HM Courts and Tribunals Service engagement groups
Professional and public user groups working with us to continuously improve and update our services.
We’re continuing to modernise our courts and tribunals services to make them more straightforward, accessible and efficient for all.
We host a number of engagement forums to make sure we’re consulting with professional and public user groups on proposals, developments and services within HMCTS, to better understand their needs.
Criminal Justice Engagement Groups
Criminal Justice Engagement Groups bring together the police, prison and probation agencies so we can coordinate our plans for improvement.
HMCTS and representatives of the legal profession also contribute to the judicial-led Crown Court Improvement Group, chaired by the Senior Presiding Judge, to improve the performance of the Crown Court in England and Wales. Representatives from across the criminal justice system, including the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Prison and Probation Service, the Legal Aid Agency meet monthly and report directly to the Lord Chief Justice.
Local Criminal Justice Boards bring together criminal justice organisations across England and Wales and are often chaired by local police and crime commissioners or chief constables. HMCTS is represented at these meetings through Regional Heads of Operations (Crime) who contribute to discussions and policing decisions involving criminal courts within each police force area.
| Forum | Remit | Membership |
|---|---|---|
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Common Platform Local Implementation Groups (LITs) Schedule of meetings varies |
To engage with local courts, judiciary, partner agencies, police and stakeholders (including defence solicitors) using Common Platform in the local area. The LIT representatives share news with their colleagues in the area, as well as bringing their feedback to HMCTS. | Police, Prison Service, National Probation Service, PECs, Judicial Office, Magistrates Digital Lead, Legal Aid Agency, Home Office, Public Defender Service, Crown Prosecution Service, CTSC, Crime Communication Lead, Common Platform Programme Team. |
Legal Professional Engagement Groups
We undertake regular engagement with legal professional bodies such as the Bar Council, the Law Society and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives at both Chief Executive and policy levels. We also work with these bodies to make sure practitioners’ views are considered in our ongoing work.
Each jurisdiction also hosts ad-hoc forums involving legal professionals to present engagement activity on specific issues and projects, based on jurisdictional project timetables and key areas of interest for the profession.
| Forum | Remit | Membership |
|---|---|---|
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Legal professionals’ court recovery update Chair: Development Director, HMCTS Schedule of meetings: monthly. |
To update and engage on operational performance across all jurisdictions, with input from the legal profession to inform and challenge decision-making. | HMCTS, Bar Council, Law Society, Support through court, and barristers firms. |
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Strategic Engagement Group Chair: Head of Corporate Relations, HMCTS Schedule of meetings: quarterly. |
Aims to have a strategic overview of engagement activities as well as planning activity across all jurisdictions. This is a steering group comprising HMCTS operational and strategy leads and policy leads from key legal representative organisations. | HMCTS, The Bar Council, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, the Law Society. |
Public User Engagement Groups
A Strategic Public Engagement Group oversees four jurisdictional public engagement groups for civil, family, tribunals and crime. All groups meet tri-annually.
The purpose of these groups is to get insight into users’ experience and feedback on services. Members of the strategic group are senior cross-jurisdictional, third sector representatives and the group is chaired by Head of User Inclusion and Mr Robin Justice Knowles.
Jurisdictional groups are chaired by HMCTS service owners and Head of User Inclusion. They include practitioners that regularly support users and who are experts within the jurisdictions.
If you’re interested in joining any groups, want further information or access to the full list of stakeholders, please contact us at publicengagement@justice.gov.uk.
| Forum | Remit | Membership |
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Strategic Public Engagement Group Chair(s): Mr Justice Robin Knowles CBE HMCTS, Head of User Strategy Inclusion Schedule of meetings: Tri-annually, with additional meetings as required. |
Provides a strategic perspective, providing feedback and insight on cross-jurisdictional issues for users of the justice system. | Senior leaders from external advice and support organisations including: Advice UK, Autism Alliance, Citizens Advice, JUSTICE, Law Centres Network, LawWorks, Revolving Doors, Shelter, Support Through Court, Victim Support, National Advice Network Wales, Young Legal Aid Lawyers, Rethink. |
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Civil Jurisdiction Public Engagement Group Chair(s): Jurisdictional service owners. Schedule of meetings: Tri-annually, with additional meetings as required. |
Provides jurisdictional insight into users’ experience of service delivery and feedback on changes and continuous improvements initiatives being made in the civil jurisdiction. | Practitioner level members from external advice and support sector, including: Advice UK, Citizen Advice, Community Law Services, Federation of Small Businesses, The Intermediary Cooperative, Justice, Support Through Court. |
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Family Jurisdiction Public Engagement Group Chair: Jurisdictional service owner and Head of User Inclusion. Schedule of meetings: Tri-annually, with additional meetings as required. |
Provides jurisdictional insight into users’ experience of service delivery and feedback on changes and continuous improvements initiatives being made in the family jurisdiction. |
Practitioner level members from external advice and support sector, including: Community Law Services, Volunteer Support & Advice Services, the Family Mediation Council, The Intermediary Cooperative, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, Support Through Court. |
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Crime Jurisdictional Public Engagement Group Chair(s): Jurisdictional service owner and Head of User Inclusion. Schedule of meetings: Tri-annually, with additional meetings as required. |
Provides jurisdictional insight into users’ experience of service delivery and feedback on changes and continuous improvements initiatives being made in the crime jurisdiction. | Practitioner level members from external advice and support sector, including: Community Law Services, Volunteer Support & Advice Services, Citizen’s Advice, The Intermediary Cooperative, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, Victim Support, Youth Justice Board. |
HMCTS Media Working Group
The group brings together representatives of the media and HMCTS policy and operational representatives to discuss issues around media access to our sites and hearings.
| Forum | Remit | Membership |
|---|---|---|
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Media Working Group Chair: Co-chairs: Director of Communications and Director of Service Excellence, HMCTS Schedule of meetings: bi-annually or as requested by the group. |
Supports ongoing engagement between representatives of the media and HMCTS, to discuss media access to courts and tribunals and providing information to the media. | HMCTS, Judicial Office, BBC, Crime Reporters Association, ITN, JPI Media, Media Lawyers Association, National Union of Journalists, News Media Association, Newsquest Media Group, Press Association, Reach Plc, Society of Editors, and practising journalists and court reporters. |
For further information on any of these groups, contact: HMCTS.Communications@justice.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
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Changes to the details of membership.
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Criminal Justice Engagement Groups updated to reflect end of reform
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Added translation
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Updated link
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Updated page
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Updated Public Engagement Groups section
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Updated information about public user engagement groups.
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Updated information about our engagement groups.
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Updated contact email address
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Added translation
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Added translation
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Crown Court working group removed as it has now been dissolved.
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Information on Media Working Group updated.
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COVID-19 engagement groups updated.
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New stakeholder group: Engagement during COVID-19.
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Added translation
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Media working group added.
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First published.