PRESS RELEASE : Reappointment of Chair to the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales [April 2023]

The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State has announced the reappointment of Keith Fraser as Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB). Keith’s term of office will commence on 14 April 2023 for a period of 2 years.

Appointments and reappointments of YJB Board members (including the Chair) are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and are made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The YJB is a non-departmental public body, responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. As a non-departmental public body, it has a core responsibility for close monitoring of the operational performance of statutory partnerships, local authorities and Youth Offending Teams in preventing offending.

Biography

Keith was first appointed to the YJB as a member in January 2018 and was appointed as Chair in April 2020 for 3 years. He is also the Chair of Local Partnerships and of 999 Cenotaph. In March 2023 he became a member of the Governing Committee for the Youth Endowment Fund and was a Commissioner for the UK Race and Ethnic Disparities Commission. Keith is the Non-Executive Director at The WorkForce Development Trust Limited, Sport Birmingham and a Patron for Employability UK.

Prior to this, Keith was a Superintendent and Chief Inspector in the West Midlands Police. During this time, he produced the 2016-19 Preventing Gang Involvement and Youth Violence strategy, and was the Strategic Police Lead for the Princes Trust across the West Midlands. He also served in the Metropolitan Police Service for 20 Years. Keith was also the Chair of Wolverhampton City Council’s statutory Youth Justice Management Board where he led an innovative preventative project which worked with Sport England to support over 7,000 children.