12 June 2008 – Non-Executive Directors of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission announced
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell today announced the appointment of the first Non-Executive Directors to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. This follows the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act becoming law on 5 June 2008.
The directors announced today are Deborah Absalom, Rosemary Carter, Bill Griffiths and Maeve Sherlock and the appointments will take effect from 10th June 2008.
Chair of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission Janet Paraskeva said:
“I am delighted to welcome these new Non-Executive Board members to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. They bring with them tremendous skill and expertise from across the public and private sectors.
“These appointments, alongside that of Stephen Geraghty as Commissioner, will give the Commission an experienced and committed leadership and I look forward to working with them to meet our aim of delivering more money to more families.”
The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act sees the creation of a new Commission, a non-departmental public body with responsibility for delivering a new approach to child maintenance. The Commission’s aim is to increase the number of maintenance arrangements to get more money to more children.'
Janet Paraskeva was appointed Chair Designate of the Commission on 19th November 2007 with Stephen Geraghty as Commissioner Designate on 1st January 2008 and both appointments have now been formally confirmed by the Secretary of State following Royal Assent of the Act.
Notes to Editors:
- Royal Assent of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act was received on 5 June 2008.
- The appointments will commence on 10 June 2008 and will be for an initial period of four years. The appointments were made on merit following an open competition for the posts.
Biographical details: Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission Non Executive Board Members.
Deborah Absalom is currently the Director of Children’s Services in Bexley and was previously the Deputy Chief Executive for Education in Leeds. In addition, Deborah serves on the steering group of London Directors of Children’s Services.
Rosemary Carter is a consulting solicitor who specialises in family law. Rosemary is currently a member of Resolution and a trustee of One Parent Families/Gingerbread. She is a lay member of both the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the RICS Surveyors Ombudsman Scheme Board. Rosemary is also a trained mediator.
Bill Griffiths is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Child Support Agency and Executive Chairman of the Forensic Science Service. He also holds a number of other Non-Executive Director roles within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and for DWP Shared Services. He has previously held non-executive roles at the Department for International Development and HM Revenue and Customs.
Maeve Sherlock is currently a Commissioner of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and a member of the Board of the Financial Ombudsman Service. Maeve was previously Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, Director of the National Council for One Parent Families and a member of the Council of Economic Advisers in HMT Treasury, where her brief included child poverty.
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