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The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services is recruiting a national director to lead the delivery of the personalisation of adult social care.

The Department of Health agreed to devolve responsibility for implementing its Putting People First agenda to the sector itself. It is believed to be the first time the government, which is funding the post, has allowed an external body to be accountable for the delivery of a major policy.

Hearts and minds
The national director for social care transformation will report to Adass, the Local Government Association and the Improvement and Development Agency for local government.

The successful candidate is likely to be seconded from a director's post, and will be an "authoritative" leader who "appeals to the hearts and minds of peer directors", according to the job specification.

The new Adass president, John Dixon (right), welcomed the creation of the post, saying it demonstrated the decline of the top-down approach of previous governments.

Opportunity
In announcing the news in his maiden speech to Adass at the spring seminar in Cheshire, Dixon described the position as an "exciting opportunity".

Dixon said the national director would be charged with providing the toolkits needed to roll out personalisation at regional levels.

"Their job will be to work out how we move across the chasm from being a pilot to a mainstream policy - hopefully without falling down the middle," he added.

More news from the Adass spring seminar including ring fencing fears; introduction of value for money indicators; and safegurading vulnerable adults