Nuffield Family Justice Observatory has appointed Amanda Naylor OBE, chief executive of Volunteering Matters, Sally Holland, professor of social work at Cardiff University and former Children’s Commissioner for Wales, and John Pearce, past president of ADCS and children’s services consultant to its board.
We are delighted to welcome three new members to the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory board. Each brings deep knowledge and experience of family justice, through service leadership or academia, and have in common a focus on protecting children’s rights and working to improve their lives for the better. We are looking forward to supporting Nuffield FJO as it looks for opportunities to bring about positive change for children and families.Jenny Beck, chair of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory board
Amanda Naylor OBE is chief executive of Volunteering Matters, a UK-wide charity mobilising over 12,000 volunteers across more than 75 programmes to strengthen communities and tackle social isolation. She is a nationally recognised leader in volunteering, safeguarding, and public service reform, with nearly 30 years’ experience spanning the voluntary sector, government partnerships, and frontline delivery.
Amanda has held senior leadership roles at Barnardo’s and Victim Support, where she led national services for children and young people affected by abuse, exploitation, and serious crime. Her work has included extensive support for disabled children and their families, alongside direct experience of the family justice system through her early career in social work, including work with family courts and the Court of Protection. She directed the £15m See, Hear, Respond programme during COVID-19, coordinating 80+ grassroots organisations to support vulnerable children nationwide.
She is a leading voice in shaping the future of civic participation, including her role in the #iwill Movement and development of Towns and Cities of Youth Social Action. Amanda also serves as chair of Respond and as a co-opted member of Action for Children’s National Advisory Board (England), supporting strategy and governance with a focus on lived experience.
Awarded an OBE in 2020 for services to vulnerable children, Amanda combines strategic leadership with deep operational insight. She holds an MSc in Forensic Psychology and began her career in youth work and social work, grounding her leadership in practice, equity, and lived experience.
Professor Sally Holland is a professor of social work at Cardiff University. She is based in CASCADE Children’s Social Care Research Centre, which she founded in 2014, and where she is involved in research on many aspects of children’s social care. Between 2015 and 2022 Sally was the children’s commissioner for Wales, which is an independent senior public appointment with a legal remit to protect and promote children’s rights.
Sally undertakes a number of roles external to the university. She is currently independent chair of Cyngor Gwynedd’s Programme Board for the Crime Response Plan related to a serious child abuse case. She is a member of the National Adoption Service Governance Board and a member of the Welsh Government’s Innovating Democracy Advisory Group. Between 2025 and 2026 she was the independent chair of the panel overseeing the Welsh Government’s Maternity and Neonatal Assurance Assessment. Between February 2026 and February 2028 Sally will be a part-time visiting professor at Lund University in Sweden.
John Pearce OBE was the corporate director children and young people (DCS) for Durham County Council, from September 2019 until December 2026 and prior to that held DCS/DASS roles in two other councils. He is also a past president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) in 2023–24 leading the association in helping to shape national policy working closely with central government and other key sector bodies. John was awarded an OBE for services to Children and Young People in the King’s 2026 Birthday Honours List, and he is now working as a sector consultant operating at regional and national level.
John has a strong track record of improvement in children’s services and has developed and led high quality services in different areas including leading Durham Children’s Services to an overall judgement of Outstanding from Ofsted in March 2025. John has a longstanding interest in supporting improvement in family justice services and worked with Nuffield FJO on key issues during his national role with ADCS. Other areas of interest he has championed at local, regional and national level include the impact of child poverty on children and families and the wider societal factors that must be addressed to reduce the need for support through the statutory part of the children’s services system.
At the core of Nuffield Family Justice Observatory’s work over the next five years is uniting family justice professionals around a shared mission of improving the lives of children and families. The breadth of experience embodied in our three new board members is a promising reflection of that ambition. The Nuffield FJO board plays a vital role in supporting and challenging the team, and we are excited to welcome our new members.Lisa Harker, director of Nuffield Family Justice Observatory
