New ADCS president wants more radical solutions to SEN

judy.cooper@rbi.co.uk

The new president of the Association of Director’s of Children’s Services has set out his ambition to help make the green paper on disabiilty and special educational needs “more radical”.

Speaking at the reception to mark his inauguration as ADCS president, attended by children and families minister Sarah Teather, he said he felt the green paper was a great opportunity but still very much in its formative stages. “I would like to see it become even more radical.”

A spokesperson for the ADCS pointed to the south east region collaboration of 19 local authorities who are working on closer collaboration between authorities to help improve provision for SEN and children with disabilities and also reduce costs, as an example.

Setting out his priorities for the next year, Dunkley said that his role, and the role of all directors over the next year, was to ensure proposed health and education reforms, as well as budget cuts, did not fragment services to such an extent that children began falling through the gaps.

“More providers means more diversity, but also the possible creation of more gaps for the vulnerable to fall through – it is our responsibility not to let that happen. Articulating that role in respect of school provision and school improvement; changes to the health service; of SEN services and in respect of child protection will be the focus of my presidential year. In the face of a rapidly changing landscape it is our responsibility to make sure the needs of all children and young people are understood and met and their voice is heard in these changes.”

He also called on ministers to give directors of children’s services the same freedoms and trust they were proposing to give social workers and teachers.

“DCSs would like the professional freedoms and respect offered to social workers and teachers in order to be able to support these staff as they explore their new freedom in a local context. You can’t create learning organisations from Whitehall, nor should each Director be left to work out the answers to these challenges alone. That is why ADCS is committed to developing a robust model of sector-led improvement that will help us to help each other as we try to sustain and improve service quality and to maintain partnerships and multi-agency approaches in tough times.”

In response Teather said she looked forward to working with Dunkley to achieve a new relationship between central and local government on reforms. “While I might cower over some of your statements to the press, I will read them and take note of them.”