Caroline Gilchrist Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

I had a pivotal role at a time of rapid growth for the organisation, as we expanded our audiences and built reputation. I established the function and managed a team of five, leading on strategic launches with orchestrated media relations, social media and stakeholder outreach. Examples include launching ground-breaking PTSD and ‘critical incidents’ resources, the pioneering Understanding Treatment Options, and the UK Trauma Council. In May 2023, I delivered the communications and engagement of the organisation’s re-brand alongside an event with our Patron. Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week, it resulted in 970 pieces of media coverage and 573,000 organic post impressions in just two weeks.

London, United Kingdom

I joined Anna Freud to design and deliver a communications strategy for the organisation’s move to its new Centre of Excellence in 2019. This resulted in increased profile and more appreciation of the opportunities for impactful communications around children's mental health.

Coach for SMK, which included designing and delivering tailored programmes in the UK and to advocacy colleagues working on child protection in Bulgaria, Kenya and Rwanda. Also, as an Associate, contributed to the Understanding Social Change project and to discussions around the future workings of the organisation.

Joint Lead on the Global Grantee Research Project for the Oak Foundation’s Child Abuse Programme, which assessed the context within which 25 international grantees are working, their existing approaches to advocacy and campaigns, and support needed to strengthen future efforts. Designed and led a phased project approach including desk research, online survey, in-depth interviews, reaching out to third parties, deeper inquiry via selected case studies, and web-based roundtable to test recommendations. The resulting 80 page report, ‘Smart Solutions: Achieving social change for children’, is a rich source of insight from senior experts working in diverse settings and facing often enormous challenges, yet resolutely creating solutions to advance the lives of children across the globe. The project learnings provide wisdom and direction for the wider NGO, civil society and grassroots sectors.

Project Consultant for a Department of Health contracted project to devise a national Carer Passport - a new model of support to carers, launched Autumn 2017. Designed the proposition for the health service, employment, and community sectors. Conducted research and policy evaluation, identified and consulted sector experts, compiled an overarching set of recommendations, and wrote content for publication. Led on carer engagement, commissioning an online survey (1700 carers responded within a week) and ensuring their insights shaped content. Delivered scripts and animation briefs. Set ways of working with the partner organisation, including producing content and permissions frameworks to agree approaches and compatibility. Provided project reporting.

Special Projects Consultant at Bond, the UK membership body with over 450 member organisations working in international development. Supported a newly established Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns team to champion best practice in planning, strategy and reporting. Led a process to drive this, including delivering a cross-team Awayday to build a shared vision for achieving change and sign off a new project plan portfolio. Also in this role, member of a small project group to develop the process for shaping Bond's strategy for 2016-2021. Outputs included running a one-day member consultation event and a full staff Awayday, and identifying and interviewing senior external stakeholders.

Strategic Lead for Carers Week 2014, a partnership initiative between 9 national charities which engaged 36,000 carers, held 5,000 events, and generated media coverage reaching 54 million people. Responsibilities included partner and external stakeholder relations at strategy level, setting integrated Engagement, Communications and Media strategies, commissioning YouGov poll, and developing an evaluation framework. Designed and project led a closing event in Westminster, with senior representatives from Government, the NHS, local authorities and leading national organisations representing carers. Set strategy for Carers Week 2015.

Critical Reader for 'Standing In My Shoes', a collection of global first-hand accounts by adults with learning difficulties (Jessica Kingsley/Open University, January 2015). The first book of its kind, it focuses on the struggle to gain independence and a voice, build relationships, and how national legislation impacts on lives. Adults with learning difficulties led the editorial development and writing. It is reaching legislators, policy makers, practitioners, adults with learning difficulties and their families.

Contributed to the development of a new partnership initiative with NHS Trusts, to define and lead projects which improve patient experience. Early projects included patient expectations around care and compassion, use of the complaints process, and contributing to post-Francis Inquiry action plans from a patient perspective. Also took on editing tasks, including setting recommendations on the finalisation of national project reports.

Developed a cross-curricular initiative on global hunger for UK secondary schools, launched in September 2012. Author of 'Enough Food In The World', a new 70 page teaching resource enabling students to engage with the global. Advised on the UK hosting of the 2012 Olympic Games as a moment to increase influencing activity on global hunger, and carried out external stakeholder evaluation. Conducted a scoping exercise on future campaigning around hunger.

Led a project to identify models of good practice in global campaigns. Wrote 'Ready For Action', a 38 page guide to campaigning featuring campaigners in Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon and Nepal - now being used across Save the Children's offices internationally. Advised on campaign strategy around access to vaccines and health workers globally. In June 2011, the UK prime minister took a strong stance on aid spending and a leading role on achieving the global target of vaccinating a quarter of a billion children by 2015.

Established a vision and new organisational model for change campaigning on the merger of Age Concern and Help the Aged, following consultation with 22 senior stakeholders, evaluation of existing models and a review of best practice in the sector. Author of a 50 page report defining the model and setting recommendations on implementing it.

Set cross-organisational campaign strategy which secured new age discrimination legislation. Harriet Harman MP, then Minister for Equality, said that she ‘faced the full force of the HtA campaigning machine and saw the extent to which the charity combines policy research and analysis, savvy political operating, and modern public campaigning’.

Led a 22 member cross-organisational health team, driving issues as diverse as access to patient records, regulation of private dentistry, laser eye surgery safety and the role of the pharmaceutical industry. Successes included securing UK government investigation into ambulance response times and EU-wide support to reject ‘direct to consumer advertising’.

Managed the strategic direction of national, regional and local (via 1400 groups) campaigning. Led a campaign against ageism which secured new government policy, practice changes across the NHS, high public support, and over 1600 press cuttings in just two years. Authored articles and reports, one described by the Independent as ‘a wake-up call to all of us’.

Set up a Communications team for this rapidly growing children’s charity. In 1998, after years of campaigning, a ministerial task force acknowledged the disadvantage faced by children in care, announcing new legislation with targets for local authorities. Jon Snow said, ‘In a most neglected field, Who Cares? has shone 10 years of productive light into very important lives’.

Edited Who Cares?, the national quarterly magazine for children in care (circulation 30,000). Increased young people’s involvement, tackled hot topics like running away and drug use, and recruited over 30 celebrities for interview (eg. Michael Caine, Ryan Giggs, Kate Adie). Ran a busy press office which secured ongoing media scrutiny of the care system for the first time.

Education record

Education record