Family Justice Board Chair Reappointed

The architect of the major reforms which put children at the heart of the family justice system has been reappointed as chair of the Family Justice Board (FJB), the Government has announced.

David Norgrove, who chaired the wide-ranging Family Justice review in 2011, will be in position for a further two-year term from 9th July 2014. He has been the body’s inaugural chair since it was set up in 2012.

The largest family justice reforms for a generation came into effect on 22nd April, following recommendations made by the review, and firmly put children at the heart of the system.

The Family Justice Review found the family justice system suffered from excessive delays, with care and supervision cases taking 56 weeks. These delays harmed children’s chances of finding a permanent home, potentially damaged their development and caused a great deal of distress.

The Government has now made major reforms, including:

• The introduction of the new Family Court in England and Wales with a simpler single system and a network of single application points making it easier for the public to navigate.
• The introduction a 26-week time limit for care proceedings to further reduce the excessive delays in these cases and give greater certainty to the children involved.
• Compulsory family mediation information meetings so separating couples must consider alternatives to harmful and stressful court battles when resolving financial matters and arrangements for children.
• Establishing the Family Justice Board, with Local Family Justice Boards to ensure better cross-system working to reduce delays across the system.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0.

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