Doro Marden
New Chair to focus on funding

Doro Marden is the new Chair of Partnership for Children, having taken over from Paul Rubenstein on October 1.

Doro trained as a psychotherapist and has had many years' experience of running training courses for parents of children, from babies to teenagers. She lives in London, and is a trustee of Parentline Plus and of Young Voice. She has been on Partnership for Children's Board for three years, and feels that it fits in well with her other work.

"My passion in life, the thing that I'm willing to devote a lot of time to, is promoting the emotional health of children. Parenting work is one way of having an impact on children, and Partnership's programme to help children develop coping skills (Zippy's Friends) is another," she says.

"All the research shows that what happens in the early years is very important for people's emotional health in later life - it's when patterns are laid down. By five or six years old, children are at school all day, they've made the cognitive development and can take on ideas for themselves. They're beginning to form their own personalities and characters, and to learn how they react in a group. So, Zippy's Friends comes at just the right time."

Doro was particularly pleased when a guide was produced for parents of children taking part in Zippy's Friends. She also helped to develop the range of parents' activities available on this website, and thinks much more can be done to help parents promote their children's emotional health.

But her immediate concern is to strengthen Partnership for Children's financial position.

"This must be our top priority," she says, "because we won't survive if we don't get it right. We've had the luxury of a very solid and generous funder in GlaxoSmithKline, but now we're into a period of transition, appealing for support from many sources, and that is always difficult for an organisation, especially a small one. HSBC Education Trust is being extremely helpful, and if anyone has any more ideas or suggestions, please let us know!"

Paul Rubenstein
Doro succeeds Paul Rubenstein, who has retired from the Board after four years. He was Partnership for Children's first Chair, and has seen the number of Trustees increase from four to eight. He looks back on the agency's growth with satisfaction.

"I am really happy to see that Zippy's Friends has now spread to ten countries, and helped many thousands of children, from many backgrounds," he says. "Of course, there's much more to do, but for a new agency I think we've achieved a lot.

"The enthusiasm of teachers, virtually all over the world, has been one of the greatest things for me. And our first international workshop last summer was a great gift, with people coming together from different countries and sharing their experiences of running the programme. That was when, more than ever, I knew that Zippy's Friends is going not just to continue but to expand."

Does he have any regrets on retiring from the Board?

"I will miss it in many ways - and I think about that almost every day! - but I'm absolutely convinced that it's the right thing to do. Four years is more than enough for anyone, and it will be good for the agency to have a different person guiding or leading it. I've given what I can, and I wish Partnership for Children every success in the future."