Hello to Rachel Egan, BDSCP's new Independent Scrutineer Tue 27 May 2025

Rachel’s commitment to improving outcomes for children and families is at the heart of her motivation to be the BDSCP Independent Scrutineer. Proud to have been a young carer, Rachel is passionate about ensuring that the voice of the child is at the heart of all aspects of safeguarding – front line to policy, local to national.

The first person in her family to earn a degree, Rachel’s love for drama, led her to study Community Theatre and Performance at Nottinghamshire College of Performing Arts.  After she graduated, she worked as an artist in residence and peripatetic teacher in a wide range of community settings, including Styal Prison and St Bartholomew’s hospital.

Rachel's lived experience and passion for social justice were the driving forces behind her efforts to challenge inequalities and deliver transformation.  Her diverse achievements, include the transfer of prison health services to the NHS and the development of digitalised social prescribing for children and families.  

Throughout her career, she has been a champion of early intervention. In 2012, she led Europe's largest randomised control trial (RCT) of prevention programmes across the primary stages of child development, contributing to the Graham Allen review of early intervention and the formation of the Early Intervention Foundation, now part of Foundations – What Works, Centre for Children and Families.

In 2013, King Charles recognised Rachel's work on social impact bonds and named her an innovator in Social Finance.

Building on her work to promote evidence-based practice during her tenure as Assistant Director Early Help and Intervention for Richmond and Wandsworth Council, Rachel completed a three-year collaboration with the Early Intervention Foundation to deepen understanding of ‘What works to prevent gang involvement, youth violence, and crime’, developing a social and emotional learning toolkit to support schools in applying evidence-based practice in this area.

Rachel strongly advocates collaborative work with local communities to improve safeguarding, tackle inequalities, and create wider public service reform. In this context, Rachel has completed scrutiny work across health and social care and is currently the Independent Scrutineer for Medway, West Sussex and Worcestershire Safeguarding Children’s Partnerships and the Independent Chair for Quality Assurance for Brighton and Hove.

Rachel is a Non-Executive Director for Greater Manchester NHS, where she chairs the Population Health Committee and champions creative health and systems leadership to create health and address health inequalities.

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Everyone at Bradford District Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Bradford Safeguarding Partnerships Business Unit wish Rachel a fond welcome and look forward to the future, working together as one.