GOV.UK
Family Justice Board
The Family Justice Board is the primary forum for setting direction for the family justice system and overseeing performance.
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 |
| Dominic Raab MP | Minister of State for Justice at the Ministry of Justice (Chair) |
| Robert Goodwill MP | Minister of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education (Chair) |
| Anthony Douglas | Chief Executive, Cafcass |
| Nigel Brown | Chief Executive, Cafcass Cymru |
| Kevin Sadler | Deputy Chief Executive and Courts and Tribunals Development Director |
| Andrew Webb | Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) |
| Katy Willison and Tabitha Brufal | Directors, Children’s Social Care, Practice and Workforce, DfE |
| Andrew Christie | Chair of Adoption Leadership Board |
| Albert Heaney | Director, Social Services, Welsh Government |
| Melissa Case and Nicola Hewer | Directors, Criminal and Family Justice Policy, MOJ |
| Michelle Dyson | Director, Children, Families and Disadvantage, DWP |
| Isabelle Trowler | Chief Social Worker for Children and Families |
| Eleanor Schooling | National Director, Social Care, Ofsted |
| Mike Nicholson | Head of Children’s Services, Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru (ADSS Cymru) |
Sir James Munby, 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.
Contact Details
The Family Justice Board is unable to offer advice in individual cases. If you have a query regarding the work of the Board please e-mail the FJB secretariat.
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.