Vice-Chair

Barbara is  retired and alongside her job she spent 24 years as a Magistrate.  From around 2005 she specialised in family Court work in Birmingham.  She now volunteers with Support Through Court – an organisation that works in the Civil Courts to assist people who are representing themselves to find their way through the process.

She worked with the Local Government Ombudsman’s service until 2013 as a Deputy Ombudsman, latterly leading on the development of a new arm of the service for people relying on adult care in both the public and private sectors across England.  Her earlier work in various local authorities allowed her to learn the importance of community building among vulnerable groups.

Barbara is concerned to ensure that services are responsive to those who rely on them, and that people using support services can be heard as part of the design process, as well as during delivery.