Leslie-Anne Newton is the Director of the Association for Real Change (ARC) Northern Ireland, the representative body for learning disability providers. Since 2014, she has led sector-wide collaboration among providers, policymakers, and regulators to improve services and influence policy. Throughout her career, Leslie-Anne has been a passionate advocate for enabling underrepresented voices to be directly heard by decision-makers—demonstrating her deep commitment to human rights, meaningful engagement, and co-production. With over two decades of experience across the third, public, and corporate sectors, including roles with Save the Children, Warwickshire County Council and the NSPCC, she brings strategic leadership, cross-sector expertise, and a focus on inclusive, rights-based practice. She has supported and partnered on research with Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast, advancing data quality and safeguarding policy in learning disability services.