In this blog, the Centre's Interim Director, Vicki Mulligan, reflects on this moment of transition in the Centre’s life, and sets out our priorities and intentions for the months ahead.
As 2026 starts, the Centre for Justice Innovation is waking up to life without Phil at the helm. While the Ministry of Justice has experienced frequent change at the top over the past decade, the Centre for Justice Innovation has benefited from rare continuity. Phil has led the organisation for 13 years, giving the Centre the space to develop deep expertise, long-term partnerships, and a clear sense of purpose. That stability has mattered, particularly in a justice system where priorities can change quickly.
Phil leaves the Centre in a strong position. Under his leadership, the organisation has built a reputation for evidence-based practice reform, practical policy influence, and a willingness to stay with complex issues over time. One of our strengths is knowing where we can add the most value. We do not try to work on everything. Instead, we develop deep expertise in specific areas of practice and policy, stay with them over the long term, and work alongside others who bring complementary knowledge and experience.
That is the approach we are continuing - and deepening.
Our priorities
Much of our current work focuses on areas where the justice system has a direct impact on people’s lives, and where decisions made in practice have lasting effects. That work is developed alongside practitioners and informed by what is feasible in real-world conditions. A central priority is improving the experiences of women in, or at risk of, contact with the justice system. We are committed to support change that moves away from criminalisation and towards community-based responses, particularly for those facing multiple and overlapping disadvantages. Much of this work is shaped by what we hear directly from women and from the services trying to support them. This includes work on problem-solving approaches that respond to women’s needs more effectively and reduce harm to families and communities.
We are also expanding our work on problem-solving courts more broadly, including in relation to youth justice and violence. These models are not quick fixes, but when implemented well they can improve outcomes by addressing the underlying drivers of offending rather than simply managing risk.
Another key area of our work is child-centred policing and youth justice. How children experience policing and early justice interventions matters profoundly - for trust, legitimacy, and long-term outcomes. Our work here focuses on practical changes that can be embedded in day-to-day practice, not just policy statements.
We continue to strengthen our work on family justice, particularly how the family courts respond to children and families affected by violence, trauma, and disadvantage. This is an area undergoing significant change, and one where evidence, care, and consistency are urgently needed.
Supporting practice in a time of change
These priorities sit within a challenging wider context. Many of us at the Centre - including myself - come from frontline practice in the justice system. We understand the reality of working in services facing acute capacity pressures, workforce strain, and uncertain funding. Women’s services, domestic abuse provision, substance use services, court staff, probation, and youth justice teams are all navigating these pressures daily, while still delivering innovative and high-quality work.
At the same time, practitioners and policymakers are responding to multiple reforms taking shape across the justice system, from sentencing and youth justice to policing and family justice. Each of these reforms brings expectations of change, sometimes ahead of the time and resources available to put them fully into practice.
A key part of the Centre’s role is helping bridge that gap: supporting people to translate evidence and policy ambition into practice that works in real-world conditions.
Looking ahead
Over the next 12 to 18 months, success for the Centre will mean continuing to thrive beyond any one individual; strengthening partnerships with practitioners, policymakers, and funders; and seeing evidence-informed pilots and reforms implemented in ways that genuinely improve outcomes. Under new leadership, there will be change, but there will also be continuity. The aim is not to fix what already works, but to strengthen it and take it further.
This means deepening our contribution in areas of particular importance, especially work on violence against women and girls, and on child-centred approaches to policing and youth justice.
This is not about changing who we are. It is about building on what the Centre already does well: staying focused, staying credible, and working alongside those seeking to make the justice system fairer and more effective.
That is the work I am committed to supporting and taking forward.