My friend and colleague Mary Jones, who has died aged 64 of cancer, changed the way healthcare professionals think about children's needs. Her belief that even very young or very disabled children could be expert patients led her to gently shake the foundations of many accepted practices.
Never constrained by "the way it has always been done", Mary created child-centred ways of working wherever she went. Whether assessing a child with a head injury, supervising a multidisciplinary team, or giving expert opinion to the high court about a child's needs, Mary's calm, gentle manner enabled her to challenge and change established practice.
In her research work in childhood disability at the Chailey Heritage Clinical Services centre in East Sussex, she helped to develop measures for sitting, lying and standing that are now used worldwide to assess children's physical needs. Mary was also influential in the rights work that began at Chailey in the late 1980s and went on to influence children's rights across many nations.
Born to Molly and Walter Owen in London, Mary went to the Tiffin girls' school in Kingston and then trained as an occupational therapist, specialising at an early stage in paediatrics.
For 17 years she co-directed Triangle, an independent organisation working with children and young people. She helped to build the foundations of Triangle such that young people could define its aims, structure and ways of working and help to design buildings and choose and train staff. Mary was central in clarifying Triangle's mission to reposition children as competent communicators and active agents in their own lives.
A skilled manager, a quietly powerful advocate for radical change, and an accomplished clarinet player, Mary was a much-loved friend and colleague. She is survived by her partner, Ray, brothers, John and Robert, daughters, Laura and Lucy, their father, Trevor, and her grandchildren, Emily and Archie.
