Gillian Wagner
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Gillian Wagner DBE is a British writer, philanthropist and social administrator, and formerly chair of the children’s charity Barnardo’s,[1] the Thomas Coram Foundation and the Carnegie Trust. She has published biographical and historical works, as well as reports on social care.
Early life and education
Gillian Mary Millicent Graham was born in London in 1927,[2] and educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College and the University of Geneva. She later did a diploma in social administration at the London School of Economics, and subsequently a Ph.D., 'Dr Barnardo and the Charity Organisation Society: A reassessment of the Arbitration Case of 1877'.
Career
Gillian Wagner began her career as a secretary and joined the children’s charity Barnardo’s in 1969, becoming the first woman to chair the finance committee, and then to chair the whole organisation. She was also the first woman to chair the Thomas Coram Foundation charity.
In 1973, she was granted the Freedom of the City of London.
In 1994, with support from the National Institute of Social Work, she founded the Residential Forum,[3] which aims to ‘promote the achievement of high standards of care for children and adults in nursing homes, residential homes and schools…’
In 1995 she was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire for her services to social administration.
Personal life
In 1953 Gillian Graham married Anthony Wagner, later the Garter King of Arms. She has a daughter, the publisher Lucy McCarraher, and two sons, painter Roger Wagner and entrepreneur Mark Wagner.
She lives in London and Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
Works and themes
Given that Dame Gillian’s career has been devoted to scrutinising and improving the quality of care in a variety of settings, it is scarcely surprising that most of her work examines the context, culture and individuals that have shaped residential care for children over the last five hundred years. Her 1979 biography of Dr Barnardo was the ‘first frank account of [his] character and career,[4] and Thomas Coram, Gent. has been described as ‘a much-needed biography of this early pioneer of children’s charity.’[5] The exception to this is her most recent book, Miss Palmer’s Diary, a biography of her ancestor Ellen Palmer.
Publications
The Camera and Dr Barnardo (with Valeria Lloyd) 1974
Barnardo 1979
Children of the Empire 1982
The Chocolate Conscience 1987
Thomas Coram, Gent.: 1668–1751 2015
Miss Palmer’s Diary 2017
Reports
A Positive Choice (Independent Review of Residential Care): A Guide to the Wagner Report 1988
Residential Care, Vol. 2: The Research Reviewed (with the National Institute for Social Care) 1988
Training for Social Care: Achieving Standards for the Undervalued Service (1998)
- ^ National Portrait Gallery https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp143852/dame-gillian-nee-graham-lady-wagner. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Who's Who 2018". Who's Who. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ "Home page". Residential Forum.
- ^ "review" (PDF). Semantic Scholar.
- ^ [oaktrust.library.tamu.edu "Review"]. The OAK Trust Digital Repository. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
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