Chair of Together for Children's Board of Director announced

Together for Children (TfC) is pleased to announce Tammy Banks has been appointed as Chair of its Board of Directors.

With over 20 years of experience working across criminal justice, social care and the third sector, Tammy has always been a champion for change and is passionate about learning from lived experience to improve. Throughout Tammy's career she has taken on operational and management roles in statutory and charitable homelessness services, delivered group interventions to people in prison and taken the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in a charity working to prevent sexual abuse.

Tammy is Co-founder and Director of Taye Training, a company specialising in tailored training and development programmes in areas including safeguarding, multiple disadvantages, governance, risk management and organisational change. She was a lay member of Parliament, as part of the Committee on Standards where she assesses and adjudicates complaints about MPs. Tammy is also a mum of two, a published author and celebrated conference speaker, often sharing her story of a complex childhood and homelessness through her work.

As Chair of the Board, Tammy has been appointed by Sunderland City Council, and has responsibility for leading the Board of Directors, and continuing to develop established partnerships between TfC, Sunderland City Council and other key partners and stakeholders.

Chief executive of Sunderland City Council, Patrick Melia said: "As the improvement journey at TfC and all our children's and young people services continues, we welcome the experience and knowledge that Tammy is bringing to Sunderland.

"Everybody wants the very best for our city's young people and we are all committed to ensuring they have the opportunities to always fulfil and realise their potential.

"We look forward to working with Tammy and her contributions towards making Sunderland a more dynamic, healthy and vibrant city for everyone."

Speaking about her appointment Tammy Banks said: "I am honoured to have been appointed as Chair of the TfC Board of Directors, and to have the chance to use my own experiences to positively increase opportunities and outcomes for children. This role will enable me to use over 20 years of professional and charitable experience, alongside my own personal lived experience as a child who faced harm, abuse, neglect, and homelessness, to make a real difference to children and young people in Sunderland. I fundamentally believe in the TfC's mission and look forward to working with the Board, partners, and wider organisations as we collectively face the opportunities and challenges ahead and use lived experience to champion for change."

TfC's Board consists of a Non-Executive Chair, six Non-Executive Directors and two Executive Directors. The Board works at a strategic level and is responsible for performance, legal and contractual obligations, resources, achievement, and overall direction of the company - ensuring the outcomes for children and young people in Sunderland is central to everything it does.

Read more about the TfC Board of Directors.