Appointment of new Cafcass Chief Executive
8 June 2004
Baroness Pitkeathley OBE – Chair of the
Cafcass Board – today announced the appointment of Anthony Douglas
as the next Chief Executive of Cafcass. Mr Douglas will
take up this role from
1 September 2004.
Anthony Douglas has extensive knowledge of
children and families’ issues with over 28 years experience of
working in social services. He is currently Director of
Social Services for Suffolk and is also an active member of the
Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS). He is the
author of three books on UK Social Services and has written and
lectured extensively on this subject for the past 15 years.
As Chair of the British Association of
Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) and a former Chair of the London
Guardian Panel Board, Mr Douglas combines his professional
knowledge with his own personal experience as an adoptee, later
reunited with his birth parents.
Baroness Pitkeathley said: “This
appointment is great news for Cafcass.
In Anthony Douglas we have a Chief Executive
with a detailed understanding of children and family issues.
He also demonstrates a deep, personal commitment to the work of
Cafcass and the family justice system as a whole. These
qualities will be invaluable to this organisation as we move
forward.
“Within Cafcass there is renewed confidence
and optimism that the service we provide is now improving and
making a positive difference to the lives of the children and
families we support. This is due - in no small part - to our
outgoing Chief Executive, Jonathan Tross.
“Jonathan has led Cafcass through a critical
period of its short and, at times, turbulent history. His
focus and determination to improve the efficiency and
responsiveness of the organisation, and to give Cafcass a respected
voice within the family justice system, have been
inspirational.”
Between now and the end of August, there will
be close and regular liaison between Jonathan Tross and Anthony
Douglas in order to achieve a smooth and effective handover.
On the news of his appointment, Mr Douglas
said: “I am delighted to be joining Cafcass. I have a
strong and abiding interest in children and families’ services and
I intend to use that experience to good effect. This means
establishing Cafcass in its rightful place to deliver support to
children and families at all levels – both in terms of local
service delivery and in Whitehall at policy level. We have a
big part to play.
Margaret Hodge, Minister for Children, Young
People and Families welcomed the new appointment and said: “I
am pleased to welcome Anthony Douglas as the new Chief
Executive of Cafcass. His extensive
knowledge and experience will be an asset to the
organisation.
"Cafcass plays an important role
in helping safeguard the best interests of all
children by acting as an effective champion for
children involved in family proceedings. Anthony Douglas will
replace Jonathon Tross, who made a valuable contribution
to the service at a crucial time. He
has helped it move forward to provide a
more effective and timely response to children and
families. "