This report covers the first year of the operation of the Advisory Board. In terms of the Family Law Act 1996, which is the prime focus of the Board, it has mainly been a year of development, with the introduction of the two Pilot Projects on information meetings and mediation, together with their supporting research, rather than one of implementation. This is fortunate, in that it has provided an opportunity for the Board to familiarise itself with its role and the issues, in advance of the more substantive questions that may arise. In the case of the Board's work in respect of the Children Act 1989, much of the effort has again been devoted to the development of the Board's role as the successor to the Children Act Advisory Committee.
The focus of this Report is therefore rather on recording what has happened than on the views and advice of the Board. That said, there have been issues where we have provided advice to Ministers and the Department and these are recorded in the relevant Chapters. I would anticipate that the balance between these two elements will shift in subsequent reports.
I am most grateful to the members of the Board for the time and enthusiasm that they have given to this work and for the way in which they have harnessed their very considerable experience. This was matched by the help and co-operation that we have received from the Lord Chancellor's Department and the agencies and academic institutions involved in the work. All this bodes well for the future.