Wednesday 28 January 2026
One in a Million Playbook
Following the successful launch of One in a Million in September, we will explore progress with our bold plan to harness social value from public spending with the launch of our Playbook at the House of Commons on Wednesday 28th January 2026.
Please open the Playbook here….
The Agenda
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8.45 Pre Introduction: Josh MacAlister OBE MP
- 9:30 Welcome: Shaun Davies MP
- 9:35 Introduction: Kevin Johnson
- 9:38 Care Leaver Perspective: Matthew Gordon OBE with 2 Lived Experience Experts: Jodi & Fatjon
- 9.50 Opening the Playbook: In Conversation with Christian Hibbert
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10.05 Social Value at Work:
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Joseph Merlini: Deputy Director for Complex Outsourcing and Professional Services, Cabinet Office
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Claire Gore: Director of People Services, NHS England
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Amelle Mestari: CSR Director, Equans
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Christian Hibbert: Spectra
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Sebastian Nico-Scott: Lived Experience Expert
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10.20 It Starts Here: West Midlands Trailblazer:
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Helene Dearn OBE: WMCA
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Steve Rigby: Entrepreneur, Business Leader & Philanthropist
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Mark Rogers: Chair, Advisory Board
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Matthew Gordon OBE
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Lily Morris: Spectra
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10.35 Closing Remarks: Dr Margaret Heffernan, Chair, Care Leaver Covenant Business Council
The One in a Million System
This diagram is explanatory, not prescriptive. It illustrates how One in a Million operates as a system over time.
Commercial Break
The Cabinet Office has been central to developing the One in a Million proposition.
The Government’s Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Forzani explains how care leavers are at the heart of the Government’s approach to delivering social value from public contracts.
Ministerial Message
Josh MacAlister OBE MP told guests that through the vast amount of money spent with UK Government strategic suppliers, with even a few small changes we could create thousands and thousands of opportunities for young people.
The newly appointed minister for Children and Families chaired the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (2022) before being elected to Parliament. The Review said that the disadvantages faced by the care experienced community should be the civil rights issue of our time.
Thank You Sir Peter
Immediately before his last appearance as Chair of the Business Council, we showed this video with reflections from the care experienced community on his time with the Care Leaver Covenant.
“We’ve got to fight harder, we’ve got to be stronger.”
“Give people that opportunity…”
“And the moment you give them a chance, like me, you’ll see that they fly up past your expectations.”
“Some of the broken people are actually the greatest leaders.”
Project Hope
A critical partner in launching One in a Million is Lloyds Banking Group. It is doing incredible work to support care experienced young people.
It has developed a bespoke programme which responds to the needs of care experienced young people to create pathways to sustainable, meaningful employment opportunities.
Or, to put it another way, to create some luck for young people. 25 apprentices are successfully completing their programmes and joining the bank as employees in September.
Paul Speight, Planning & Productivity Director, Consumer Relationships at the Lloyds Banking Group, was the first person representing the major companies present to sign the Care Leaver Covenant board. Watch his story here.
Powering the Marketplace
As our Marketplace partner, Central Fusion enabled us to create a special space where guests could meet, chat and see some of the incredible work done through private-voluntary sector collaborations to support care leavers.
Central Fusion connects care leavers with exclusive opportunities, as you will see in this fantastic video from Leeds Festival.
As Richard Irwin said in his programme notes:
“Because it’s difficult to dance on quicksand—sometimes, you need to make the ground a little firmer.”
Mentoring Matters
Intergenerational mentoring is an important strand of the programmes Spectra delivers. Carl and Seb give us a taste of why it’s so powerful.