Our team brings together knowledge, experience and a shared commitment to improving feeding development, participation and inclusion.
Access expert guidance and practical strategies to support children and young people.
We’re putting the finishing touches to our membership. Please check back soon.
Natalie is a Speech and Language Therapist with a degree in Psychology. She spent 15 years working in the NHS before establishing a multidisciplinary children’s therapy service, driven by a commitment to improve outcomes for children and young people. This work evolved into a community interest company providing specialist clinical services and, under Natalie’s leadership, grew into The Feeding Trust, a national charity dedicated to improving understanding and support for children whose feeding development has followed a different trajectory.
In 2026, the charity transitioned to the Foundation for Children’s Feeding, Education & Development (FED), reflecting a broader mission that extends beyond clinical services to encompass Research, Education and Training, Community, and Advocacy and Policy. As Founder and CEO, Natalie has led the organisation’s growth from local service provision to a national foundation focused on influencing the systems that shape children’s health, learning, inclusion and independence.
Natalie has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed research on paediatric feeding disorders and is lead author of the Eating as Learning Framework. She works closely with universities, researchers, schools, healthcare organisations and policymakers to advance understanding of feeding development and promote evidence-informed approaches across health and education.
Central to Natalie’s work is a commitment to ensuring that family voices and lived experience remain at the heart of research, professional development, service design and policy discussions. Through collaboration, research and advocacy, she continues to champion the recognition of feeding development as a fundamental aspect of child development, learning and participation.
In recognition of her leadership and advocacy, Natalie was awarded a prestigious Shackleton Award for raising awareness of paediatric feeding disorder and championing improved support for children, young people and families.
Hannah Daw is a children’s nutritionist and Advocacy Trustee at The FED Foundation, bringing both professional expertise and lived experience of paediatric feeding difficulties.
When Hannah’s son, Lucas, was born, he experienced significant feeding difficulties and relied on tube feeding until the age of three. During this period, Hannah documented his feeding journey through The Lucas Ladder, a social media platform created to share experiences, raise awareness, and connect with other families navigating similar challenges.
This experience highlighted the profound impact that feeding difficulties can have on children’s health, development and family life. Inspired to deepen her understanding of the field, Hannah completed an MSc in Eating Disorders and Clinical Nutrition at University College London.
Today, Hannah works as a children’s nutritionist and combines clinical knowledge with first-hand experience of the challenges families can face when seeking support. She is passionate about ensuring that family voices remain central to the Foundation’s work, helping to shape services, research, education, and advocacy that improve outcomes for children and young people with feeding difficulties.
Dr Bujtor, is the founder of Dr Melissa Bujtor Specialist Dietetic Practice, specialising in paediatric nutrition, from birth through to 18 years. She is also a paediatric feeding specialist with expertise in paediatric feeding disorders, and eating disorders. As a peer-reviewed, published scientist, Dr Bujtor takes an evidence-based approach to dietary practices, with quality scientific evidence always underpinning her clinical and therapeutic practice.
She holds a PhD jointly undertaken at King’s College London and Deakin University in Australia. Her doctoral research explored the associations between combined modifiable lifestyle behaviours—such as dietary intake—and mental health and wellbeing in children and adolescents.
In addition, she holds a Master’s degree in Dietetics and Human Nutrition, a Master’s degree in Psychology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce with a major in Finance.
As a scientific researcher, Dr Bujtor spent time at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, where she worked on projects examining the links between diet and mental health. She is a published researcher and remains active in the scientific community. Her research interests centre on paediatric feeding and eating disorders, with a particular focus on the relationship between early feeding difficulties, neurodevelopment, and long-term outcomes.
Before transitioning to science and clinical nutrition, Dr Bujtor spent 13 years working in corporate finance, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, structured and private financing, and special situations. Her diverse background, spanning Europe (UK), Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, China), and Australia, equips her with a distinctive global perspective. She brings a rare ability to bridge the worlds of industry and science, generating value, offering novel insights, and delivering meaningful impact.
