Mrs Beverley Barnett‑Jones is Associate Director for System and Impact at the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. She is a registered social worker with a career spanning over 25 years in local authority and other statutory children’s and family services, having switched career planning from lawyer to young person’s counsellor before training as a social worker.

She holds an LLB honours Law Degree and a Master’s in social Science. Beverley has been committed for many years to improving the help and support offered to children, their families, and their wider community. She has promoted the use of evidence and research to inform practice and service design. She has been and continues to be involved in the development of innovative practice and system change initiatives. She worked on the second DFE Phase Innovation FDAC stream working closely with the then FDAC National Unit, project and then service managing the Coventry FDAC. She has recently led on and completed the implementation of the tri-borough Black Country FDAC and has supported the development of a unique Multi-disciplinary perinatal intervention service being piloted by Walsall Council Children’s Services in the West Midlands. She has worked closely with a range of researchers since 2005 advocating that research and evidence can make the difference to the effectiveness of frontline social work. She has remained resolutely close to practice. Beverley was awarded an MBE in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List in recognition of her management of frontline services for children and families.