Appointments to the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland
Date published:
The Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has announced the appointment of a Member to the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) and an extension to the term of an existing Member’s appointment.
Mrs Evelyn (Lyn) Preece has been appointed as a Member from 1 April 2026 to a date not later than 31 March 2030. Mr Gerard (Gerry) Guckian’s extension to his term as a Member commenced on 26 February 2026 and will end on a date not later than 2 July 2026.
The SBNI Member positions attract remuneration of £7,404 per annum with a time commitment of 2 days per month.
This extension and appointment are 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:
- Mr Gerry Guckian MBE, DL, qualified as a solicitor in 1985 and is a partner in a firm in Derry/Londonderry. A longstanding member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s Children Order Panel, he has represented children in public law proceedings for more than 25 years. As well as being a Member of SBNI, he has been a Non-Executive Member of Northern Ireland Social Care Council since 2018 and is currently Interim Chair, which requires a time commitment of 2 days per week and attracts remuneration of £20,358 per annum. He previously held the positions of: Chair of Altnagelvin Hospital Health and Social Services Trust (2004-2006) and Chair of the Western Health and Social Care Trust (2006-2016). Before these appointments he was also a Non-Executive Director contributing to his extensive experience in health and social care leadership and governance in Northern Ireland. Whilst Chair of Western 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 additionally served as a Trustee of Foyle Hospice from 2018-2025.
- Mrs Lyn Preece brings to this role an exceptional and longstanding career in Social Work, with particular interest in the field of Children’s Services. Over many years she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children, young people and families in many social work and leadership roles across England and Northern Ireland. Most recently, Lyn served as the Director of Children’s Services and Executive Director of Social Work in the South-Eastern Trust, providing strategic leadership across complex systems of care and protection. In the role of Director, she led significant work to strengthen safeguarding practice, champion the rights and wellbeing of children, and support the dedicated workforce for delivering vital services.
- 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. Both Mr Guckian and Mrs Preece have declared that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
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