Dr Rosemary Jenkins is an experienced Public Health professional with a passion for improving diets for all. Rosemary holds a PhD in Public Health through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR) and Imperial College London. In her PhD, she investigated the impacts of austerity policies on food insecurity, food purchasing, and diet-related health outcomes. Currently, Rosemary is extending her training to become a Public Health Registrar. Rosie’s experience includes working as a Senior Public Health Officer in the Food System team at Birmingham City Council. In this role, she worked on a wide range of initiatives around food insecurity, diets, and food systems, including leading the Council’s Food Provision work during the Cost-of-Living response and chairing the Birmingham School Food Action Group. Rosemary is excited to bring her experience of food systems, public health practice, and research to the Foundation, to help support children to thrive.
I have worked in the field of children’s policy, both as a researcher and campaigner for more than 30 years. My work has covered a wide range of areas, latterly as Director of the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) focusing on issues facing disabled children and their families. I am passionate about participation and developed a charity award-winning youth arts participation project whilst at Action for Children. I am committed to ensuring that policymakers understand frontline service delivery and that providers are prepared for new regulations and requirements.
My work at CDC was driven by my ambition for a fully inclusive society in which disabled children achieve their aspirations and do not feel excluded. I believe that support should be needs-led, not system-led.
I am delighted to be joining the Board of the Feeding Trust as Chair. There is nothing more fundamental than our relationship with food and it is incredibly important that we raise awareness of and provide support to children and young people who experience feeding difficulties due to mental or physical illness or disability or learning disability.
Bio coming soon.
Hi, I’m Nyla, I’m 12 years old and in year 8 of secondary school. I’m a youth ambassador for the FED foundation My story is that I was born at 23 weeks gestation weighing 520g (extremely premature) I’m a 2/3 surviving triplet. When i was a baby I was very poorly and couldn’t feed properly, the doctors put a feeding tube in my belly to help me to grow. Over time, I grew bigger and stronger but I never learnt the skills to eat (other than blended food). There was no one to help me or my family. My mum found the FED Foundation and after i had feeding therapy I gained the confidence and skills to eat all varieties of foods. My twin brother has just started on his feeding therapy journey. My favourite foods now are Strawberries, pizza and cake.
Hello, my name is Alice and I’m eleven years old. I have always eaten a little bit differently from my family and friends. Food has always been a bit of a challenge for me—eating, trying new foods, sitting down for a meal and social occasions.
For years, my family searched for help and support, but we simply couldn’t find anyone that understood or that could offer any help. Then we found the Foundation, and it made such a difference to our family.
The support I have received has been amazing.
Through the Trust, I have been able to take part in different activities designed to build confidence around food without pressure. These experiences have helped me explore food and sensory experiences at my own pace, while also giving me opportunities to socialise with other people who understand what it is like to have feeding difficulties.
My journey is certainly not over, and there are still challenges ahead, but I am growing in confidence, learning more about myself and discovering that I am not alone.
Hi, I’m Kate, and I’m mum to Edith, who is 4 years old and has Down syndrome.
Ever since we started weaning, Edith has found eating really difficult. She never seemed interested in food and couldn’t manage anything with lumps or texture, often spitting it straight back out or immediately gagging. We were told it was developmental and to just keep trying—eat together, keep offering different foods, and give her time. But instead of improving, things gradually became harder. She started refusing food completely, hitting it out of our hands, and eventually relied on milk, then PaediaSure, with only yogurts and smooth purées alongside that.
We asked for help through the NHS, but apart from being advised to try messy play, we never really got the support or answers we were looking for.
Everything changed when we found the Foundation at the end of 2025. We started the programme in May 2026, and it’s been such a positive experience. Edith absolutely loves being a Food Explorer and is now happily touching and licking foods that she wouldn’t even look at before. We’re learning so much about how to support her at her own pace, and for the first time in a long time, we feel hopeful about her feeding journey.
I’m Kathryn, mum to Phoebe (8) and Jacob (3). I reached out to the charity for support for Jacob – who has had difficulties with oral feeding since birth due to being premature and having different health problems leading to him being PEG fed.
