Sarah Cooper-Lesadd's Early Life and Advocacy
Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, pictured with her birth mother, experienced significant early life challenges, having been in care before her first birthday.
When Cooper-Lesadd was an infant, her mother suffered from postpartum psychosis and passed away. At six months old, her father relinquished his parental rights, resulting in her placement into care.
"Before I was old enough to understand the world, I'd already been let go of twice,"
said Cooper-Lesadd, who was later adopted at age seven and is currently a Member of the Senedd (MS) representing Reform UK.
She has initiated a debate in the Senedd advocating for children in care in Wales to receive protections equivalent to those in England. However, the Welsh government maintains that existing legislation provides even broader protections.
During her speech in the Senedd last week, Cooper-Lesadd reflected on her lifelong grief over her mother, despite never having met her.
"I have two photographs, and never once heard her voice,"
she stated.
Cooper-Lesadd described her mother as having "fallen through every gap the system had, and the highest price was paid by her and by a three-week-old baby, me, who entered care because the mother who loved her could not be saved."
While in care, Cooper-Lesadd faced educational setbacks but was adopted at seven years old.
"I grew up housed in a family yet always somehow a guest in it, tolerated more than wanted, my place forever something I had to earn and feared I could lose,"
said the MS for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg.
"Adoption did not end my trauma, it gave it a new shape."
She acknowledged the support she received from various individuals throughout her life, emphasizing:
"I do not stand here as someone who has failed, because others did not fail me."
Raised in Newport, Cooper-Lesadd pursued higher education at Cambridge University and subsequently worked in the civil service before her election to the Senedd representing Reform UK.
Reflecting on her journey, Cooper-Lesadd told BBC Politics Wales ahead of her motion for stronger legal protections for children in care:
"Along the way there were people, a family friend, teachers, others who simply took the time to listen, who saw past the file to the person and showed me that the world was wider than the one I'd been given."
"We have a moral obligation in society to tell care leavers we care about them enough to give them those iron-clad protections that someone who would be living with their birth family would get right through their lives."
Responsibilities for Children in Care
In England, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 has enhanced the responsibilities of public bodies to address the needs of children with care experience.
In contrast, Welsh legislation currently designates only local authorities as "corporate parents" responsible for these children. Cooper-Lesadd’s motion calls for an expansion of this responsibility to include other entities such as health boards.
While a voluntary Corporate Parenting Charter exists in Wales, which public bodies may choose to endorse, there are no statutory obligations or legal recourse for young people if these bodies fail to meet the charter’s standards.
"Although 70 organisations have signed up and that's brilliant, actually there is nothing statutory embodied in law to actually say that this is what care leavers expect to receive when they leave care and when they're living in care,"
Cooper-Lesadd explained.
Her proposals would require, for example, that if a child in care presents at an Accident & Emergency department, the health board must consider and mitigate their disadvantages as a priority in ongoing treatment.
Importantly, she emphasized that such children would have legal protections if the health board fails to meet these expectations.
"It's all very well and good having this voluntary charter, and that's amazing, but it leaves care leavers absolutely without any recourse to hold that body to account if they don't do the right thing,"
she stated.
Welsh Government Response and Political Dynamics
A spokesperson for the Welsh government responded:
"Government, key agencies and communities have a vital role in supporting care-experienced children navigate childhood and the transition to adulthood.
We have a collective responsibility to ensure everyone is given a fair chance at life.
The Corporate Parenting Charter in Wales has been developed with care-experienced young people. Unlike the legislation in England, it goes further - covering not just public sector bodies, but private and third sector organisations too."
Cooper-Lesadd alleged that members of opposition parties initially signed in support of her motion but subsequently withdrew their endorsements, which she attributed to the motion originating from a Reform UK member.
"I found it absolutely astounding that the government didn't want to debate this idea,"
she remarked.
"This should transcend party politics but it's just been reduced to such a zero sum game and people can't get together on issues that would make the most vulnerable children in our society better off."
The debate is scheduled to take place in the Senedd on Wednesday afternoon.
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