Professional bodies’ offer to directors

Children’s services directors are to be offered joint membership
of the professional bodies for social care and education.

The Association of Directors of Social Services and the
Association of Directors of Education and Children’s Services
(Adecs) have joined forces in response to the government’s
requirement that councils appoint a director with dual
responsibility for education and children’s social care.

The ADSS is expected to ratify the decision at its spring
seminar in April, alongside moves to extend membership to chief
executives of care trusts.

David Hawker, Adecs chair and director of children, families and
schools at Brighton Council, said: “Every children’s services
director is going to have to learn one side of the business or the
other. I think, as the leadership organisations on both sides, ADSS
and Adecs, have got a huge amount to offer in terms of the
up-skilling of directors of children’s services.”

He denied a merger was on the cards, but said a body
specifically representing children’s services directors was
possible a few years down the line.