WALES – Appointing a Chair to CAFCASS Cymru’s Advisory Committee

Date of decision / Dyddiad y penderfyniad:

02/08/2012

Statement of information / Datganiad gwybodaeth:

This submission seeks the approval of the Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services to the appointment plan of recruiting a Chair to CAFCASS Cymru’s Advisory Committee from within its membership.

The arrangement for appointing a Chair from within its membership was agreed in 2006 when the Advisory Committee was first established.  The appointment of the Chair will be for an initial period of three years, renewable subject to satisfactory review and to a maximum of 10 years.

The Chair, as with other members of the Committee, will not be remunerated but are reimbursed travel, subsistence and childcare expenses incurred in attending meetings.  The Advisory Committee will meet four times a year.

The Committee has no executive powers and will be advisory in its
purpose, which is to:

• represent stakeholders’ interests and provide suggestions to CAFCASS Cymru on a range of practice issues;
• act as an external consultative reference point in relation to the development of policies;
• consider the impact of new legislation and developments in the Family Justice system in relation to the development of the service in Wales;
• ensuring that Committee members are nominated for any Complaint reviews under CAFCASS Cymru’s Complaints Policy;

The members of the Advisory Committee are representatives of, and nominated by stakeholder organisations.

The Advisory Committee current membership includes:

ADSS Cymru Representative BAWSO
Children in Wales Children’s Commissioner for Wales
FNF Both Parents Matter Cymru Family Rights Group
Funky Dragon Glyndwr University
HMCTS Judiciary
Law Society representative Learning Disability Wales
Legal Services Commission Magistrates Association
MEWN Cymru SNAP Cymru
Tros Gynnal Voices from Care
Welsh Women’s Aid

The Welsh Government is committed to making appointments to public bodies, whether paid or unpaid, by fair and open competition.