In 1993 she became the Chief Executive of the Association of Spinal Injury Research Rehabilitation and Reintegration (ASPIRE) charity for seven years, where she ensured that the Aspire National Training Centre was completed on time and on budget.
Milburn started a career as a journalist, but then worked freelance for a number of charities including CAFOD. She also worked as a researcher on a number of British Broadcasting Corporation television appeals, including Challenge Anneka from Malawi, Going Live and Blue Peter specials from Jamaica. In July 2000 she became the Chief Executive of the British Broadcasting Corporation Children in Need Appeal. In May 2004 Milburn became Chief Executive of The, succeeding Sir Tom Shebbeare who had been at the for 16 years.
Milburn regularly speaks publicly about the "s work with young people and in August 2008, spoke of how research suggested that young people are creating their own "youth communities" and gangs.
At the same time the was running a campaign, Change the Record, to counter the negative images that the media give about young people. She said about The Team program in 2008 that "Our great worry was that, on The Prince’s Trust Team programme, you took them through the 12 weeks, you built up their expectation and they fell off the cliff face.
When Milburn joined the in 2004, the charity was helping 41,680 young people a year, and by 2007-2008 41,324. During Milburn"s time as chief executive the charity has increasingly directed its help to young people who are long term unemployed, and the charity has increasingly measured its success as an organisation by how many young people they have got off the unemployment register, by getting them into some employment, training or education.
This figure has risen over four years from 76% to 79%.
Milburn regularly attends high profile royal events as the representative of the Milburn was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to charity. Milburn has been a trustee of, the United Kingdom"s leading communications charity, since October 2009.