I accessed the Foundation after being told that Jacob was probably a “lost cause” in terms of being able to develop any oral skills for feeding.
I approached the Foundation with no expectations, just a hope that at least I could tell Jacob in the future that I genuinely tried everything I could to help him.
With the Foundations support Jacob went from not tolerating being sat at a table if food was in the room; to having a list of around 40 accepted foods that he will happily eat and several drinks that he will take sips of.
Jacob still requires lots of support to develop his oral skills; but he is happy and curious with his development and it is a pleasure to help him learn about new foods.
Reaching out to the Foundation has genuinely changed our lives, I’m optimistic for his future and can’t wait to see what is next for him.
Hello, my name is Michelle and I’m a mum to an eleven year old girl with sensory feeding difficulties. For a long time it felt like we were struggling on our own, knowing there was a problem but not being able to access professional help. Finding the right help and support locally was incredibly difficult, it sometimes felt like nobody truly believed there was a problem and we were just going in circles.
When we finally found The Foundation, we found people who listened, understood and believed us, it was such a relief. Being connected with other families facing the same challenges made us realise we weren’t alone.
One of the most special moments has been seeing my child meet another child who understands their difficulties — and, perhaps most importantly, eats some of the same foods. Watching them realise that someone else is just like them has been incredibly reassuring and empowering.
Sometimes, being heard, believed and connected is the support a family needs most.
From her earliest days, feeding was difficult. Severe reflux, dairy allergy, illness around her first birthday, and later sensory differences all contributed to a very limited diet. By the age of two, Tabitha ate only eight foods and relied on a particular toy spoon to feel comfortable enough to eat.
As a parent, it was hard navigating the judgement and advice that often came from others. Friends, family and professionals sometimes struggled to understand, but away from food Tabitha was a happy, creative, kind and thriving child. Supporting her meant trusting instincts, advocating for her needs, and learning to ignore the raised eyebrows.
Over the years, the family attended countless appointments with occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and paediatricians. Progress was slow, and there were no quick answers. By primary school, Tabitha’s diet was still extremely restricted, and concerns about her future grew as she got older.
Everything changed when the family found the Foundation. For the first time, they met people who understood. There was immense relief in recognising that Tabitha’s challenges were not the result of poor parenting or being a “picky eater”, but part of a genuine paediatric feeding disorder.
Today, Tabitha continues to gradually expand the foods she can eat and enjoys meals out with friends. More importantly, she has developed a better understanding of her feeding differences and the confidence to manage them. Now living away from home and studying at university, she remains the same joyful, kind and determined young woman her family has always known. The progress she has made is something they are incredibly proud of.
Charlotte qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2008 and has over 18 years’ clinical experience, with specialist expertise in paediatric feeding, dysphagia and complex neurodevelopmental needs.
Charlotte has extensive experience supporting children and young adults with feeding and swallowing differences across NHS community services, specialist education, and multidisciplinary feeding services. Her clinical practice includes children and young people with neurodevelopmental differences, profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex medical needs. Charlotte is co-founder of The Children’s Feeding Collective, an interdisciplinary feeding clinic bringing together occupational therapy, dietetics and speech and language therapy providing assessment and face to face therapy for children with feeding differences.
Alongside her clinical work, Charlotte is co-author of the Eating as Learning (EAL) Curriculum and has collaboratively developed the wider Eating as Learning Framework, bringing together multidisciplinary expertise to support a developmental and individualised understanding of feeding differences.
As an Expert in Hand at the FED Foundation, Charlotte brings specialist expertise in feeding, swallowing and communication, alongside extensive experience of supporting children and families with complex feeding differences.
Laura Bottiglieri is a Speech and Language Therapist with expertise in infant feeding. Laura has been supporting families through complex feeding difficulties and bottle aversion for twelve years. Laura believes feeding is connection first. She takes a wide lens view of feeding and brings all the pieces back together so feeding can be restored for the long term and parents feel confident to feed again. Laura is Founder of Milk to Mealtime, a specialist online infant feeding practice, helping babies experiencing bottle aversion and complex feeding difficulties.
