NEW INDEPENDENT CASE EXAMINER FOR THE CHILD SUPPORT AGENCY

16 Aug 2001 12:00 AM

Jodi Berg has been appointed as the Child Support Agency''s new Independent Case Examiner.

She takes over from Anne Parker, the Agency''s first case examiner, who has moved to take on the role of chair of the newly formed National Care Standards Commission.

Work and Pensions Minister, Patricia Hollis, today welcomed the appointments: ''I am delighted that Jodi has been appointed Independent Case Examiner. The new case examiner has a vital role in contributing to the improvement in customer service that the CSA offers as it prepares for, and implements, radical reform. I know that Jodi is committed to meeting these reforms which will ensure that more money gets to children.''

Taking up her new post, Jodi Berg said she was looking forward to helping the Agency further improve its handling of complaints from clients. ''I am honoured to take on the role created by Anne Parker and I look forward to helping the Agency to take advantage of the opportunities and insight offered by the proper handling of complaints''.

The last Independent Case Examiner''s report shows a measurable improvement in customer satisfaction, and Jodi will help build on this.

Jodi Berg brings substantial experience of complaint handling to the post. She is currently the Independent Complaints Reviewer for the Land Registry, Public Record Office, Charity Commission and The Housing Corporation. She will combine these duties with her new role as the case examiner for the CSA in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency.

Jodi is a solicitor and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Prior to becoming the Independent Complaints Reviewer for Land Registry, she was Chairman of Ravensbourne NHS Trust. She is a past Chairman of the South East London Probation Service and has management experience in both private and public sector. Throughout her career, Jodi has devoted time to her work with various voluntary and charitable activities.

Note for editors

1. The Independent Case Examiner acts as an independent referee for clients of the Great Britain CSA, the Northern Ireland CSA and the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency who are unhappy with the way their complaints have been handled. Once the Agencies internal complaints procedures have been exhausted, the case examiner considers the merits of the complaint, and, if necessary, makes recommendations about putting matters right. The case examiner is not part of the CSA or the NI SSA and clients are not charged for using her service.

2. The appointment is on an interim basis for the period from 16th August 2001 to 31st March 2002 until new complaints handling arrangements, across the full range of Department for Work and Pensions'' customer service businesses, including the CSA, are put in place from next April.

3. The case examiner''s annual report for 2000/1 was published in July and can be obtained from the Office of the Independent Case Examiner, PO Box 155, Chester, CH99 9SA. Copies are also available on the internet at their website at www.ind-case-exam.org.uk

4. The Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act received Royal Assent on 28 July 2000. It provides for a new, simpler system of rates for working out child support liability, as well as improved arrangements for collecting maintenance and for ensuring that parents co-operate with the CSA.

5. The reformed child support scheme will be introduced for new cases in April 2002. Parents who already have a child support assessment at that date will be transferred over to the new scheme from a later date, to be decided, when it is clear that the reforms are working well.

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