Public appointment: Chair appointed to Children’s Hearings Scotland

The Minister for Children and Young People, Ms Haughey, today announced the appointment of Katharina Kasper as Chair of Children’s Hearings Scotland.

Chair

Katharina Kasper is a non-executive director and an experienced risk management professional, having held senior risk, oversight and transformation roles within the financial services and professional advisory sectors. She is a non-executive board member of NHS Lothian, where she is also the Whistleblowing Champion, and a member of the West Lothian Integration Joint Board, where she chairs the Strategic Planning Group. Katharina is also a member of the Scottish Police Authority. She holds an MA in Business and Law from the University of Edinburgh and a postgraduate Diploma in Enterprise Risk Management. 

As a management consultant Katharina has worked with a wide breadth of organisations, in the UK and abroad, helping them to re-design their processes and implement transformational change, always putting the customer at the centre. In her public sector roles Katharina is committed to reducing inequalities in our communities and in particular ensuring that children and young people have the best possible start in life.

She brings to the role of the Children's Hearings Scotland (CHS) Chair her core areas of expertise, which include governance, organisational transformation, risk management, and oversight and assurance, and her strong commitment to helping to redesign the children’s hearings system and to keep The Promise to Scotland’s infants, children and young people.

Appointment

This appointment will be for four years and will run from 8 April 2022 to 7 April 2026.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

This appointment is part time and attracts a remuneration of £220 per day for a time commitment of eight days per month.

Other ministerial appointments

Katharina Kasper is a Non-Executive board member of NHS Lothian for which she receives remuneration of £17,380 per annum, for a time commitment of up to eight days per month. She is also a member of the Scottish Police Authority for which she receives a remuneration of £309 per day, for a time commitment of up to six days per month.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.

Katharina Kasper has had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

Children’s Hearings Scotland is a national non-departmental public body which was formed in June 2013. Its role is to recruit, train and support around 2,500 skilled volunteer panel members who sit on children’s hearings. They also support a network of 22 volunteer led Area Support Teams.

Children’s Hearings Scotland is committed to keep The Promise to Scotland’s infants, children and young people. the organisation is part of the Hearings System Working Group, working with the Scottish Government, The Promise Scotland and the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration to redesign the children’s hearings system.