Lord Laming adviser appointed to head children’s services at Leeds

An adviser to Lord Laming during the Victoria Climbié inquiry has been appointed to lead Leeds City Council’s under-fire children’s services department.

Nigel Richardson will take over as director of children’s services at Leeds in the autumn. He is currently corporate director of children’s and young people’s services at Hull City Council, which he joined five years ago.

He previously worked with Lord Laming as a social care adviser during the Climbié inquiry between 2001 and 2002.

Councillor Judith Blake, Leeds executive member for children’s services, said: “The council has obtained the services of a talented and experienced leader and manager. The children’s services agenda is very large and we are confident Nigel is the perfect candidate to tackle the many challenges ahead.

“Nigel has already been instrumental in achieving so much for the children and young people of Hull in his current post.

“He has proved he has the experience and knowledge to help drive forward the changes needed to bring children’s services in Leeds back up to the standard children and young people in this city deserve.”

Eleanor Brazil, interim director of children’s services at Leeds, is to stay on to work alongside Nigel from the autumn in an unspecified role “to ensure the continuation of the improvement agenda”, according to a council statement.

The council’s children’s and young people’s service has been criticised over the past year for high caseloads and poor management. During this time it also received an inadequate rating from Ofsted for its safeguarding children services.