The Secretary of State has extended Sally Cheshire’s tenure
as Interim Chair of the Children and Family Court Advisory
and Support Service (Cafcass) by 9 months. Sally’s term of
office as Interim Chair will run until 31 March 2021 while a
recruitment campaign is carried out to fill the position on a
permanent basis.
The role of Cafcass Chair is regulated by the Commissioner
for Public Appointments and Sally’s appointment has been made
in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Cafcass is an independent (non-departmental) public body
which has a statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote
the welfare of children going through family proceedings. It
is independent of the courts, social services, education and
health authorities and all similar agencies. Cafcass ensures
that children and young people who are the subject of such
proceedings are kept safe, their voices are properly heard,
the decisions made about them by courts are in their best
interests and that they and their families are supported
throughout the process.
Biography
Sally Cheshire CBE, has been a member of Cafcass since May
2018. She was appointed Deputy Chair in February 2019 and
took over as interim Chair from 16 December 2019. Sally is
Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
(HFEA), the UK’s regulator of the fertility sector and embryo
research, has held senior leadership roles across the health
sector and is currently Chair of Health Education England
(North). Sally was also a Board Member of the regional
adoption agency ‘Adoption Counts’, and an independent member
of adoption panels in the North West, which approve adopters
and family matches in the best interests of children. She
previously enjoyed a successful corporate career with
Deloitte.
