Appointment of an independent chair to the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland
Date published:
The Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has announced the appointment of an Independent Chair to the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI).
Mr. Gerard (Gerry) Guckian has been appointed as Independent Chair. His appointment commenced on 3 July 2026 and will end on a date not later than 2 July 2030.
The SBNI Independent Chair position attracts remuneration of £40,808 per annum with a time commitment of 3 full working days per week.
This appointment is made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.
The SBNI is a partnership organisation consisting of all the key statutory bodies, the major voluntary agencies and appointed independent persons that manage, operate and resource the safeguarding and child protection system in Northern Ireland. The statutory objective of the SBNI is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in Northern Ireland by coordinating the work and ensuring the effectiveness of each person or body represented on the SBNI Board.
Notes to editors:
- Gerard (Gerry) Guckian MBE DL is a partner in a firm of solicitors in Derry/Londonderry, having qualified in 1985. As a member of the Children’s Order Panel of the Law Society of Northern Ireland since its inception, Mr Guckian has represented children in public law proceedings for over 25 years. He has one other public appointment as a non-executive member (currently acting Chair) of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, which requires a time commitment of 2 days per week and attracts remuneration of £20,358 per annum and was previously a lay member of SBNI. He was Chair of Altnagelvin Hospital Health and Social Services Trust (2004-2006) and Chair of the Western Health and Social Care Trust (2006-2016). Mr Guckian has a lengthy experience of Health and Social Care leadership and governance in Northern Ireland. Whilst Chair of the Western HSC Trust he served on and chaired the representatives’ group of the Northern Ireland Confederation of Health and Social Care (NICON). In 2019 Mr Guckian was awarded an MBE for services to Health & Social Care in Northern Ireland. He was a Trustee of Foyle Hospice from 2018-2025.
- Appointments to the SBNI are made by the Minister of Health.
- All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Mr Guckian has declared that he has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
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