AJC Working groups

The AJC currently has two active working groups that have been identified as requiring further consideration: Addressing disadvantaged people in the administrative justice system and Digitisation and the tribunal user experience in the modernised tribunal service.

Previous working groups have included:

• Polluter Pays
• Ombudsman and Tribunals Familiarisation
• SEND and first instance decision-making
• Public Education

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• Addressing disadvantaged people in the administrative justice system

  This working group was borne out of feedback from our Advice Sector Panel who reported an increasing number of frustrated and distressed users accessing the administrative justice system. Concerns were also raised about the negative effect such an increase was having on the wellbeing of those working within the system.    The group is chaired by […]

• Digitisation and the tribunal user experience in the modernised tribunal service

  Chaired by former Traffic Penalty Tribunal Chief Adjudicator, Caroline Sheppard OBE, this working group met for the first time in January 2023. The aim of the project is to review the ‘user experience’ of tribunal users in the light of His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) Tribunals modernisation programme. The group will focus on […]

• Ombudsman and Tribunals Familiarisation

  An Ombudsman and Tribunals Familiarisation Working Group was set up in Spring 2019. The Working Group is exploring how the two sectors can work together more closely, from more effective signposting to encouraging sharing of best practice and learning between the sectors. The Working Group was Chaired by Donal Galligan, Director of the Ombudsman Association […]

• Polluter pays

  The Pro Bono Panel decided to undertake research on whether a “polluter pays” mechanism might be one of the ways of improving the incentives to address the two following issues: (a) improving the quality of first-instance decision making, and(b) improving state party compliance with tribunal rules and directions The panel undertook comparative research and reviewed […]

• Public Education

  This working group held its first meeting in October 2022. The goal of the project was to promote better awareness of young people’s rights and the routes to access and enforce them, and how best to do so across the UK. The working group explored opportunities to collaborate with existing school and youth resources, and […]

• SEND Local Authority Decision-Making

  The overall aim of the project was to understand the reasons for the high success rate of parents in proceedings before the SEND Tribunal and to formulate practical, cost-effective proposals to manage demand in the short/medium term, before the systemic reforms proposed in the SEND Green Paper have impact. The working group met for the […]