APPG
Harry’s Pledge is proud to be part of an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) that is working hard to support parents facing every family’s worst nightmare.
Inspired by our campaign, the Group’s full title is the ‘All-Party Parliamentary Group on Emotional Support for Parent Carers of Seriously Ill and Disabled Children’.
Its primary aim is to ensure that every parent of a child with a severe life-limiting or life-threatening condition has access to emotional support.
Matt Bishop, Labour MP for Forest of Dean, chairs the Group while Shockat Adam, Independent MP for Leicester South is Vice Chair.
Baroness Sue Gray and Stuart Andrew, Conservative MP for Daventry, are officers of the APPG. Alison Bennett, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex, is a Member of the Group.
The Group’s secretariat is the Harry’s Pals charity, founded by Hayley Charlesworth, which has been the inspiration behind delivering meaningful change for carers and the people they care for.
Harry’s Pals will be supported by Amplius, a housing provider that has been the driving force behind the Harry’s Pledge campaign to support carers, which is backed by over 100 organisations.
Next meeting:
To be confirmed
Members of the APPG
Chair: Matt Bishop MP (Labour MP for Forest of Dean) – Matt has passionately led the charge to launch the Group after hearing more about the plight of parent carers during an event at the 2025 Labour Party Conference.
Vice Chair: Shockat Adam, Independent MP for Leicester South.
Officers: Baroness Sue Gray and Stuart Andrew, Conservative MP for Daventry.
Members: Alison Bennett, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex.
Secretariat: Harry’s Pals, supported by Amplius.
Quotes about the APPG
Matt Bishop MP: “Too many parent carers are left to cope alone at the moment their world changes forever. This APPG will ensure their voices are heard and turned into real action, and I am proud to stand with Harry’s Pals to help drive this meaningful change.”
Hayley Charlesworth, Founder and CEO of Harry’s Pals: “We’re incredibly proud to be the secretariat of this APPG that will be a key catalyst in helping us work towards a future where parents receiving a heartbreaking diagnosis about their child are automatically offered emotional support as standard.
“From personal experience and the experiences of the parents we support at Harry’s Pals, we know just how devastating this life-changing news can be. A study by Doctor Siobhan O’Dwyer of Birmingham University shows how deeply this affects parent careers with 41% of them admitting to thinking about suicide.
“By providing earlier interventions, we can support parents, and their children while also reducing the longer-term impact on the NHS and social services.”
Julie Doyle, Chief Executive of Amplius: “Forming the APPG represents a real milestone moment for the Harry’s Pledge campaign and I’m so proud of the leading role that Amplius has played. Being in Parliament and hearing how engaged a range of MPs and Peers are with this issue gives me real hope that more support will be provided to parents with critically ill children.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Matt Bishop MP and his team for making this happen and to all of the people and organisations who have supported Harry’s Pledge. This focus on parent carers is just one of the four commitments set out in the Pledge as we look to enhance accessibility across the housing sector and ensure greater support and recognition for people who provide care and those they care for.”
Get in touch
For more information about the APPG, please email help@harrys-pledge.org.uk