Lib Dem peer Baroness Claire Tyler has been appointed chair of Cafcass (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service).

Tyler: formerly director of the Department for Education and Skills' vulnerable children’s group

She has takes up the three-year post this week and replaces former chief executive of ChildLine Valerie Howarth.

Baroness Tyler, who is chief executive of counselling service Relate, said her "two big passions" are improving the lives of children in care and reducing the impact of family breakdown on children.

She said: "Cafcass provides a valuable service for children who enter the family court system, whether it's through care proceedings or because their parents have separated. It is vital children's interests are properly represented in court."

Education Secretary Michael Gove, who appointed Baroness Tyler, said her appointment would "help ensure that children’s interests are always at the heart of care and family court proceedings".

She joins after a tough four years for the court service, which has battled to cope with a dramatic increase in caseloads since the Baby Peter case, as well as fend off criticism from MPs and unions.

Latest figures indicate Cafcass is winning its battle to reduce the number of unallocated cases. By the end of March last year there were just three unallocated cases, compared with 986 by the end of August 2009.

The service still faces an uncertain future with last November’s Family Justice Review calling for Cafcass to be incorporated into a new Family Justice Service to coordinate the whole family justice system.

Baroness Tyler’s previous roles have included director of the Department for Education and Skills' vulnerable children’s group and chair of Kids in the Middle, a coalition of charities campaigning to reduce the impact of parental separation on children.  She is also a former acting chief executive of Connexions.