Our Board

Eileen Munro is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics. She has written extensively on how to improve reasoning in child protection work, covering how best to combine intuitive and analytic reasoning, and also on the importance of understanding how the organisational system influences workers’ actions. In 2011, she completed the Munro Review of the English Child Protection System. Returning to her roots in philosophy, Eileen has worked  with Professor Nancy Cartwright and Dr John Pemberton on an AHRC-funded project exploring how to evidence causal claims in social systems, culminating in a book ‘Causal claims and their warrant’ that sets out a new method for assessing whether plans for how to affect change produced their intended outcome, or whether they are likely to do so in the future.

Dalwardin Babu is a member of the Parole Board, a Non-Executive Director for the NHS, a Community Development Officer for St Francis de Sales Federation of Schools in Tottenham and a member of The London Policing Board. During his time in the police, he was part of the Children's Safeguarding Boards in Tower Hamlets and Harrow. Dalwardin is a regular contributor on BBC Radio 4/5 and BBC/ITV News on a wide range of policing and community issues. In his spare time, he cycles, watches Arsenal and Walsall FC and follows Middlesex CC.

Jenny Coles was appointed to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel in December 2021 and was reappointed in November 2025 for a period of four years. Jenny was Director of Children’s Services in Hertfordshire County Council from 2010 to 2021 when she retired. She was also President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services from April 2020 to April 2021.

Steven Cox is an executive coach, an enabler of senior leadership development, and an independent consultant, working with clients on their corporate strategies, including how they can embed a strategic approach to equity, workplace inclusion and workforce diversity. The majority of Steven’s career has been in the private sector leading business units enabling organisational improvement through the delivery of mission critical transformational technology services to Central Government Departments, non-Departmental bodies, Agencies and other public sector bodies. Steven has held several other advisory roles to private and third-sector organisations.

Peter is a solicitor with over 25 years’ experience as a Government Lawyer, most recently as (interim) Treasury Solicitor and Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department (GLD). He began his career as a litigation solicitor in private practice before joining the Government Legal Service in 1994. He has held a number of senior legal roles across government, including as Legal Adviser to the Cabinet Office, Head of the Attorney General’s Office and Legal Adviser to the Home Office. Peter was an executive member of GLD’s Board from 2014 until leaving the civil service in April 2021. He is currently Chair of the Fitness to Practice Committee of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Kathryn has joined Cafcass on 1 April 2026 as Independent Member for the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.

Kathryn is a University graduate and a Chartered Accountant by profession.

She has a 30+ year career in the Board Room as Executive Director of Finance & Corporate Services, and Non-Executive Director/Committee Member/Audit Committee Chair across both public and private sectors.

Kathryn brings broad experience of demand-led services and has been responsible for all areas of corporate services, governance, risk and assurance, successfully delivering business-as-usual (BAU) priorities and transformation through periods of both financial growth and financial challenge. 

Sectors of her work include frontline NHS and Children’s Services, customer facing Department for Transport services, Community Pharmacy services, the leisure industry, chemical manufacturing, audit and taxation.

Helen Jones is an experienced risk, compliance and regulatory policy practitioner, with both public and commercial cross-sectoral experience in financial services and non-executive experience in social housing, services for children and young people, and occupational pensions. Helen worked in various senior risk roles for the Bank of England and for the Financial Services Authority, before working for Lloyds Banking Group.

Helen was a board member of the then YMCA London South West (now St Paul’s Group) for over 20 years, latterly as Chair of the Board. She chaired the Board of the YMCA pension scheme for 12 years and is a current member of its Investment Committee.

She is a magistrate and member and Deputy Chair of the Greater London Family Panel. Helen is also Deputy Chair of the Family Court Committee of the Magistrates Association. She was a member of the Private Law Working Group, established by the President of the Family Division, and is a current ex officio member of the FJC sub-group on alienating behaviours. Helen is also a non-executive director of a family mediation charity.

She has chaired the Audit and Risk Committee of Cafcass for the last four years.

Helen is Joint Head of Child Protection at Invicta Law, where she leads a large multidisciplinary team providing specialist legal services in public law children’s proceedings. She has extensive experience working with local authorities and partner agencies on complex safeguarding and child protection matters and contributes actively to the effective functioning of the family justice system. Helen qualified as a solicitor in 2011 and has spent her career in public service, working within local government and the public sector legal environment. She has held senior leadership roles within child protection legal services and regularly supports learning and development across the sector through training and professional engagement.

Helen is Co-Chair of the Kent Family Justice Board and brings a strong commitment to collaboration, good governance and improving outcomes for children and families through effective partnership working.

Catharine brings a wealth of experience to Cafcass having spent 15 years working in public service as a non-executive director, principally for national regulators. Having recently completed two terms as the Senior Independent Director for both The Legal Services Board and the Gambling Commission, she is also the Deputy Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and sits on the board of the Health and Care Professions Council. Catharine sits on employment tribunals, as a lay assessor on civil cases in the county courts, on the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and she is a presiding magistrate in Central London. Catharine is a Course Tutor for the Civil Service College and a Trustee for CPotential, a charity which provides a range of services and support for children and young people who have movement disorders. Prior to sitting on national boards, Catharine was a BBC producer/director and eventually set up her own production company, working mainly for C4.

Natalie is an independent consultant. She has worked in Children’s Services for over forty years, working with more than 70 local authorities, NHS Trusts and voluntary sector organisations. Natalie is passionate about improving the lives of children and has focused her career on strategic developments to achieve continuous practice improvement and sustained change. She has worked for The Department for Education, The Department of Health and The Government of Jersey. She has also held regional development positions with The Children’s Commissioning Support Programme, The Transitional Support Programme for Disabled Children, The CAMHS Service Improvement Team and The Adoption Support Fund. Starting her career as a social worker, Natalie has held senior management positions in local authorities and worked as an Ofsted Inspector for Social Care.