Governance and public provision - The Churchill Fellowship
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Governance and public provision

About this theme

This theme covers all aspects of the functioning and services of the state, including public services, governance and political processes, rule of law and international relations. It is one of the eight universal themes which form our grantmaking framework and allow us to address every aspect of society. Fellows’ stories

Blogs & conversations Building protection around children with experience of care

Through the first leg of his Fellowship in the USA, Grant Trainer explored what it means to protect and support children with experience of care. Drawing on learning from organisations in Albany, New York City, Brooklyn, and Seattle, he reflects on approaches that place children’s identity, dignity, and relationships at the heart of protection. He is now bringing this learning back to Scotland, where it is shaping his research into policing, care experience, and trauma-informed support, ahead of the next stage of his Fellowship in New Zealand.

By Grant Trainer, 2026

Blogs & conversations In conversation with Melvin Hartley: Harnessing the power of spontaneous volunteers

We spoke to Melvin Hartley about how his Churchill Fellowship helped him put spontaneous volunteering into practice during the Covid pandemic and beyond. After travelling to the USA to explore how volunteers are organised in response to disasters, Melvin returned to the UK just as lockdown began and used his learning to coordinate community support in Hampshire. His Fellowship also helped shape HYPER (Hampshire Young People’s Emergency Response), showing how older teenagers can play an active role in emergency response.

By Melvin Hartley, 2026

Blogs & conversations Counting women, ending homelessness

Sarah Walters reflects on how her Churchill Fellowship learning from the USA and Canada continues to shape her work to end women’s homelessness in the UK. Her visits showed the power of gender-informed, trauma-aware services designed around women’s experiences, from specialist housing to support that helps women rebuild their lives. She shares how this learning informed a women-only respite hotel as part of Crisis at Christmas 2025, and how it continues to inspire change in services for women experiencing homelessness.

By Sarah Walters, 2026

Fellows' updates July 2026 Fellows' update: Jeannot Farmer

Jeannot Farmer (CF 2023 ) was in the public gallery at the Houses of Parliament on 2nd of July, when Sir Prime Minister Keir Starmer made his profound apology to those affected by historic adoption practices that forcibly separated babies from their unmarried mothers. Jeannot was honoured to be invited by the Secretary of State for Education to an event in Speaker’s House following the apology.

By Jeannot Farmer, 2026

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