ADCS president urges directors to show ‘strong and moral’ leadership in face of cuts

Directors of children’s services have a “moral imperative” to help other councils improve their provision, to fill the gap left by less national and regional improvement support, the president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services has warned.

Speaking at the National Children and Adult Services conference, Marion Davis told delegates that a sector-led approach to improvement would mitigate the risk that a lack of government prescription could create “a postcode lottery” in the quality of services.

She admitted that children’s services are facing uncertain times, but urged professionals to show “strong and moral” leadership when facing the serious cuts over the next four years.

“Not only are children’s services departments, like all local authority services, experiencing the sharpest budget cuts in living memory, but directors of children’s services are also awaiting the outcome of a number of a number of reviews that could fundamentally change the way some of our core work is delivered on the frontline,” she explained.

“Making the most of these changes will require strong leadership and some very courageous conversations with colleagues in local government to get the best deal for children and young people.”

Davis added that government must clarify the roles and responsibilities of local authorities urgently, so that professionals have a chance to plan spending ahead of the next financial year.

“We need to know as soon as possible how our role in relation to schools will change, how inspection will change and how our role in promoting public health will develop before local government can make sound decisions for the future,” she said.

In terms of reforms to education and wider children’s services, she warned that councils must protect the most vulnerable children and young people with complex needs from the “unintended consequences” of using a “market model” to deliver provision.

“The market model in education and other frontline children’s services has serious implications for service reform,” she explained. “Relying solely on market forces risks some children falling through the gaps.”