Care Crisis Review: Workstreams and Stakeholders

Stakeholder Advisory Group

• Ben Ashcroft, Care experienced and Founder of Every Child Leaving Care Matters
• Cllr Judith Blake, Leader, Leeds City Council and Chair of Core Cities UK (subsequently also appointed Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board)
• Matthew Brazier, Her Majesty’s Inspector, Specialist Adviser (Looked After Children), Ofsted
• Nigel Brown, Chief Executive, Cafcass Cymru
• Beth Cape Cowens, Child Care lawyer and FRG Trustee
• Ian Dean, Principal Policy Advisor Children and Young People, Local Government Association
• Anthony Douglas, Chief Executive, Cafcass (since retired)
• Angela Frazer-Wicks, Family Rights Group’s Parents’ Panel and Co-
• Chair of Your Family, Your Voice Alliance
• Dez Holmes, Director, Research in Practice
• Tony Hunter, Chief Executive, SCIE (since stepped down, current chair of Doncaster Children’s Trust)
• Sally Ann Jenkins, Head of Children & Young People Services, Newport City Council
• Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England
• Kevin Makwikila, Member of Family Rights Group’s Parents’ Panel
• Lord Justice Andrew McFarlane, a Lord Justice of Appeal in England and Wales (subsequently appointed President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales)
• Mel Meggs, Deputy Director of Children’s Services, Rotherham MBC (since appointed
• Alice Miles, Director of Strategy, Children’s Commissioner for England
• Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division of the High Court (since retired)
• Keri O’Riordan, Professional Officer, British Association of Social Workers (since left to return to social work practice)
• Nigel Richardson, former Director of Children’s Service, Leeds City Council (Chair)
• Alasdair Smith, Director, Children and Families, London Borough of Southwark
• Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families (England)
• Rachael Wardell, Corporate Director of Communities with Responsibility for Children and Adult Services, West Berkshire Council (and lead for ADCS on workforce development) (since appointed to Executive Director of Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, Surrey County Council)
• Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board and Leader of the LB Islington (since stepped down as chair of the LGC Children and Young People’s Board)
• Sue Williams, Programme Director, Family Safeguarding, Hertfordshire County Council
• Teresa Williams, Director of Strategy, Cafcass

Academic Advisers to the Review

• Professor Janet Boddy, University of Sussex
• Professor Karen Broadhurst, University of Lancaster
  Alex Clark, Secretary to the President of the Family Division
• Professor Anna Gupta, Royal Holloway, University of London
• Professor Judith Harwin, University of Lancaster
• Dr Lisa Holmes, Oxford University
• Professor Joan Hunt, Cardiff University
• Professor Kate Morris, University of Sheffield
• Dinithi Wijedasa, Bristol University

Facilitators of the Review

• Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive, Family Rights Group
• Dorit Braun, Project Manager, Family Rights Group
• Yasmin Choudhury, Website and Communications Manager (internal), Family Rights Group
• Sophia Hill, Administrator, Family Rights Group
• Pam Ledward, Principal Social Work Adviser, Family Rights Group
• Caroline Lynch, Principal Legal Adviser, Family Rights Group
• Mary Ryan, Lawyer and Consultant, Ryan Tunnard Brown
• Caroline Thomas, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Stirling
• Jo Tunnard, Consultant, Ryan Tunnard Brown

• Collating evidence on the drivers for the increase in care proceedings.
• Scrutinising research findings about the policies and practices that may safely lead to reductions in care order applications and children coming into or remaining in care.
• A call for information and emerging evidence about effective approaches (used by local authorities, courts and voluntary organisations) to engage positively with families at an early stage and enhancing the chances of resolving family difficulties.
• Consulting with children, young people, parents and kinship carers.
• Consulting with sector leaders and legal and social work practitioners in England and Wales, to explore and prioritise actions for change.
• Reporting, with recommendations, on ways of reducing demands on the family justice and child welfare systems and improving outcomes for children and families.