Youth Justice Board appointments: 14 July 2026

The Deputy Prime Minister has approved the further appointment of the Interim Chair of the Youth Justice Board as well as the member with experience and knowledge of Wales. He has also extended the tenure of 3 members.

The Deputy Prime Minister has approved the further appointments, without competition, of Phil Bowen as Interim Chair of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, and of Karin Phillips MBE as a member with experience and knowledge of Wales from 1 June 2026 to 30 June 2027.

The Deputy Prime Minister has also extended the terms of Jacob Sakil, Susannah Hancock, and Louise Shorter as YJB members from 1 December 2026 to 30 June 2027.

The YJB is an independent Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) established by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (‘the Act’) to oversee the youth justice system in England Wales.

The Deputy Prime Minister appoints Board members, under the Act, in his capacity as Secretary of State for Justice, and recruitment processes comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Ministers consulted the Commissioner for Public Appointments before further appointing, without competition, Phil Bowen and Karin Phillips. These appointments will ensure that the YJB has continuity of leadership and governance during a period of restructuring, as part of the Government’s wider programme of reform of youth justice services.

Phil Bowen was appointed a YJB Board Member on 1 March 2023 and was appointed, without competition, Interim Chair on 1January 2026. He was previously Director of the Centre for Justice Innovation; leading the organisation and overseeing the implementation of its overarching strategy since 2012. During that time, he has been a policy fellow to two Lord Chancellors. Prior to running the Centre, Phil was a Civil Servant working for the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and as an adviser on criminal justice reform in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit.