Family Justice Board
The Family Justice Board is the primary forum for setting direction for the family justice system and overseeing performance.
Open letter to the child protection and family justice system
The Co-Chairs of the Family Justice Board have published an open letter to thank all those involved in the system for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Role of the group
The Family Justice Board was set up to improve the performance of the family justice system and to ensure the best possible outcomes for children who come into contact with it.
The Board aims to take a cross-system approach to family justice and is jointly chaired by Ministers from the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education. Its members are senior stakeholders from across the family justice system.
The Family Justice Board has the following sub-groups:
- the Family Justice Council which provides independent expert advice to the Board
- the Family Justice Young People’s Board, made up of over 50 young people aged between 7 and 25 years old, who have either had direct experience of the family justice system or have an interest in children’s rights and the family courts,
- a Performance Improvement Sub-Group that analyses the available performance information from the family justice system and makes recommendations aimed at improving performance at national and local levels
Membership
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Lord Ponsonby | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice (Chair) |
| Janet Daby MP | Minister for Children and Families (Chair) |
| Brown, Nigel | Chief Executive, Cafcass Cymru |
| Goodwin, Nick | Chief Executive, HMCTS |
| Heaney, Albert | Director, Social Services, Welsh Government |
| Johal, Sarah | National Adoption Strategic Lead |
| Langdale, Sophie and Oram, Fram | Director, Children’s Social Care - Practice and Workforce, DfE |
| Hewison, Gemma | Director, Civil, Family, Tribunals and Administration of Justice, MOJ |
| Lincoln, Helen | Executive Director for Children, Families & Education (DCS), Essex County Council. ADCS Representative |
| Roberts, Fon | Head of Children’s Services, Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru (ADSS Cymru) |
| Stanley, Yvette | National Director for Social Care, Ofsted |
| Tiotto, Jacky | Chief Executive, Cafcass |
| Trowler, Isabelle | Chief Social Worker for Children and Families |
Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, sits on the Board as an observer as does a representative from the Family Justice Young People’s Board.
Terms of reference
You can see the most recent for the group.
Minutes
Local Family Justice Boards (LFJB)
Local Family Justice Boards (LFJB) were established to support the work of the Family Justice Board by bringing together the key local agencies, including decision makers and front-line staff, to achieve significant improvement in the performance of the family justice system in their local areas.
To contact an LFJB or for more information, please email LFJB Enquiries.