Sally Cheshire CBE appointed as new Deputy Chair of Cafcass Board

 

We are delighted to announce that Sally Cheshire CBE has been appointed as Deputy Chair of the Cafcass Board.

Sally has been a member of the Board since 14th May 2018. Welcoming Sally into her new role on behalf of everyone at Cafcass, Chief Executive Anthony Douglas said:

‘Sally brings powerful personal and professional experience to her work in Cafcass and this has already provided us with new insights. Sally is a highly experienced Board member at the national level and also a health expert, which helps our Board take a wide-ranging multi-disciplinary look at the family justice system and in the way we meet the diverse needs of the children and young people we serve.’

Edward Timpson CBE, Chair of Cafcass, added:

“Since joining the Board, Sally’s constructive support and thoughtful advice have been invaluable. Together with her wealth of experience in the professional demands of chairing a public board, Sally is an ideal Deputy and I’m thrilled she has agreed to take on this important role.”

Commenting on her appointment, Sally said:

“I am delighted to have been appointed as the Deputy Chair of Cafcass and I am looking forward to contributing my professional and personal experience as a long time adoptive parent to the Board. Cafcass made a real difference to my own children’s lives and I have been genuinely impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of all our staff and their clear focus right across the organisation on the best interests of the children, young people and families we serve.”

Sally brings an abundance of experience to the role. She is an adoptive parent of three children, 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.

Sally is Chair of the HFEA, the UK’s regulator of the fertility sector and embryo research. She has held senior leadership roles across the health sector and is currently also the Chair of Health Education England (North), which is responsible for the education and training of the 350,000 health and care staff across the North of England.

She previously enjoyed a successful corporate career with Deloitte, one of the global professional services firms and, having moved into public sector work, is passionate about improving the quality of public services offered to families and patients and, in her adoption work, is passionate about ensuring children’s wishes are respected and decisions taken in their best interests.