About Lady Elizabeth Haslam
Creator & Executive Author
I am a Creator and Executive Author, children's writer and founder of The Michael Sieff Foundation.
My professional life brings together two areas: imaginative storytelling for children, and work to improve policy and practice for vulnerable children and young people.
I created The Boy Who Wouldn't, an illustrated series of rhyming children's stories combining humour, memorable characters and recognisable childhood experiences. My writing spans fiction, non-fiction and poetry, with a particular interest in stories that can be read aloud and shared by children, parents and grandparents.
At the heart of my writing is a desire to create stories that children genuinely enjoy and that families can share together. Through humour, rhyme and imaginative characters, I hope to make children laugh, encourage them to recognise and understand their feelings, and remind them that mistakes, worries and difficult moments can be approached with warmth. I want each story to invite children into a world of curiosity and adventure, while giving parents and grandparents opportunities to read aloud, talk, laugh together and create happy memories through books.
As Creator and Executive Author, I originate and oversee the stories, characters, themes and creative direction of my work, collaborating with illustrators, editors, designers and publishing professionals from concept to publication.
In 1987, I established The Michael Sieff Foundation to continue the values and interests associated with Michael Sieff's life and work. The Foundation seeks to influence policy and professional practice rather than duplicate services provided by larger organisations.
Its work is guided by a simple principle: children entering welfare, protection or justice systems should first be understood as children, with individual needs, vulnerabilities and potential.
Through conferences, parliamentary inquiries, working groups, policy reports and practical initiatives, the Foundation has brought together professionals from law, government, academia, social care, education, health and the voluntary sector.
A central focus has been recognising vulnerability early, improving communication between public agencies and preventing children from being failed when services work in isolation. In youth justice, the Foundation has supported the principle that young people should be treated as "children first, offenders second," with emphasis on early intervention, trained representation and continuity of support.
The Foundation also established a working group on SEND, neurodivergence and youth justice. Its independent report, Justice for Children with SEND and Neurodivergence, was launched at the House of Commons on 23 April 2025 and called for better identification of children's needs, stronger professional training, improved information sharing and earlier intervention.
Across both my creative and charitable work, the child remains at the centre: not simply as a reader or recipient of support, but as an individual whose feelings, imagination, difficulties and possibilities deserve to be understood.
"The Greatest Reward? A Child's Smile."
Beyond the page
On the airwaves in Cyprus
For nearly two years I presented a morning radio programme in Cyprus, and it remains one of the experiences I would not have missed for the world.
It began with a telephone call. I rang Dave Symonds, who owned the station Coast FM and had been a broadcaster all his life, one of the very first BBC Radio 1 disc jockeys, to thank him for helping with the sound at a charity event I had held at my home. I also asked whether he had ever thought of running a phone-in programme, in the spirit of LBC.
He loved the idea. Yes, I could invite guests; yes, it could run every weekday morning. But no, he would not present it. It had to be me. I had never done anything like it, so I agreed on one condition: that we did it together.
He named the programme Lady E and Mr D's Morning Magazine and chose the theme from Upstairs, Downstairs. It was wonderful. We had nearly two years on air before Dave met the love of his life, married that sweet woman and left for France to live happily ever after.
A truly wonderful true story.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Lady Elizabeth Haslam
Who is Lady Elizabeth Haslam?
Lady Elizabeth Haslam is a Creator and Executive Author, children's writer and founder of The Michael Sieff Foundation. Her work brings together imaginative storytelling for children with a longstanding commitment to improving policy and professional practice for vulnerable children and young people.
What has Lady Elizabeth Haslam written?
Lady Elizabeth Haslam writes fiction, nonfiction and poetry. She created The Boy Who Wouldn't, an illustrated series of humorous rhyming stories for children and families. Her other creative work includes The Magic Mini and the poetry collection Cyprus Symphony. She also devised Famous Firsts, a fundraising book featuring memories shared by prominent public figures.
What is The Boy Who Wouldn't?
The Boy Who Wouldn't is a series of six illustrated rhyming storybooks and a special Christmas edition, written by Lady Elizabeth Haslam and illustrated by Daniel Hill. The stories combine humour, memorable characters and recognisable childhood experiences, creating books that children, parents and grandparents can read, enjoy and laugh over together.
Who founded The Michael Sieff Foundation?
Lady Elizabeth Haslam established The Michael Sieff Foundation in 1987 in memory of Michael Sieff and the values that shaped his life and work. The Foundation brings together professionals and leaders to improve policy and practice affecting children across child protection, youth justice, special educational needs and neurodivergence.
Why does Lady Elizabeth write humorous rhyming stories?
Lady Elizabeth believes that stories should first be something children genuinely enjoy. Humour and rhyme can make reading memorable, encourage children to recognise their feelings and show that mistakes, worries and difficult moments can be approached with warmth, understanding and imagination.
How can shared reading connect children, parents and grandparents?
Reading aloud creates time for children and adults to explore a story together. It can encourage conversation, laughter, curiosity and understanding while giving children the reassurance of someone sharing the experience with them. These moments can become happy memories that children, parents and grandparents carry with them long after the story has ended.
What does placing children first mean within Lady Elizabeth's work?
Placing children first means recognising every child as an individual with their own feelings, personality, needs, talents and possibilities. Whether through storytelling or the work of The Michael Sieff Foundation, Lady Elizabeth believes that children should feel safe, heard, included, understood and valued.
"The Greatest Reward? A Child's Smile."