Directors’ pay holds up in adult services

Fears that directors of adult social services would be paid less
than their children’s services counterparts appear to be unfounded,
according to a snapshot Community Care survey.

But the new social services directors have wide-ranging briefs
encompassing housing, health, community safety and culture, the
poll shows.

Pay for adult social services directors ranged from £68,000 to
£112,000 and in 85 per cent of the 19 councils that disclosed
salaries children’s services directors were paid on the same scale.

But in cases where adult directors were paid less than their
children’s services equivalent, the discrepancy could amount to
nearly £30,000.

While some adult directors have a narrow focus on social care, a
third of adult directors surveyed also had responsibility for
housing and one in five was in charge of cultural services. Other
directors had remits including health, leisure, highways, crime
prevention, personnel, neighbourhood services and trading
standards.

Association of Director of Social Services president Tony Hunter
said the survey showed a continued expansion of this role, which
was something directors had pushed for.

Director of social policy at the Local Government Association John
Ransford said the wide remit of adult services directors was a
tribute to their management skills.