End of an era at Cafcass: Anthony Douglas, outgoing chief executive

Anthony Douglas is about to draw the curtain on 15 years leading the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass). When he joined the organisation, it was riven with internal disputes, but in recent years has been judged "outstanding" by Ofsted and helped introduce a more streamlined legal system that has seen the average length of care proceedings almost halve.

What have been your key contributions?

Making Cafcass work well, because it didn't to begin with. Growing a monoculture from 117 predecessor organisations. Establishing the new organisation in the children's services mainstream. Modernising its architecture, infrastructure and our people. Strengthening the Voice of the Child in our work, and putting in safe and reliable systems across the country to deal with 140,000 children a year - more than double that when I started. Above all, learning how to manage demand and improve quality with fewer resources, although that equation may not hold into the 2020s, given the resource and pressure prognoses.