Family Rights Group CEO to stand down after 22 years

The chief executive of the Family Rights Group has confirmed she is standing down from her role after 22 years in the post.

Baroness Cathy Ashley, who is set to enter the House of Lords in November as a Labour life peer, will leave the charity —which supports parents, relatives, and kinship carers whose children are involved with children’s services or the care system in England— in early 2027.

In a statement confirming her departure, Ashley said: “Leading [the] Family Rights Group for the past 22 years has been an extraordinary privilege. I have been very fortunate to work alongside an exceptional team of staff and trustees.

“I have learnt so much from families and young people involved with the charity and am consistently in awe as they draw on their own, often very painful, experiences to inform the need for reforms to the child welfare and family justice system for the benefit of others.”

“We have championed family-led approaches, including family group conferences, designed so those who know and love a child are central to plans made about them.

“Mothers and fathers who sit on our parents’ panel have led the way in demonstrating why those with experience of the child welfare system should be central to shaping it.”

She remarked on the charity’s record instigating the creation of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care and securing major reforms, including extensions in legal aid to special guardians, and the requirement of local authorities to produce a kinship care offer, as well as changes in benefit regulations.

Reflecting on her career, she continued: “I’m delighted that we are getting ever closer to our ambition that every child and young person in the care system is offered Lifelong Links.

“I am deeply grateful to everyone at Family Rights Group and to the many people beyond the charity who have supported our work. Of course, there’s still so much more to do. I will continue to work with an exceptional team at Family Rights Group over the next few months to deliver for children and families.”

“And as a working peer, I remain determined to work to address significant injustices within our child welfare system, and will continue to champion the values that make this charity stand out.”

The Family Rights Group is in the process of recruiting a new CEO, with applications closing in mid-November.