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Court Reporters - New chair for CAFCASS
The British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF)
has today welcomed the appointment of Anthony Douglas as the
new Chief Executive of the Children and Family Court Advisory
and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony has been the Chair
of BAAF since November 2003 and was previously vice-Chair.
Anthony brings a wealth of professional experience from his
previous posts as director of social services in Suffolk and
Havering, as well as personal experience as an adopted person.
Felicity Collier, Chief Executive of BAAF, said ‘Anthony
is ideally suited to taking on this role in what has been
a difficult time for CAFCASS. His new role complements the
continuing leadership he offers BAAF in safeguarding the futures
of the 65,000 children in care in England and Wales. I hope
that Anthony’s appointment, along with other measures
being taken, will lead to real progress for CAFCASS. I look
forward to working with him in both his new role and as chair
of BAAF.’
BAAF was represented on two of the advisory groups set up
to assist the Lord Chancellor's department in the implementation
of CAFCASS. It also gave evidence to the House of Commons
Select Committee on the Lord Chancellor's Department enquiry
into CAFCASS when difficulties arose.
Ends
Contact:
Press office (020 7593 2054)
Note
The British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF)
is the UK’s leading adoption and fostering charity.
For more information, visit www.baaf.org.uk.
Posted by Web Site Editor at June 9, 2004 10:20 AM
Anthony Douglas, BAAF's Chair
Anthony Douglas was Vice Chair of BAAF for 3 years before
succeeding Sir Edward Cazalet as Chair. He brings to the role
considerable personal and professional experience.
As an adoptee in touch with his birth family, he understands
the issues for children and families involved in family placements.
Anthony has recently been appointed chief executive of CAFCASS
(see BAAF's press release). He has been a Director of Social
Services for 8 years in 2 local authorities, and has also
been a Director of Housing, Leisure and other public services.
He was Chair of London ADSS for 3 years and has written 3
books on UK Social Services.
Anthony is married with 2 grown-up daughters, and lives in
Suffolk and London. He is working on a fourth book, on social
care partnerships, and is a keen cricketer and saxophonist.
Suffolk has no plans to appoint a new director
of social care following the
decision of its current boss to take up a national post working
with
children and families involved in court cases.
Anthony Douglas is to become chief executive
of the Children and Families
Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS).
The departure of the 54-year-old, who will start
his new job in September,
gives greater urgency to Suffolk's overhaul of services for
children.
This week councillors in Norfolk agreed to press
ahead with plans to create
a director of children's services.
Suffolk's executive has signed up to the principle
of creating a children's
director as part of its Every Child Matters strategy, with
hopes to complete
the overhaul by the autumn.
The moves are part of a Government drive set
out in the Children Bill to
pull together the work of agencies responsible for child protection
including social services, education, the voluntary sector,
health bodies
and the police.
Greater emphasis will be placed on early intervention
and prevention to
ensure youngsters at risk do not slip through the net after
the tragic
deaths of Victoria Climbie and Lauren Wright.
Mr Douglas said he had not planned to leave
Suffolk after less than two
years, but the challenge of a national role was too good to
turn down, and
he was looking forward to taking up the new job.
"It's a huge challenge and very exciting,"
he said.
"It's a service which has had its difficulties,
but it's a massively
important one that affects thousands of children caught up
in public and
private law cases.
"Clearly I would have liked to stay another
year to embed some of the
programmes we have been doing, but this job came up.
"I believe I have changed the culture of
the department. It's become a more
open and candid culture and a lot less bureaucratic."
And he said that his decision would give a further
impetus to the overhaul,
which is likely to be completed by October.
"We were always aiming for that, but perhaps
my leaving gives it an extra
urgency because we have got to get people in post to run services,"
he
added.
"I think it would have happened at the
same time though I would have been
one of the candidates for one of the new posts."
Tony Lewis, the council's portfolio holder for
children and young people,
said the county had already put in place a new management
structure ahead of
the changes and Mr Douglas's departure announcement, which
he hoped would be
able to cope in the meantime.
"At the moment we are not looking to appoint
a director of social care, but
looking at making an interim appointment, but it depends a
lot on who is
available," he said.
"What we have already done is create a
management network of associate
directors and we think we can keep things running until we
decide exactly
how we are going to take it forward."
He wished Mr Douglas well in his new role.
"It's fantastic," he said. "Anthony
has been totally committed to reforming
the social care side of the business. He is a person who is
both strategic
and highly involved."
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