BOARD MEMBERS APPOINTED FOR THE CHILDREN AND FAMILY COURT ADVISORY AND SUPPORT SERVICE

15 Feb 2001 12:00 AM

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, has appointed the following to the Board of the new Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) when it is established on 1 April 2001.

His Honour Judge Nigel Fricker QC Peter Hargrave Leonie Jordan Angela M. Killick Anne Morgan OBE JP Pip O''Byrne Nalini Varma Mike Walker Nedine Watson-Cutts Judy Weleminsky

The new service was created by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.

The appointment of the chairman, Anthony Hewson, previously chairman of Scope, was announced on 10 November 2000.

The Chief Executive, Diane Shepherd, has appointed Charles Prest as Director of Legal Services. Charles is currently a partner in Lee and Priestley Solicitors, Leeds.

Notes for Editors:

HIS HONOUR JUDGE NIGEL FRICKER QC: Nigel has been a Circuit Judge since 1984; Care Centre designated Family Judge since 1991. He is electing to take early retirement in order to serve on the Board. He was a member of Family Proceedings Rule Committee from 1997 to 2001. He is General editor, ''Emergency Remedies in the Family Courts'' 1989-1999; Consulting Editor, ''Emergency Remedies'' since 1999 and ''Family Court Practice'' since 1991.

PETER HARGRAVE: holds an accountancy qualification, but much of his recent work has been in general management. Board experience in the public, private and independent sectors; Managing Director of the Flagship Housing Group until April 2000. Currently works as a management consultant and sits on the Boards of an NHS Trust and a special Housing Association for autistic people. He lives in Norwich with his wife, Denise. He has two adult children.

LEONIE JORDAN: a solicitor whose experience is primarily in the child care field. She has practised in local government, private practice and in the voluntary sector. In recent years, she has concentrated on developing training and workshops for child care professionals on law and practice issues and provided advice to local authorities on procedures and practice developments. She has also worked in the voluntary sector to promote participation by children and their families in the making of decisions affecting them.

ANGELA M. KILLICK: Angela is a former civil servant with the research councils and Department of the Environment. She was subsequently chair for ten years of three NHS Health Authorities and Trusts. She has been a local councillor for many years including chair of social services; has extensive experience with voluntary organisations. Angela is a former JP; former member and chair of children''s charity running eleven mixed economy nurseries in central London and chair of governors, local primary school. She is married, with one teen-age son and an extended step-family.

ANNE MORGAN OBE JP: Joined the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux in 1974 from a marketing background with Unilever. Co-founded NACAB North Wales in 1975. Served as the North Wales Area Officer from 1982 to 1995, successfully pioneering holistic advice services via inter-agency collaboration. Appointed Director NACAB Wales in 1995, responsible for strategic services to 137 CABx and member of the Corporate Management Team charged with the strategic direction of services to CABx across England and Wales.

Served a member of the National Assembly for Wales Voluntary Sector Partnership Council. In 1999 was awarded OBE for services in Wales. Member of Welsh Consumer Council. Vice-Chair of the North Wales Agricultural Wages Board. Appointed a magistrate to the Denbighshire Bench in November 2000. Anne took an early retirement from NACAB in October 2000 to pursue new interests, including management consultancy services for the ''not for profit'' sector.

PIP O''BYRNE: Pip works for the London Borough of Camden as an Assistant Director in the Leisure and Community Services Department where she has a diverse management portfolio which includes the Play, Sports and Physical Activity Services. She is also a member of the Council''s corporate strategic management teams for Children''s Services, Community Safety, Youth Crime, Anti Social Behaviour, Regeneration and Health. Pip is chair of Kids Club Network, the national organisation promoting the development of out of school play and care clubs for children aged 4-14 years. Pip has spent most of her professional life working on children, family and community issues. She is a member of the Childcare Commission.

NALINI VARMA: Qualified social worker with extensive experience of management in the voluntary sector. Formerly Chief Executive of the Rainer Foundation - a young people''s charity. Trustee of two grant-making organisations. Recently appointed lay member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel. Born in South Africa. Lives in London with husband and children.

MIKE WALKER: Mike started work in Durham Children''s Department in 1967. For the next 26 years, he worked for a number of Local Authorities in various positions before taking the opportunity of early retirement from his last post as Assistant Director of Social Services (Disabilities). This enabled him to develop his interests in the disability movement and to work with individuals in an advocacy role. He is currently working as a project co-ordinator for a Black Disability Group in Kirklees and is currently investigating the needs of young disabled people leaving the educational system.

He also works as an independent consultant with a particular interest in developing opportunities for disabled people to enter higher education and the professions. He lectures occasionally on employment law and disability, and has carried out research for CCETSW. Mike is an active member of the Social Care Association (SCA) whose aim is to promote best practice.

NEDINE WATSON-CUTTS: Nedine is a qualified social worker and has worked primarily in South East London Boroughs in community and statutory social work settings for the past 15 years.

She currently manages the Adolescence Services in the London Borough of Bromley Social Services Department. She has previously managed childcare teams, a hospital social work team and developed Leaving care and After care services. She is keen to involve service users, especially young people, in service and policy development and to ensure that issues of diversity are addressed.

JUDY WELEMINSKY: is a management consultant specialising in the voluntary and not for profit sectors. She has extensive management experience having been chief executive of three major national voluntary organisations, most recently the National Council for Voluntary Organisations from 1991 to 1994 and prior to that the National Schizophrenia Fellowship. She has a masters degree in Organisational Psychology, lives in London and has two young children.

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)

CAFCASS will be a new non-departmental public body, responsible for advising the courts on the best interests of children in family proceedings. The appointment of the first Chief Executive, Diane Shepherd, was announced in January.

CAFCASS will replace the Family Court Welfare Service which is currently managed by local probation committees; the Guardian ad Litem and Reporting Officer service, which is currently administered by local authority panels; and the Children''s Division of the Official Solicitor.

CAFCASS is to be established on 1st April 2001 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act. It will serve England and Wales and be accountable to Parliament through the Lord Chancellor.

CAFCASS will be a child-focused service and will provide a better service to children, families and the courts. It will allow more specialised training and professional development for staff who work in it and will be more flexible than the current services, which will help reduce delays in family proceedings. As a single national body it will be more visible and accountable than the three current services it will replace.

Lord Chancellor''s Department Selborne House, 54 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QW Tel:020-7210 8512/8513 Fax:020-7210 8633 www.open.gov.uk/lcd