Executive Director For Education And Social Work Appointed

Glasgow City Council has appointed Ms Margaret Doran as the new Executive Director for Education and Social Work services. Margaret Doran is the current Service Director for Education Services and came to Glasgow from Southend Borough Council in June of last year.

The Executive Committee in February agreed to an integration of Education and Social Work at senior management level and the newly appointed Executive Director will oversee service directors for the two departments.

As well as delivering excellent education for all Glaswegians, the new executive director’s role will be to ensure that social work and education services work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for all children and families.

Councillor Steven Purcell, Leader of the Council said in February that the close co-ordination of Education and Social Work would help protect children who had previously fallen through the net. Following the appointment today, Councillor Purcell said: “Glasgow is committed to providing the very best Education and Social Work services to its people and the appointment of Margaret Doran is a huge step towards that goal.

“The over-riding objective of the restructuring of these departments is to improve service delivery through greater integration of services. By coordinating education and social work thinking we will be able to focus on the areas where we can make the biggest difference to some of the city’s most disadvantaged young people.

“Many children in Glasgow are affected by social problems which affect not only their homes lives but their schooling as well. Bringing education and social work closer together will help us tackle attainment in mainstream education and improve the outcomes for our most vulnerable children.”

Ms Doran, who has 17 years of local government experience, will take up the new post on Monday 25 June 2007 and said today: “I look forward to ensuring that we deliver the quality services that the children and people of Glasgow expect, and which our elected members require of all Council services.”