forms, always with the child at the centre.

Ann’s contribution to children in the family justice system has been significant. Her work includes having chaired and written a report for a Home Office domestic homicide review and serving as a member of the court rules committee working to prepare for the implementation of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

She has also given evidence to several parliamentary committees, including the House of Commons’ Justice Committee during the pre-legislative scrutiny of what was to become the Children and Families Act 2014.

Ann also contributed significantly to discussions at the Department of Health that led to the introduction of the welfare checklist into parental order regulations in 2010 and hence into the work of parental order reporters in surrogacy cases.

More recently she contributed to PROGAR’s submission to the Law Commission's consultation on surrogacy law reform which is due to report before the end of the year.

As the chair of Nagalro, Ann was able to argue passionately for the importance and independence of the role of the children’s guardian. She fought tirelessly to preserve these important principles and was gently firm and steadfast in ensuring that the voice of the child was clearly heard when key decisions were being made about their lives.

It is a testament to the respect in which she was held that even those with whom she crossed swords professionally continued to speak admiringly of her and for her unflinching commitment to the welfare of the child.

Ann not only had a successful and demanding full-time professional career, she also served for 14 years as a district councillor for Epping Forest Council and four years as a member of Essex County Council.

On three occasions she stood (unsuccessfully) for parliament, representing the Liberal Democrats in the 2005 general election for East Ham; in 2010 as the candidate for Epping Forest and in 2019 as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Barking.