Education Secretary has appointed Sir David
Holmes as the new Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review
Panel.
The independent panel of experts provides national leadership and
learning on child protection and safeguarding. Established in
July 2018 to review serious child safeguarding incidents, when
children have died or suffered serious harm due to abuse or
neglect, the panel aims to improve the safeguarding system by
identifying national learning from these tragedies.
David Holmes has 19 years' experience in the development and
provision of high-quality services for children and families as a
CEO in the voluntary
sector, currently as CEO of Family Action - a
frontline charity which supports families through change,
challenge or crisis. Prior to that he served as a Deputy Director
of Children's Services in local government, a senior civil
servant in the Department of Health and Department for Education,
and as a practising solicitor. He will serve a 4-year term from
23 June 2025.
This appointment builds on the announcement that the panel will
form the foundation from which to build the Child Protection
Authority (CPA)
in England. The CPA will be established to
make the child protection system clearer and more unified, and
ensure ongoing improvement for child and youth victims of abuse
and neglect through effective, evidence-based support for
practitioners.
Under Sir David's leadership, work to expand the role of the
panel by increasing its analytical capacity and to provide
high-quality material for practitioners will begin immediately.
Later this year, the government will develop a roadmap to
establishing the CPA and launch a consultation
on the development of the new CPA.
Education Secretary said:
Sir David Holmes' track record in working on the ground with
children and families, supporting them through the toughest
times, makes him well-placed to help us build a system where
background does not determine destiny.
I am grateful to Annie Hudson for her stewardship of the panel,
bringing forth ambitious recommendations that are now informing
our work to improve child protection across England and deliver
our Plan for Change.
As we move towards creating a new Child Protection Authority, I
look forward to working with Sir David Holmes in a shared
ambition to protect and defend the most vulnerable children in
our society.
Incoming chair of the panel, Sir David Holmes, said:
I am honoured to have been chosen to undertake this role. No
child should suffer harm, abuse or neglect and the panel's role
in working with the whole safeguarding system to review practice,
identify learning and encourage and enable improvement is
crucial.
I look forward to working with everyone to improve the
safeguarding of children and I will do everything I possibly can
to make a positive difference in this role.
Outgoing chair of the panel, Annie Hudson, said:
I feel immensely privileged to have served as Chair of the Child
Safeguarding Practice Review Panel for the past 5 years.
The panel has worked hard to ensure that, as a nation and as
safeguarding professionals, we learn from tragic incidents where
children have died or been seriously harmed because of abuse and
neglect.
There is much important work to do over the coming period to
improve how agencies work together to help and protect children.
With his wealth of experience, I know that Sir David Holmes is
very well placed to lead the panel in taking forward plans to
create a stronger, evidence-based system that puts children's
needs at the heart of all we do.
