Extension of Sally Cheshire’s appointment as Interim Chair of Cafcass

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.