Sarah Burrows is a registered social worker who has worked with children and families for over thirty years within a variety of settings. These have included Children’s Homes, Family Centres, Looked-After Social Care Team, Youth Offending Services and Early Intervention Services as both a manager and a practitioner.

Through this work, she recognised that an overwhelming majority of young people entering the criminal justice system had a parent in prison already, and that no services were in place to offer dedicated support to these vulnerable young people.

To address this need, Sarah founded Children Heard and Seen in 2014. For many of the charity’s early years, Sarah’s work was unpaid and driven solely by a dedication to support vulnerable families. 

Sarah has personally received numerous commendations for her commitment to supporting families. She was awarded the Prime Ministers’ Point of Light Award by Theresa May in 2017, for her outstanding contribution to mentoring and steering young people away from a life of crime. She was also listed on the Independent’s “Happy List” 2017 as one of 50 people who make Britain a happier place to live, and was awarded The Butler Trust Commendation in 2019. Sarah also received the Community Impact – Fundraiser award at the Thames Valley Criminal Justice Charity Awards, and was awarded the Leading Innovation and Social Change Award by the Violent Crime Prevention Board Awards in 2022.

In 2023, Sarah was awarded the Long-Term Achievement Award at the Sheila McKechnie Foundation Campaigner Awards. This award recognises those who have made change happen most effectively, creatively, and courageously. The aim of the awards are to celebrate campaigns that lead to changes that benefit all across society.