Learn about our vision,
mission, and founding story

Our Vision

A world in which children do not live in institutions or orphanages, where they have help and support to deal with the consequences of trauma, and where every child can grow up and thrive in a safe and secure loving home.

Our Values

Underpinning the work of the Foundation are a set of core values.

CARING,
COURAGEOUS,
CURIOUS,
CREATIVE,
COLLABORATIVE,
CANDID &
COMMITTED.

We passionately care about separated and vulnerable children and their families.
We are curious about innovative approaches to change, including harnessing the experience, voices of children themselves.
We have the courage to use our extensive experience in family care to change the world for them.
Seek creative solutions for intractable problems facing vulnerable children and their families.
We are committed to transforming the lives of vulnerable children around the world.
Collaboration with governments, communities, families, and partners.
We candidly use our voice and experience to advocate for family-based care as the alternative to institutions.

Our Founding Story

Ayyab and Jim Cockburn are visionaries and changemakers— committed to fearlessly championing children’s rights across the world.

This commitment, paired with their passion for helping create Fearless Futures for everyone, inspired them to establish the Martin James Foundation in 2018. But MJF’s roots date to over 30 years ago when Jim, a social worker and entrepreneur, began providing innovative foster care services in the UK. By 2005 he expanded to Ireland, Australia, Finland, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and the USA. These services, now called Key Assets, have provided quality care placements for around 40,000 children and young people.

With increasing evidence showing the harm caused to children placed in institutions and orphanages, a global movement emerged calling on governments to shift from institutional forms of care towards family-based care alternatives. Ayyab and Jim realised their extensive experience in designing and delivering quality foster care across different cultures and environments, uniquely placed them to offer technical support and social work practice expertise to governments and non-governmental organisations looking to develop family-based care.

Together, they founded The Martin James Foundation to address the crisis of orphaned children worldwide.

I felt the time was right to build on the skills and expertise we had already developed with Key Assets, FosterTalk and other capacity building projects, to support and enable more communities around the world to promote and deliver family-based care for the most vulnerable children.

Jim Cockburn, MJF Co-Founder and Chairman

Who We Are

We are an international foundation committed to protecting and improving the lives of vulnerable children, with a specific focus on children and young people separated from their families, placed in institutions and those traumatized by conflict or forced migration.

We believe separated, vulnerable and displaced children’s needs are best met in a loving, nurturing family environment and not in institutions.

The Martin James Foundation comprises of three entities: The MJF central team based in Birmingham UK, FosterTalk – the UK foster care services provider, and the four Key Assets not-for-profit affiliates providing high-quality foster care and family strengthening services in Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

The Martin James Foundation is unique as we are one of the first foundations with a global network of over 300 foster care and other child care practitioners, with over 30 years of collective experience of successful delivery of innovative, quality foster care and family strengthening services.

Our roots and legacy enable us to empower change worldwide through global and local partnerships, leveraging our extensive knowledge, practitioner skills, experience, and proven best practice models.

Stronger Families, Safer Children

Meet the MJF Team

Ailsa Laxton

Charity Manager

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Calum Sawford

COO

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Kara Cousins

Head of Communications

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Paul Silk

Charity Finance Manager

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Louise Cox

International Programme Manager

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Seema Naaz

Practice Development Coordinator

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Interview with MJF Founder
We believe that every child has the right to grow up and thrive in a safe, secure and loving home and our vision is a world in which children do not live in institutions.
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Trustees & Volunteers

Jim Cockburn

Chair &
Co-Founder

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Daniel Croft

Vice-Chair

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Maria Heckel

Trustee

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John Street

Trustee

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Ken Thompson

Trustee

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The Martin James Foundation is particularly close to my heart because our wider experience in the children services sector means we can create effective partnerships and utilise our resources and skills to create a safer, happier world for some of the most vulnerable children around the world.

Ayyab Cockburn, Co-Founder