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More than two fifths of all social services departments in England are now combined with other services, a Community Care survey has revealed, writes Clare Jerrom.

Of those departments with a wider remit, half have responsibility for social services and housing, a third have responsibility for social services and health, and a handful have responsibility for social services, housing and health.

More unusual combinations include Havering's new community services department in east London, which covers leisure and culture, cctv, emergency planning, revenue and benefits, and social services; East Riding of Yorkshire's department of social services, housing, and public protection; and Blackpool's department of housing, environmental and social services.

Only half of the individuals with lead responsibility for social services have retained the traditional title of director of social services, while a further fifth are directors of social services and at least one other service.

Almost 30 per cent of former social services director posts have now been extended to include more of an overview role and been given new titles, including strategic, executive, or corporate director. Three directors now also head a local primary care trust.

Eight of England's 150 upper tier local authorities have scrapped their social services departments altogether, and replaced them with departments for adult social services and departments for children's social services.

From next year, Essex council will join Brighton and Hove, Milton Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, Peterborough, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, and Wiltshire councils in splitting their services, and Rochdale council is planning a similar move.

Of the eight that have already made the split, at least three have combined their adult services with housing and others have moved their adult services closer to health. Seven have combined their children's services with education to create new children and schools departments, the majority of which are led by the former directors of education.

Bury council, by contrast, has recently removed education from its personal and community services department and appointed a director of social services, health and housing and a director of education after it was felt the job was too much for one person.

Plans to change posts to more strategic and less hands-on roles have prompted some former directors' departures, as have plans to split departments.

But Jeni Bremner, programme manager for education and social policy at the Local Government Association, said the findings proved that local authorities were reacting to local agendas.

"What this demonstrates is that local government is thinking flexibly about the provision of services, and acknowledging the wider agenda," she said.

Bremner added that it was unclear whether the move towards combining children's social services and education services amounted to a step towards the new children's trusts mentioned in the spending review as it was still unclear how the new trusts would work.