Lucy is an Occupational Therapist and a leading voice in paediatric feeding, sensory integration, and neurodevelopmental support, with over 15 years of specialist experience in Paediatrics and Neurology.
She qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2005, and has worked across NHS, independent and third sector settings.
Alongside her work with The FED Foundation, Lucy runs her own independent Occupational Therapy practice, Lucy Bates Children’s OT Ltd, and is co-founder of The Children’s Feeding Collective, an interdisciplinary feeding clinic bringing together occupational therapy, dietetics and speech and language therapy providing assessment and face to face therapy for children with feeding differences.
As part of her work with The FED Foundation, Lucy co-authored the “Eating as Learning” curriculum for schools, developing the underlying framework that is used in therapy across the organisation and shared with professionals to support children with feeding differences. This work reflects her passion for translating clinical insight into practical, evidence-informed approaches for children and young people with feeding differences.
Anna is an Occupational Therapist with particular expertise in supporting children and young people (CYP) with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. She is passionate about helping CYP access the activities, relationships and opportunities that matter most to them. Her practice is grounded in a strengths-based understanding of participation, wellbeing and occupational engagement.
As co-author of the Eating as Learning Framework (EaLF), Anna has played a key role in shaping the Foundation’s developmental and participation-focused approach to feeding. She is one of the Framework’s lead trainers and supports healthcare professionals to understand feeding within the wider context of child development, relationships, regulation and everyday life.
Anna has additional training in sensory integration and Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). She co-founder of a multi-disciplinary feeding clinic bringing together occupational therapy, dietetics and speech and language therapy providing assessment and face to face therapy for children with feeding differences.
Lucy is a Specialist Paediatric Dietitian with over 15 years’ experience supporting children and families across community, hospital, special school, public health and specialist paediatric services. She is co-founder of the Children’s Feeding Collective, an interdisciplinary feeding clinic bringing together specialist expertise to support children with complex feeding difficulties.
Lucy is co-author of the Eating as Learning Framework (EaLF) and one of the Framework’s lead trainers, helping healthcare professionals develop a broader understanding of feeding development, participation and interdisciplinary practice.
Her clinical interests include infant feeding, food allergy, faltering growth, selective eating, tube feeding, tube weaning and complex feeding difficulties. Alongside her clinical work, Lucy contributes to public health initiatives, lectures on paediatric nutrition, presents at national and international conferences, and is a media spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. Through her professional platform, @childrensdietitian, she is committed to making evidence-based nutrition information accessible to families and professionals alike.
Sheryllin is Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Service Lead for the 0-25 Specialist Eating Disorder Service, including the Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) pathway, within Forward Thinking Birmingham. She is passionate about early intervention, service innovation and reducing barriers to care, with a particular interest in addressing health inequalities and improving access to treatment for disadvantaged groups.
Alongside her clinical leadership role, Sheryllin has contributed to research and service development in collaboration with King’s College London, the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick. Her work focuses on ensuring that the voices and experiences of children, young people and families help shape meaningful improvements in eating disorder and feeding services. She co-chaired the Paediatric Feeding Disorder Community of Participation (PFD CoP) alongside Founder, Natalie Raven Morris and is co-author of the PFD CoP Position Paper.
The Foundation regularly works alongside other charities and community organisations to ensure families can access relevant support and opportunities to get involved.
Examples include:
Positive About Down Syndrome (PADS)
The Foundation worked with PADS to develop a parent webinar exploring feeding development and eating challenges experienced by some children with Down syndrome.
Autism West Midlands
Through workshops and learning events, families have been able to explore topics relating to feeding differences, participation and neurodevelopment.
Worcestershire Parent Carer Forum
Partnership work with Worcestershire Parent Carer Forum has provided opportunities to hear family perspectives, support local engagement activities and strengthen conversations around feeding development, SEND and inclusion.
Interested in becoming a partner organisation?
